As a beginning gardener, I used to spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out which shrubs were which. Great Flowering Landscape Shrubs by Vincent Simeone is a useful basic reference for beginning gardeners that includes clear photos of the blossoms and berries of many of the more popular flowering shrubs. In fact, I was able to use the photos to identify my Carolina Allspice, which was one of the two shrubs in the yard when I bought my current home.
Besides the plant identification section, this book also has several other sections that would be useful to a new gardener. Site selection and plant care covers how to plant your shrubs and basic care, including how to properly prune different types of shrubs. Landscaping with flowering shrubs discusses basic landscaping points such as being sure you don't crowd your shrubs.
This book is a nice resource for inexperienced gardeners, although gardeners with more experience may be a bit disappointed, since it does seem to be geared toward new gardeners. I give Great Flowering Landscape Shrubs four and 1/2 out of five sunflowers.
About the Book:
Title: Great Flowering Landscape Shrubs
Author: Vincent Simeone
Publisher: Ball Publishing
Date: 2005
Pages: 129
Price: $24.95
ISBN: 1-883052-42-4
