Many of the more comprehensive books on gardening in general and gardening in particular are likely to have a section on pruning, propagating your own plants or both. It is worth checking any you have currently in your library to see if they can tell you what you want to know. Having said that, a comprehensively illustrated book on either subject can be a good investment if you are interested in giving it a go yourself.
Pruning Books
Pruning Simplified – Lewis Hill – Gary Allen P/L (AUS) 1990 ISBN 1 875169 067 – While this edition is published in Aus the book was originally written in the US. It covers the various reasons why you want to prune, the tools and equipment required and general pruning techniques. There are then a series of chapters covering the specifics of pruning various classes of plants including shade trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, hedges, fruit trees, small fruits and nut trees. The pruning of vines, forest trees and bonsai is also covered. Lots of detail and while there are no photos there are lots of line drawings.
Plant Pruning A to Z (A Practical Guide) – Jon Muller – Lothian Books (AUS) 2004 ISBN 0 7334 0640 1 – The front of the book has a series of chapters covering the principles of pruning, pruning techniques for trees and other plants, tools required and caring for plants including line drawings and some colour photos. The second (and larger) part of the book is a series of monographs on various ornamental and useful plants covering a description (including colour photo), how the plant is pruned and how the plant is propagated. Pruning information may be as little as one sentence and there are no diagrams in this part of the book to illustrate techniques.
Pruning for flowers and Fruit – Jane Varkulevicius – CSIRO Publishing (AUS) 2010 ISBN 978 0 643 09576 2 – This is my favourite pruning book! The initial chapters cover how plants grow, plant quality and propagation, tools required including sharpening, all with lots of colour photos and some line drawings. The following chapters cover pruning techniques for ornamentals, deciduous and evergreen fruit trees, citrus, fruiting shrubs and cane fruits. There are lots of colour photos and line drawings to demonstrate the techniques described.
Pruning (part of the Step By Step Gardening series) – Graham Clarke – Ward Lock Ltd (UK) 1985 ISBN 0 7063 6265 9 – This is a good little book covering why you prune, tools of the trade, plant anatomy, pruning techniques and a dictionary of pruning terms. Further chapters cover specific techniques for shrubs, trees, climbers, roses, hedges and fruit trees. Lots of good line drawings.
Pruning Made Easy – Lewis Hill – Storey Books (US) 1997 ISBN 1 58017 007 2 - This one covers the various reasons why you want to prune, the tools and equipment required and general pruning techniques. There are then a series of chapters covering the specifics of pruning various classes of plants including shade trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, hedges, fruit trees, small fruits and nut trees. The pruning of vines, garden plants and house plants and bonsai is also covered. Lots of detail and while there are no photos there are lots of line drawings.
Plant Propagation Books
New Plants From Old – Jackie French – Aird Books P/L (AUS) 1991 ISBN 0 947214 18 6 – This is a small, non technical book with lots of information. There are chapters on tools and the basic techniques (cutting, budding, grafting, layering, sowing seeds etc) followed by chapters on propagating vegetables, fruit, flowers and other ornamentals, herbs, indoor plants and natives. No photos but some line drawings, particularly to illustrate the techniques. Jackie’s books are always pretty good and this is no exception.
Growing From Seed – Margaret Hanks – Murdoch Books (AUS) 2001 ISBN 0 86411 964 1 – This book is brought out under the auspices of Mr Fothergill’s Seeds. It only covers propagation by seeds but provides detail about seed raising basics such as planting from seed, how to plant seeds, types of seeds, growing on seeds, soils and potting mixes, pests and diseases. The second and larger part of the book gives details on growing specific flowers, herbs and vegetables from seed. Some coloured drawing for the techniques and lots of colour photos of the plants.
Gardens for Free: a Propagation Handbook – Geoff Bryant – David Bateman Ltd (NZ) 1992 ISBN 1 86953 104 3 - This is a small book but packed with information. There is a bit of the usual stuff about tools, why you propagate and pests and disease. There are also three quite extensive tables showing common propagation methods, germination requirements and division techniques required for a large list of edible and ornamental plant species. There is a section on propagating rhizomes, tubers, corms and bulbs and a chapter on less common and advanced propagation techniques such as layering, propagation using spores, budding and grafting. No photos but a large number of line drawings.
Plant Propagation (part of the Step by Step Gardening series) – Jane Courtier – Ward lock Ltd (UK) 1985 ISBN 0 7063 6236 5 – This book is composed of five chapters covering propagation by seed, cuttings, layering, grafting and division. Each chapter lists tools required, a general discussion of the process and then specifics for particular variations of each technique. Lots and lots of line drawings, this is a great beginners book.
The Grafter’s Handbook – R.J. Garner – Cassell Publishers Ltd (UK)1993 ISBN 0 304 34274 2 – Obviously this book only covers one form of propagation – Grafting – and it has over 300 pages of detail so it is not a book for the beginning propagator! The book covers compatibility and cambial contact in grafts, the propagation of rootstocks, the collection and treatment of scion wood, tools and accessories, methods of grafting, grafting established trees and tree raising in nurseries. There are some black and white photos and lots of line drawings.
How to Propagate Plants – Jack Plumridge – Lothian Books (AUS) 1976 ISBN 0 85091 243 1 – this was the textbook when I was doing plant propagation at TAFE. The author talks about sexual and asexual (vegetative) propagation in general terms and then provides a series of small chapters on the techniques from camellias from cuttings to natives from seed. The main focus is ornamentals however the occasional edible species does rate a mention. Lots of black and white photos with the odd colour plate.
Modern Plant Propagation – Allan Gardiner – Lothian Books (AUS) 1988 ISBN 0 85091 383 0 – This book covers propagating methods including propagating soil media, use of rooting powders, potting mixes, potting up and potting on, post propagation care and equipment requirements. Again, the primary focus is on ornamental species. There are some line drawings, quite a few black and white photos and a couple of colour plates.
Starting From Seed – Karan Davis Cutler (Ed.) – Brooklyn Botanic Garden Inc. (US) 1998 ISBN 1 889538 09 4 – This book is written around north American native plants but also discusses sowing edible plant seed. Also covered is getting started with seed, caring for seedlings and collecting and storing seeds. The book has a few line drawings but lots of nice colour photos.
How to Propagate Plants – Lorenz Kurz – Ure smith (Summit Books) (AUS) 1976 ISBN 0 7254 0348 9 – This book covers propagating from seed, growing on transplanted seedlings with the majority of the rest of the book covering taking and growing cuttings. The information provided is pretty generic but there is a table in the back covering process for specific ornamental plants. There are some line drawings but lots of black and white photos.
