Latest book release digs into gardening in Northern California
By Helen Bale - How does your Garden Grow (Bale's column appears weekly in Placer Home
& Garden)
If a picture is worth a thousand words, one of the latest gardening books to hit the market
must be the equivalent of the Library of Congress.
"Tree & Shrub gardening for Northern California" by Bob Tanem and Don Williamson is a 360-page compendium of
everything you could possibly want to know about this topic, covering 399 trees and shrubs to enhance gardens in our
area.
Not only are there multiple color photos of every entry, but specific listings of features, cultural requirements and
pests and problems for each.
In a hurry to find information about a particular tree or shrub? An introductory section lists them alphabetically by
page, with thumbnail photos to help you along.
And don't feel badly if you are a bit hazy about what is a shrub and what's a tree anyway. The authors make it quite
understandable.
"Trees and shrubs are woody perennials," they say. "Their life cycles take three years to decades to complete and they
maintain a permanent life structure above ground all year. A tree generally is defined as a woody plant having a single trunk
and growing larger than 15 feet tall. A shrub is multi-stemmed and no taller than 15 feet.
Ah, but these definitions are not absolute. Some tall trees can have multiple stems and some shrubs may have single trunks.
For instance, a Japanese maple (tree) may be multi-stemmed and grow about 10 feet tall. And complicating it further, some
species may grow as a tree under favorable conditions and as a shrub in harsher conditions. As with many things in life, exceptions
may make the rule.
The book offers just about everything you'd need - or want to know - about growing these woody plants. And especially,
about growing them here in our area. So many of our gardeners come here from other areas, where growing conditions are vastly
different.
Getting used to the vagaries of gardening in Northern California can take a bit of doing. Ths book can be a vast help.
Despite the tremendous amout of information it offers, it's a manageable size, about 6x81/2 inches, easy to take along
with you on a trip to the nursery or just for enjoyable reading on the patio.
There's a general section on buying plants, planting them, caring for them, pruning, and pests and problems, including
recipes for controlling them.
Then, from Abelia to the container plant Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, there are detailed pages on each, all copiously
illustrated.
This is the third gardening book aimed directly at Northern California that Tanem and Williamson have prepared, all published
by Lone Pine Publisthing.
"Perennials for Northern California" profiles 519 perennials specifically selected for Northern Califronia growing conditions.
Each account features full-color photos along with well-organized text that covers planting, growing, height, spread, flower
color, hardiness, recommended varieties and down-to-earth solutions for dealing with problems and pests.
"Annuals for Northern California" features 442 annuals best suited to Northern California gardens. It also is packed
with color photos and easy-to-use information on each plant.
Bob Tanem's passion for gardening has taken him from a successful career in the nursery business to more than 20 years
as a broadcaster. His program "Bob Tanem in the Garden" on KSFO radio in San Francisco has three times won the Quill &
Trowel award for the best gardening radio program in America. Bob, who lives in Novato, California has used his extensive
experience and knowledge to help craft these three easy-to-use guides for both the experienced and novice gardener.
His sidekick in writing this gardening trilogy is Don Williamson, who has a degree in horticulutral technology and extensive
experience designing and constructing formal landscape settings, including installation of trees and shrubs.
The books are priced at $18.95 each and are available in retail stores throughout Northern California.
