Maples are not only beautiful, they are also easy and rewarding to cultivate. Prized for their graceful appearance and brilliantly-coloured leaves, some maples flower in the spring while the red leaves of others brighten up the dullest autumn day. This book offers practical advice to the home gardener for using these trees to their best effect, and in particular using them for landscaping. Maple varieties come in bewildering numbers. Over 130 species and cultivars are described A-Z and illustrated in full colour in the book. Contents of this book are: Cultivation; Japanese maple 'acer palmatum'; Other Japanese maples; North American maples; British hedge maple; European maples; Landscaping with maples; Companion planting; and Maples in containers. This boo is created for Firefly Books by the renowned New Zealand packager and publisher David Bateman and it features over 100 colour photographs by Derek Hughes.