Book Review: Reliable Roses : Easy-to-grow roses that won't let you down

By Philip Harkness

Publisher: Firefly Books (www.fireflybooks.com)
144 pages
200 color photographs by Steve Wooster

Intimidated by the many practical requirements of growing roses? Don't be. This book is an easy-care guide that explains:

Planning and designing a rose garden

• Selecting the right roses
• Planting, the growing cycle and pruning
• Maintenance with surprisingly little effort
• Diagnosis and control of foliage disease
• Pest control

Helpful sections cover how to identify key rose-growing locations in a garden, deciding between old and modern bush or climber varieties, and the best places to buy roses. There's a full-color gallery of the 75 best species, Alberic Barbier to warm wishes, including shrub and climbing, long-flowering, versatile, fragrant and easy-to-grow roses.

Another useful section identifies the varieties of roses that give the best results with a minimum of fuss. Quick reference pictograms indicate a rose's growing zone, ease to succeed and relative performance for the space the plant will take.