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SPECIAL CONIFERS FOR SPECIAL GARDENS
by Robert L. Fincham
I deliberately avoided following the formats followed by earlier authors in writing this three-volume set. It is a mixture of the old and new. The layout is different from other conifer books. I have divided the conifers according to certain criteria, and I have grouped them alphabetically within each of those criteria. A three-volume set is necessary to accommodate all the information and pictures used. Volume I is historical in nature. I included a research paper I did on the history of conifer cultivars in North America from 1932 to 2000. I also included an article I had written about the spruces of Hornibrook. Murray Hornibrook wrote a book about dwarf conifers that was the authority on that topic for almost fifty years. I wrote about his study of Picea abies with my own comments. There is also scientific chapter about developing new cultivars from hybridizing old ones. Finally, the conifer world is full of freaks and I devoted a chapter to them. One other chapter in Volume One is about me, the author. I am a part of all my books since they are written from my own viewpoints and interactions with other collectors and nurserymen. My retail business, Coenosium Gardens has played an important part in the popularity of conifers in this country, and to a smaller extent, in Europe. I have a chapter about the history of Coenosium Gardens which the reader might enjoy. There are 217 pages with 430 color pictures in this book.
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