“Bir profiles more than 90 species of trees and shrubs native to the eastern United States, identifying the species best suited to small gardens. Color photographs highlight flowers and other showy features, and the text emphasizes means of propagation. The section on propagating provides detailed instructions for germinating seeds and rooting stem and root cuttings. A useful addition to regional gardening collections.”—Library Journal
“The book’s first 42 pages offer one of the clearest, most succinct introductions to plant propagation I have seen anywhere. . . . In short, this is that rarest of things: a gardening book that’s even better than the description on the back of the jacket.” — Horticulture
“Bir invites both novices and professionals to take a closer look at plants unlikely to be encountered at the local garden center. . . . Before you plant this year, no matter where you live, examine our showy natives. Bir suggests that one of them might be the plant you're seeking.” — American Horticulturist
“Targeted pointedly at gardeners in the eastern United States, this eminently sensible book nonetheless will be welcomed by gardeners everywhere who grow plants native to the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states — and that includes most of us.” — Pacific Horticulture
“A useful book for the amateur gardener looking for a single source of basic information on plants that are growing in popularity as landscape material in the home garden.” — Brittonia
“For those whose interest is either floral beauty or horticulture, this book is excellent. It, like its subjects, is showy: not loud, far from overstated, but elegant in its attention to detail, and in its palette of colors. The color is found in the prose, and in the marvellous photographs which . . . are by the author.” — Wildflower
“This is that rarest of things: a gardening book that’s even better than the description on the back of the jacket.” — Horticulture
