Weeds of the Northeast review:5 stars (EXCELLENT REFERANCE BOOK) - EXCELLENT REFERENCE BOOK FOR WEED IDENTIFICATION. QUITE SPECIFIC FOR FARMERS AND GARDENERS.4 stars (A handy guide--good identification photos) - I'm very pleased with this guide. After spending time with field research botanists, I've come to appreciate how difficult it can be to catalog invasive plants--they're EVERYWHERE! And of varying sizes, shapes, colors. Some so innocuous that it wouldn't even occur to you to notice and others so prolific in their families that it takes forever to track the different varieties. Luckily, Uva, Neal, and DiTomaso did and put together an excellent little book. As a professional gardener, this has been a handy reference. I would give it five stars, but I do have issue with some of the items. In the Introduction, weeds are discussed, but it is not clearly established what makes a "weed" a weed. For example, mallow is listed as a weed, but it appears to be a weed in the context of agricultural plantings. To my understanding, there are several native varieties of mallow in the U.S. Is this particular variety non-native? Is it a nuisance plant? Is it unsightly? My definition of weed has always been non-native escapists or volunteers. I'd like to see this clearly defined.
I would also like more information on where the plant originates and what makes it a weed in the Northeast. As well as any beneficial qualities--are parts of the plant edible? Can any of it be used? Difficulties eradicating? Basically, as a gardener I'd like to know if there are any positive attributes. If I have a field full of amiranth is it the same type of amiranth sold in the stores? How does it vary? Could my client potentially harvest any of this before tilling or pulling out? The scientific information, such as plant identification: size of seeds, defining leaf shapes, etc., is all very clear and well done. As I said the photos are great. All in all this is indespensible, I just wish they would continue to add to the text.4 stars (Easy Identification) - I found the book easy to use and was helpful in identifying weeds in my yard. Showing pictures of the plants at various growth stages was extremely helpful so problems can be eliminated early.
The only thing that I would recommend as an addition would be management suggestions.
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