iris books for beginners

Here are three books that could be useful to beginning iris growers:

_The Iris Book_ by Molly Price, 1973, about $7. This is a very approachable
introduction to the whole subject. The pictures are all black-and-white,
and it is now rather out of date (especially noticeable in the cultivar
recommendations), but still a good read. Available as a Dover paperback,
but may take a little effort to find.

_Growing Irises_ by Graeme Grosvenor, 1992, about $12. A good newer
substitute for Price's book, from Australia (the references to calendar
months will be distracting for northern hemisphere readers; now I
understand how our friends down under feel about our books). Lots of
cultivar recommendations, and balanced (if brief) coverage of all the
different types. There are lots of photos, but they are small and crowded
into a special section of plates. Recommended, but may be hard to find in
the US.

_Irises: A Practical Gardening Guide_ by Karen Glasgow, 1997, about $20.
This one is from New Zealand, a bit more modern and ambitious than
Grosvener's book. Very nice photos and a good survey of the different kinds
of irises, less of a TB focus. A few minor errors, but highly recommended.
Widely available in the US through Timber Press.

There are also a couple not yet published that might be worth waiting for:
_The Gardener's Guide to Growing Irises_ by Geoff Stebbings, due out this
summer, and--of course--the new book by Iris-L's own BILL SHEAR, also due
out later this year.

Although it is not a beginner's book, _The World of Irises_ edited by
Warburton and Hamblen, 1978, remains an outstanding value at $20 from the
AIS. Beginners will probably find the chapters on culture more useful than
the other parts of the book, which are pretty well laden with historical
and technical detail. Alternatively, one could simply read it through and
then no longer be a "beginner".

For those who like shopping by internet, Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/)
has a huge selection and tremendously efficient service, and Powell's
(http://www.powells.com) is good for hard-to-find titles. Both have Price's
and Glasgow's books; Grosvenor's is available at Powell's.

_

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Tom Tadfor Little                   telp@Rt66.com
Iris-L list owner * USDA zone 5/6 * AIS region 23
Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA)
Telperion Productions  http://www.rt66.com/~telp/
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