Best shrub gardening books according to redditors

I'm mostly into trees and shrubs, and I'm based out of Texas. I have a few books, including:

Trees by Allen Coombes, useful for identifying some of the most widely-planted/popular trees and their varieties around the world.

Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of the Southwest by Robert Vines. A comprehensive resource for identifying native trees/shrubs/vines if you're in the area.

Manual of the Trees of North America by Charles Sprague Sargent, vols. 1 and 2. Slightly outdated in terms of pure taxonomy, but (again) extremely comprehensive, and includes nice identification keys and a glossary for the technical terms.

It helps to be crazypassionate enough about the subject that you'd actually crack open these books for pleasure browsing instead of just trying to find a species, but it's not required.

Google image search is your friend, especially if there is some characteristic about the plant that really stands out, you may just be able to search directly for it. If the OP has provided location information, a search like "oaks native to minnesota" (or whatever) can help narrow down a species.

Also it helps to walk through a few nurseries in your area, look at the labels, and figure out what is popular.

Some of it is just experience and really wanting to know what things are. You just get to know the trees/plants in your area, and if you see something out of place, figure out what it is and add it to your mental inventory, store its characteristics (foliage arrangement, fall color, leaf/bark variability, general shape/form, fruit, common diseases/issues, etc. etc.) Just do this for the stuff you care about. I've found that over time, as things become familiar, I have the mental space to care about things that would have escaped my attention before.

It's easier to distinguish some superficially similar trees (for instance, pecan vs. black walnut w/no fruit, or catalpa vs paulownia) after you've seen a few of them in person and know what to look for.

Sorry for the TL;DR, hope it helps!

I found some more for you:

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Edible-Wild-Plants/dp/0811734471/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486204&sr=1-3&keywords=field+guide+to+edible+wild+plants

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Full-Color-Wildflowers-Weeds/dp/0671608835/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486260&sr=1-7&keywords=wildflowers+and+weeds+booth+courtenay

https://www.amazon.com/Trees-Shrubs-Virginia-Oscar-Gupton/dp/0813908868/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486309&sr=1-1&keywords=Trees+and+shrubs+of+Virginia

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Medicinal-Wild-Plants/dp/0811734935/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486334&sr=1-1&keywords=Field+guide+to+medicinal+wild+plants

https://www.amazon.com/American-Horticultural-Society-Flower-Finder/dp/0671723456/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486392&sr=1-1&keywords=flower+finder+Jacqueline+heriteau

https://www.amazon.com/Killer-plants-poisonous-plant-guide/dp/B0007JJHIK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486436&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=killer+plants+joseph+kuzma

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Along-Blue-Ridge-Parkway/dp/B0007HHCIE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486474&sr=1-1&keywords=nature+along+the+blue+ridge+parkway

https://www.amazon.com/Flower-Expert-D-G-Hessayon/dp/0903505525/ref=la_B001KMG5W4_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486507&sr=1-7

Those are really good books. They’re my moms and we’ve used them a lot over the years. I also really like the folding waterproof guides. They’re small enough to put in your pocket. Here are some links to em:

https://www.amazon.com/Wildflowers-Mid-Atlantic-States-MD-NY/dp/1943334250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524486632&sr=1-1&keywords=wildflowers+of+the+mid-Atlantic+states

https://www.foldingguides.com/product/sibleys-trees-of-trails-forests-of-the-southeast/

https://www.foldingguides.com/a_fg-southeast/

https://www.foldingguides.com/foldingguides-southwest/

http://www.waterfordpress.com/products/pocket-naturalist-guides/state/virginia.html

If you want more information, this book is a great source. It taught me everything I needed to know: https://www.amazon.com/Orthos-All-About-Pruning-Gardening/dp/0897214293

I would hope so- he literally wrote the book on tree pruning. Yes, he spoke at my state arborist association. He's a really fun guy to watch. He publishes in the ISA journal of studies thing too if you get those.

Edit: Hope to see you next week mattwisconsin.

Yes keeping the dear out can be tough, it really comes down to how hungry they are, and it only takes one browsing to really set a planting back, especially in the early stages. They'll prune all the growing points for you ;O Thats a really complex issue and the answers depend on what your overall project is.

I think if you just stay mindful of what might limit the Mimosa from being helpful, you'll be fine. It sounds like it wont be stressed in that situation. There are many other trailing legumes like that that you could mix in for good measure like alfalfa. Try several at once and see what thrives. Just remember an excess of N can cause pest and disease problems in overly-vigorous growth, in some cases.

Are you doing hugelculture (sp?) style beds?

Also, if you are trying to create stock-proof fencing you should read more about hedgelaying. I don't think anyone does this in north america but the results are second to none in terms of functionality. I own that book, its an exceptionally complete manual