This encyclopedic reference may well prove to be the ultimate resource for years to come; offering gardeners help in selecting plants appropriate for various geographical regions and growing conditions, and detailing the cultural requirements for a plant already acquired. -- Alice Joyce Booklist 20010820 Mary is one of those people I would call passionate about both gardening and life itself. -- Mike Darcy Through the Grapevine 20010917 A standard reference work on the subject has long been overdue and it now appears in the magisterial form of An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Clematis. -- Mark Griffiths Times (London) 20011006 A masterpiece ... I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to the enthusiastic grower of ornamental climbing plants. -- Charlie Wilkins Irish Examiner 20010922 Fills the vacuum perfectly and is certain to find its way onto every serious gardener's bookshelf over time. -- Helen Rock Tribune (Dublin) 20010916 This book deserves a place on the bookshelf of both the experienced gardener and beginner. -- Charlie Wilkins Irish Examiner 20010922 The latest and greatest book to have yet come from the pen of Ireland's uncrowned Clematis Queen, Dr. Mary Toomey. -- Helen Rock Tribune (Dublin) 20010916 This volume should spark a revolution in clematis growing, while ensuring that the Queen of Climbers continues in her reign. -- Mark Griffiths Times (London) 20011026 All that a keen gardener could want. British Clematis Society 20010920 There is an excellent discussion of species appropriateness for the different regions of the United States. -- Bobbie Schwartz Buckeye 20011129 It is the most comprehensive reference to this genus to date, examining more than 550 species and hybrids in great detail, by two of England's foremost clematis experts. Avant Gardener 20011129 If you love clematis, and encyclopedias, you'll love An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Clematis by Mary Toomey and Everett Leeds, which is the last word on the subject. -- Verlyn Klinkenborg New York Times Book Review 20011202 [This] is one of the most beautifully illustrated and informative plant encyclopedias that I have seen in recent years. -- Madeleine Wilde Kirkland Courier 20011201 Generally, if a book comes from the gardening specialists at Timber Press, you know it's going to be good. This one is beyond good: the most comprehensive guide to one of the best all-around garden climbers to date. -- Michael Weishan GardenworksOnline.com 20020122 Indispensable for any horticultural library as well as the library of any gardener seriously interested in clematis. Choice 20020206 There has been a steady stream of books for the self-styled 'clematarians', the most recent being Grey-Wilson's Clematis, The Genus (2000), but none is so handsome as this. -- David Mabberley Biologist 20020322 An excellent reference to a genus that is soaring in popularity. This is well-written and well-photographed... Worth owning. -- Ann Milovsoroff Pappus 20020322 At long last, we have one complete clematis resource that combines practical gardening, cultivation, pruning, and disease prevention with botany, history, design tips, and even information about propagating and hybridizing. More than 650 gorgeous photographs illustrate the text. -- Barbara Blossom Ashmun Fine Gardening 20020622 This volume, given the endorsement of the British Clematis Society, is the first pictoral encyclopedia to deal with the more than 800 species and hybrids of the genus clematis... This is an easy-to-read, beautifully photographed piece. -- Rachael Green American Reference Books Annual 20010423 Mary Toomey and Everett Leeds have left no stone unturned. -- Marty Figley Michigan Observer and Eccentric 20020328 If you're a fan of the clematis then this is definitely for you... The love for the clematis that writer and artist share is obvious and on every page-you'll feel it too. Gardens Monthly 20020808 This valuable book will prove useful and practical to new and experienced gardeners alike ... Toomey and Leeds clear the air with a well-organized, beautifully illustrated guide to this genus. -- William T. Johnson E-Streams 20020509 Mary Toomey and Everett Leeds tell us everything we need to know about growing and selecting more than 500 of these beautiful plants. -- Patricia A. Taylor Trenton Times 20020519 [It] is sure to be a most useful companion for clematis enthusiasts. -- Christopher Grey-Wilson Garden (Peterborough) 20020605 Toomey and Leeds' extensive encyclopedia, which includes 650 color photographs (one for nearly all of the selections discussed in the book), should largely put an end to the multi-volume search. It is that comprehensive. -- Dorothy Rodal American Gardener 20021016 Extensive ... A thorough yet quite readable coverage of clematis history and culture. University of Vermont Extension Book of the Month 20021105 Among several gardeners' guides to Clematis published in recent years, this book is one of the most comprehensive and lavishly illustrated... For someone planning a garden and seeking appropriate colors and textures, this catalogue is invaluable. -- Aaron M. Ellison Plant Science Bulletin 20020113 [A] lovely encyclopedia... The first to cover all garden-worthy varieties. SciTech Book News 20021216 Here's another Timber winner. -- Rudolf Schmid Taxon 20011116 Mary Toomey and Everett Leeds have hit the nail on the head with An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Clematis... The first section covers care and cultivation of clematis, the second half is a gardener's delight of clematis options arranged alphabetically, including information on description and flowering period. -- Sharon Wootton Home and Garden 20020117 [This] book gives detailed advice. -- Peter Surridge Hull Daily Mail 20021207 An indispensable reference guide. -- Gary Jennings Sida, Contributions to Botany 20020303 There are many, many books about clematis. This is one of the good ones. -- Carol Bishop Miller Horticulture 20030305 If you're a fan of clematis then this is definitely for you... Vibrant pictures, maps of origin and diagrams make this an impressive and accessible guide. Gardens Monthly 20020823 Timber Press is to be congratulated on bringing so much technical information together here: it follows in the splendid tradition of their books. -- David Mabberley Biologist 20020423

Mary Toomey, Ph.D., trained as a biologist, botanist, entomologist, and soil ecologist. A keen gardener, she has been growing and studying clematis for more than 30 years. She is currently editor of The Clematis, the journal of the British Clematis Society. She lectures widely on clematis, gardens, and gardening, and has written a number of previous books and articles. Born in Jaffna, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), she now lives in Dublin, Ireland. Everett Leeds participated in the establishment of the International Clematis Society and the British Clematis Society. He gardens in the UK.