Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates

If you live in a region in which winter temperatures can dip below -20°F (-29°C), then no matter how hot your summers, you live in a cold climate. In the United States, this broad northern tier sweeps from coast to coast, dipping as far south as Kansas and as far north as the coldest parts of Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, and Montana; it also encompasses most of Canada.

Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates provides all the help you need to select, plant, and care for cold-hardy shrubs and trees that thrive despite the challenges of your climate. Experts Nancy Rose, Don Selinger, and John Whitman have selected 750 varieties of woody plants proven—through extensive field testing—to grow well. Among these are shrubs and trees that produce colorful blossoms, many with exquisite fragrances. There are plants with deep purple or variegated summer leaves; others have rich fall foliage, stem, and bark coloration. Many offer delicious berries and fruits perfect for attracting wildlife. Others have been chosen for their winter interest, from unique architectural form to persistent fruit, seed heads, or evergreen foliage.

In clear, easy-to-use charts you will find the information you need to choose the trees and shrubs ideally suited to your area's growing conditions and your landscape design. A five-star rating system helps you select the best plants, and detailed lists of suppliers show you where to locate them.

Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates is much more than a guide to plant selection. It is a gold mine of information covering not only the basics but also the best-kept secrets of successful horticulturists. Theauthors explain everything: preparing a site, planting and transplanting young shrubs and trees, pruning for optimal growth and bloom, and using organic and inorganic methods to control disease and insects. Hundreds of color photographs emphasizing multi-season interest will help you visualize how you can enrich your landscape with carefully selected shrubs and small trees.

For expert advice on selecting just the right shrub or small tree for a specific site or creating a well-designed landscape on a larger scale, there is no better source than Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates.

Nancy Rose has an extensive background in growing shrubs and small trees in cold climates. Since 1990 she has worked in the woody plant research program at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Previously she worked with plant collections at the Morton Arboretum outside Chicago. A popular garden writer, she writes a column for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis-St. Paul and contributes articles to several magazines including Northern Gardener and American Nurseryman. Rose has earned degrees in horticulture from the University of Missouri and Ohio State University.

Don Selinger has more than 35 years in the nursery business in Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota. Since 1973 he has worked for Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, where he oversees the production of nursery stock distributed wholesale throughout the northern tier of the United States and Canada. Selinger has traveled widely in the United States, Canada, and Europe to seek out new plants for the nursery trade. He speaks frequently at state and national nursery association groups. Selinger received his degree in floriculture and ornamental horticulture from the University of Illinois.

John Whitman is a veteran gardener. He was a grower at Bachman's, the largest retail florist and nursery in the United States. A member of the Garden Writers Association of America, Whitman has written or been a contributing writer and photographer to numerous books and gardening magazines. Whitman is the coauthor of two other books in this series, Growing Perennials in Cold Climates (with Mike Heger) and Growing Roses in Cold Climates (with Jerry Olson).