The Pruning Book:
Completely Revised & Updated
- Lee A. Reich
Book Review

The Pruning Book is an indispensable resource in any gardener's home library. I enjoy the book Growing Fruits Naturally and appreciate the basic pruning tips that it covers. But The Pruning Book takes things to a whole new level. In this revised and updated book, Lee Reich covers every imaginable scenario.

How can you renovate an overgrown lilac bush? Do you need help selecting scaffold limbs on a developing tree? Whether you're growing bamboo, roses or pineapples, this book covers it all! And that includes things that you would never think to look up. Sure, you can find random pruning resources online. But this book is a comprehensive guide that offers a real foundation in all plant management techniques.

Lee explains the hormone auxin and how it shapes plant development. Countless diagrams are provided to illustrate how a single cut can completely redirect plant growth and structure. All of the tools of the trade are demonstrated from loppers to scythes. Then the proper pruning technique for making each type of cut is explained. But these are just the basics.

As the book progresses into Part 2, you begin to discover all of the nuances pertaining to each plant type. The Pruning Book covers fruiting edibles and flowering ornamentals. All structures are explained, from tree to shrub to vine. Even house plants receive attention. This is a complete guide for everything green.

I recommend The Pruning Book for all home owners, gardeners, orchardists, landscapers and arborists. The beautiful photos and helpful illustrations really help you to see how plants respond as we care for them and guide them. You can turn a small tree into a shrub or transform an herby shrub into a miniature tree. Take care of your plants and they will reward you with exquisite growth and perhaps a bountiful harvest.

Buy the book from Amazon.com