Language: English
Monograph of the Genus Cornus contains descriptions of 620 varieties of the genus Cornus with details on species, varieties, hybrids, and cultivars on five continents. Of international scientific interest, Monograph of the Genus Cornus contains the work of such leading international Cornus experts as Dr. Elwin Orton and Prof. Molnar, Rutgers University, New Jersey (USA) as well as Professor Klymenko of the Academy of Sciences in Kiev, Ukraine.
In preparing the work, the author André Gayraud enlisted the help of botanist Annie Claude Bolomier.
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André Gayraud was born 17 June 1938 in Le Creusot, Department of Saône-et-Loire, in southern Burgundy, France. He is the son, grandson, and great-grandson of a family of professional gardeners. He developed a passion for botany at a very young age. In 1952, at age 14, he became an apprentice on his father's horticultural farm, creating the "Parks and Gardens" division within the family company.
In 1965, he started his own business as a landscaper in Bourg-en-Bresse, Ain. He immediately stood out among his competitors due to his interest in the "Art of Gardens" rather than the improvement and maintenance of green spaces. At the same time, he created a 12-hectare plant nursery to cultivate trees and shrubs for collectors and immediately introduced a large assortment of Cornus. The Bureau d'études-Entreprise et Jardins de Pépinières has 40 employees.
He was the first professional to introduce in France the Rutgers University Cornus, David Austin's English Roses, rare trees, and antique fruit tree, and the cloud pruning of large plants. He has organized and participated in several international events.
His services have been used by President Giscard d'Estaing, Catherine Deneuve, Davidoff, Baron Bruno Bich, followed by other celebrities: the great castles of Bordeaux, the most important chefs in French gastronomy, historical monuments as well as artists, bankers, industrialists both in France and abroad have entrusted their gardens to André Gayraud, who has never failed to include at least one dogwood in his designs.