Among the first titles published in 1978, with more than 150,000 copies in print in three editions, Japanese Maples is a Timber Press classic. Japanese maples are unlike any other tree. They boast a remarkable diversity of color, form, and texture. As a result of hundreds of years of careful breeding, they take the center stage in any garden they are found. In the last decade, the number of Japanese maple cultivars available to gardeners has doubled and there is a pressing need for an up-to-date reference. This new fourth edition offers detailed descriptions of over 150 new introductions, updates to plant nomenclature, and new insights into established favorites. Gardeners will relish the practical advice that puts successful cultivation within everyone's grasp. Accurate identification is made simple with over 600 easy-to-follow descriptions and 500 color photographs.
J. D. Vertrees (1915--1993), one of the world's acknowledged authorities on Japanese maples, was an entomologist, nurseryman, and educator who collected rare and unusual cultivars of
Acer palmatum. At one time his 1 1/2-acre arboretum at Maplewood Nursery in Roseburg, Oregon, had the largest collection of Japanese maples in the United States. Today his nursery is a private garden, and the results of his extensive research efforts live on in this classic and definitive book. During his lifetime Mr. Vertrees received many awards, including the 1978 Special Achievement Award from the Oregon Association of Nurserymen, the 1980 Citation for Horticultural Research from the American Horticulture Society, the 1980 Thomas Roland Gold Medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and the 1981 Citation for Distinguished Horticulture Achievement from the Oregon Federation of Garden Clubs. In 1997
Japanese Maples was selected by the American Horticultural Society as one of the 75 Great American Garden Books.
Peter Gregory, retired curator of the world-famous Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, England, has researched maples and other trees for more than 40 years. Some of the techniques he developed to ensure the health and well-being of the exotic and mature trees in the Arboretum's collection have been adopted by other arboreta and botanic gardens. Mr. Gregory is chairman of the international Maple Society since its founding in 1990 and editor of the Society's quarter's journal. Like Mr. Vertrees, he is recognized internationally as a leading authority on Japanese maples.
