Free Downloads Empress Of The Garden
"Growing roses as landscape plants in Southern gardens for 30 years has given me more insight into their value--and magic--than I could have imagined...Unlike the stereotypical modern princesses bred for floral perfection, old garden roses have engaging personalities that belong to no other plants. They can enhance the garden in many ways, posing as party girls spinning on a dance floor or playing the voluptuous drama queens as they flirt from arbors."—G. Michael Shoup Gardens never stop teaching their gardeners, and G. Michael Shoup—a key figure in the renaissance of old rose varieties--shares 30 years of practical and poetics wisdom in this book. At his Antique Rose Emporium display garden in Independence, Texas—designated a Hall of Fame Garden by the Great Rosarians of the World--Shoup has become intimately acquainted with the growth habits and personalities of hundreds of old garden roses. He gathers them here in a most useful manner—divided not strictly by formal classes but by the nuanced nature of their usefulness as landscape plants. Shoup knows that merely describing a plant as a "climber" doesn't give gardeners nearly the information they need to enjoy the wonders of the old rose universe. His first book, Roses in the Southern Garden, separated vigorous from mannerly climbers and large shrubs from small ones; but with this update he takes readers deeper into the realm of these empresses, exploring their character traits in ways that give new meaning to the idea of gardening as a therapeutic activity. The sumptuous photographs of Empress of the Garden will inspire those who garden for romance. Novices and seasoned rosarians will also appreciate Shoup's advice on the many aspects of growing roses. And anyone who has wielded pruning shears or who aspires to create a where roses reign will find his stories appealing.
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press (February 14, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0967821320
ISBN-13: 978-0967821320
Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 12 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #705,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #24 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Flowers > Bulbs #46 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Flowers > Roses #382 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Plants > Flowers
Just when you think that you have enough rose books full of glossy photos collecting dust on your coffee table or bookshelf, along comes surprisingly refreshing Empress of the Garden by Mike Shoup, owner of Antique Rose Emporium, whose mail order roses are among the best available.The book is divided into two main sections, The Elegant Climbers and The Versatile Shrubs, and these in turn are broken into somewhat unusual and whimsical (though abundantly logical) groupings, such as Regal Showoffs, Mannerly Princesses and Petulant Divas, to name just a few.Empress of the Garden contains terrific photographs (also mainly by Mike Shoup) and plenty of food for thought on how best to showcase various roses. It's a book that has much to offer both the seasoned rose grower as well as those just starting to venture into the wonderful world of roses. And adding to its impressive credentials, it appears that this book has been self-published by Antique Rose Emporium. So even if you have more than your fair share of rose books, Empress of the Garden is definitely worth your consideration.
This book makes me want to immediately start growing roses. Most other rose books read a like a reference or an encyclopedia, while this book personifies the roses and makes them accessible. The author describes each rose by their character essence, putting them into categories like "Drama Queens", "Tenacious Tomboys", and "Big-Hearted Homebodies". The pictures in this book are absolutely gorgeous and it is worth every penny as a coffee table book, while at the same time it is quite inspiring as a practical gardening book. I can't wait to start digging!
This is a beautiful book on antique roses and well worth purchasing if you are new to them and Mike Shoup. If you are already a fan of Mike's and the Antique Rose Emporium, and have his book, Roses in the Southern Garden, you will find that much of the information and many pictures are repeats. Anyone who is not aware of Antique Roses will forever be grateful for the introduction.
I heard about this book on a radio gardening show, and thought it would make a good gift for my son and daughter-in-law, who are avid gardeners. The book was better than I expected, with helpful advice about placing roses in different types of environments, as well as pictures of the flowers that are exquisite. Since the roses discussed are antique they are hardy as well as beautiful. The book would make a great coffee table item also!
I grow many kinds of roses, and was not very impressed with this book. I thought it lacked organization and was not particularly thorough/educational. It was more like a scrapbook created by and for the owner of the Rose Emporium. Subjective opinions of the "personalities" of various roses. ("Petulant Divas?"If you say so.)There weren't that many pics, aside from the beautiful cover, where the roses themselves or the way they were trained, took my breath away. Some colors of the roses looked off to my eye, too. Also the book included random-looking snapshots of family members and coworkers, which seemed odd, and added to my sense of - is this book for me, or for the author? The paper seemed kind of cheap too. For the price of this book, I expected it to be be higher quality with a little gloss to the paper to show off the photos. Instead it seemed a little scratchy like newsprint.I will keep it to add to my library of rose books, just because it's a nuisance to return. If you are new to rose gardening and need inspiration, you might enjoy this more than I did. But you will definitely need other books too, because this one falls far short of being a comprehensive guide.
I heard Michael Schoup speak yesterday and he talked a lot about this book. He's an engaging speaker and this book is an important part of preserving the history of old roses. If you can ever go to the Antique Rose Emporium, do it! It's an incredible place.And don't be afraid to grow old garden roses. This book can be a great introduction to help people decide which would work best in their space. They aren't the fussy prima donas that modern hybrid teas are. They're much more rewarding and will live for many years with minimal care. After all, a lot of them have been found in cemeteries. And, he quoted the Texas Rose Rustlers as saying, "If dead people can grow them, anyone can."
Mike Shoup has a rose nursery, The Antique Rose Emporium, near Brenham, TX, where he sells Old Garden Roses and hyberdizes Pioneer roses. The book Empress of the Garden,is about roses that have serived many years throughout the United States. His knowlege of these roses is evident in his description of the roses and their virtures and what could be their difficulties in growing in small gardens. The photographs are spectacular. Better than many pictures of roses in coffee-table books. These pictures were taken at old farms, small homes, and gardens like most people have. You can pictures the rose in your garden. He gives you the knowledge to choose a rose just right for you. This was a valentine present from my husband and I will treasure it for many years because my huband gave me an informative and elegant rose book.
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