Vincent A. Simeone, director of Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay, has has written a trio of books. His third, "Great Flowering Landscape Trees" (Ball Publishing, $24.95), is a real gem.
Born in Islip, Simeone, 39, has lived in Oyster Bay 14 years. His passion for trees began when he was a student at SUNY Farmingdale in 1986. "The first class I took was on trees and shrubs," he explains, "and it immediately just appealed to me."
After a short introduction, Simeone embarks on an alphabetical journey through the world of deciduous flowering trees. Each concise description presents characteristics - such as bark texture, foliage color, flowers and fruit - of notable varieties and is complemented with beautiful close-up photography by Bruce Curtis. Readers intent on adding year-round interest to their gardens are likely to find a wealth of useful information in the pages of this fabulous reference, which also offers some rare and unusual choices for the home landscape.
"I don't want my books to be coffee table books," Simeone told me. "I want to offer pertinent information for homeowners and professionals alike." Indeed, all three of his books are nuts-and-bolts, hands-on guides, chock-full of practical details -- right up my alley.
"There are a lot of mistakes people make, like putting trees in the wrong spot," he says. "Gardening requires a lot of planning to be successful. It takes hard work. The worst thing you could do is have a mishmash of plants that aren't planted properly because eventually you'll just have to move them."
Borrowing from the old adage on carpentry, Simeone sums up his philosophy this way: "Do research twice and plant once.
Amen.
