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Book Review: Agrumes resistant au froid by Olivier Biggio & Bertrand Londeix

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manfromyard:
So this book finally arrived. Took a long time from Europe to the US.

I must say that the book is a very nice beginner guide.

First up, it's in French, so if you can't read it, it probably won't make much sense. My french is rusty but good enough to read most of this.

I don't think that this book told me anything I didn't know. Most of the older heads from our days on the old Citrus Forum won't learn anything new. In fact, the archive of the forum still is probably the single best repository of info on hardy citrus.

However, it puts the basics of all the aspects in one place. The book starts with a USDA zone breakdown of France and Southwest England and a brief history of citrus and the major ancestry groups.
From there, it goes into descriptions of hardy citrus in 7B, 8A, and 8B, broken down into chapters for each zone

Each variety has multiple pictures of the fruit, green and ripe, and the tree form along with descriptions of the fruit and tree.

It then goes into care of the trees with fertilization, tree form, watering etc.
There are then 4 sections breaking down propagation by seed, cutting, air layering, and grafting with instructions.
There is a section on common diseases and issues with growing.
It concludes with recipes for the best hardy citrus , mostly Yuzu, kumquat, ichang lemon, and Thomasville.

All in all, the book actually reads like a very abridged version of the old forum. But the strength of this one is definitely in the pictures. To see how the fruit looks both ripe and green, and the tree itself is a nice touch.

I'm disappointed that I could actually get this one across the Atlantic, but have never been able to get a print copy of Tom McClendon's "hardy Citrus for the southeast". For the beginner Citrus enthusiast, this book is probably an A+ buy, assuming you can read French. For those of us with experience, this is probably a B-. Nice to have, but you won't learn anything new here. However, it is nice to have 1 small book that has the basics in 1 place, without needing internet!

kumin:
A new book out of the US or Central Europe relating to contemporary advances, amateur or professional would be of considerable interest. Photos bring a lot of clarity that mere descriptions can't quite convey. Tables allowing for side to side comparisons in regards to deciduousness vs evergreen habit, time and sequence of fruit maturity, real field experiences regarding hardiness can be very informative.
The Mulberries have undertaken just such an endeavor and I look forward to seeing additional results from testing as time allows.

Ilya11:
There is already a second edition of this book


More photos and  practical advises, 157 pages. From what I understand from  one of the authors, they have plans for English edition.

bussone:

--- Quote from: manfromyard on April 21, 2025, 07:44:56 PM ---I'm disappointed that I could actually get this one across the Atlantic, but have never been able to get a print copy of Tom McClendon's "hardy Citrus for the southeast". For the beginner Citrus enthusiast, this book is probably an A+ buy, assuming you can read French. For those of us with experience, this is probably a B-. Nice to have, but you won't learn anything new here. However, it is nice to have 1 small book that has the basics in 1 place, without needing internet!



--- End quote ---

We need to con convince Kumin into writing "Hardy Citrus for the Mid-Atlantic".

Mulberry0126:

--- Quote from: bussone on April 22, 2025, 10:53:16 AM ---
--- Quote from: manfromyard on April 21, 2025, 07:44:56 PM ---I'm disappointed that I could actually get this one across the Atlantic, but have never been able to get a print copy of Tom McClendon's "hardy Citrus for the southeast". For the beginner Citrus enthusiast, this book is probably an A+ buy, assuming you can read French. For those of us with experience, this is probably a B-. Nice to have, but you won't learn anything new here. However, it is nice to have 1 small book that has the basics in 1 place, without needing internet!



--- End quote ---

We need to con convince Kumin into writing "Hardy Citrus for the Mid-Atlantic".

--- End quote ---
I second this! Haha. I'd gladly share whatever data we've collected here in NC and some in NY.

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