Nelson Henderson said the true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. As meanings of life go, that’s a pretty decent one and particularly apropos to this week’s National Arbor Day,
Nelson Henderson said the true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. As meanings of life go, that’s a pretty decent one and particularly apropos to this week’s National Arbor Day, the last Friday in April, not to be confused with the State of Hawai‘i Arbor Day, the first Friday in November.
Philosophers and poets have made fine use of the tree as a topic and analogy over the ages. In 1914 Joyce Kilmer wrote a lovely poem, of which I present the opening and closing lines:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree …
… Poems are written by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
In honor of trees and those who plant, maintain, study, protect, renew and make art about trees, this week’s Book Buzz list sheds some light on tree books available at your neighborhood library. You will find identification, location and growing guides, trees as art and awe, adventure and exploration, even a life story.
Happy Reading.
Bonsai School: The Complete Course in Care, Training &
Maintenance
By Craig Coussins
635.9772 Co
Take this complete course in bonsai gardening to enjoy a centuries-old art that anyone can learn. Different experts from across the globe contribute essential lessons on the various aspects of bonsai. Trace the history of the art, uncovering the myths and misinformation that has surrounded it. Take a look at the species suitable in different climates; find out the widespread pests to look out for and how to treat them; learn training techniques and how to propagate. For Hawaii-based training look to The Living Art of Bonsai by Walter Liew.
Meetings with
Remarkable Trees
By Thomas Pakenham
582.16094 Pa
A testament to trees in an astonishing collection of tree portraits which the author/photographer calls the best sixty. A written and photographic guide to huge and immeasurably old trees in the British Isles. This book was followed by the author’s Remarkable Trees of the World.
Ornamental Bamboos
By David Crompton
635.9349 Cr
Crompton paints fascinating portraits of these ancient plants, their growth patterns, and botanical characteristics. Beautiful photography enhances Crompton’s informative compendium. The core of Ted Jordan Meredith’s book Bamboo for Gardens, is a gardener’s guide to nearly two hundred ornamental bamboos to grow and enjoy. The book supplies a listing and photographs of bamboo species; and it discusses bamboo structure and function, culture and propagation, landscaping and maintenance and bamboo uses.
Palms: The New
Compact Study Guide and Identifier
By Martin Gibbons
584.5 Gi
Did you know that there are nearly 3,000 species of palms? From a few inches tall to over 200 feet with seeds that vary in size from that of a match head to huge seeds that weigh 50 pounds. This guide describes 150 of the most commonly seen palms and illustrates them in color. Use this guide as an identifier or for planting ideas.
Sublime Beauty: Hawai’i’s Trees
By Jim Wageman
H 582.16099 Wa
This rich photographic collection celebrates the majestic trees — both native and alien — of the Hawaiian Islands. Trees continue to play crucial roles within Hawai’i’s delicate balance of nature even as they enhance the islands with their beauty. Gorgeous large-format book.
Tree: A Life Story
By David Suzuki and Wayne Grady
582.16 Su
Suzuki and Grady tell the story of a single tree, from the moment the seed is released from a cone until, more than five hundred years later, the tree lies on the forest floor as a nurse log, giving life to ferns, mosses, and hemlocks, even as its own life is ending. Tree explores the many amazing mechanisms by which the tree is able to thrive for hundreds of years while remaining rooted to one spot. The book also looks at the tree’s rich and complex relationships with other organisms in its community, from fungi and lichen to other trees, pileated woodpeckers, spotted owls, cougars, grizzly bears and salmon, among many others. The story is a salute to life itself.
Trees: A Visual Guide
By Tony Rodd and Jennifer Stackhouse
582.16 Ro
Colorful encyclopedia style book covering many tree topics from timber and pharmaceuticals to shelter and shade. Highlights trees as key members of ecosystems and habitats around the globe. Beautiful book.
Tropical Gardens of Hawai‘i:Hawai’i’s Trees
By David Leaser
H 580.73 Le
Stroll through this guide to public gardens on each of the islands to learn where you can see some beautiful tree specimens in Hawai’i. Another beautifully photographed book of scenic and detail tree shots, each chapter gives a taste of the garden it extols. A resources section gives contact information for each garden.
Tropical Fruit
By Desmond Tate
634.6 Ta
From bael fruit to tamarind, this beautifully illustrated book looks at tropical fruits with a descriptive note and a recipe for each entry. For a Hawaii-based crop production guide check out Tropical Fruits by H.Y. Nakasone and R. E. Paull. As a technical manual, it discusses tropical soils and climates, cultivation and postharvest handling, botany and ecology as well as providing chapters on economically important fruit crops from avocado to pineapple. It also has a bit on some other lesser-known Asian and American tropical fruit. Out of Africa we have Tropical Tree Crops by L.K. Opeke, an agricultural guide to tropical tree plants covering cacao, cashew, citrus, coconut, coffee, kola, mango, oil palm, rubber, and tea.
The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring
By Richard Preston
585.50979 Pr
Hidden away in foggy uncharted rain-forest valleys in Northern California are the largest and tallest organisms the world has ever sustained-the coast redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens. 96 percent of the ancient redwood forests has been destroyed by logging but the untouched fragments that remain are among the great wonders of nature. This is the spellbinding story of a tiny group of daring botanists and amateur naturalists that found a dangerous, hauntingly beautiful and unexplored lost world above California. The deep redwood canopy is a vertical Eden filled with mosses, lichens, spotted salamanders, hanging gardens of ferns and thickets of huckleberry bushes all growing out of massive trunk systems.
• Carolyn Larson is head librarian at Lihu‘e Public Library. Her weekly column brings you the buzz on new, popular and good books available at your neighborhood library. Book annotations are culled from online publishers’ descriptions and published reviews.
