The ideal gift book on this flower that has seen a rise in popularity, illustrated with beautiful color photographsThe ultimate book for every flower lover"Dahlias have enriched my life. By making this book, I want to share my passion and show how versatile and special dahlias really are;" - Marlies Weijers"Everyone is capable of letting dahlias flower. And what we love the most is spreading the love for flowers with #spreadtheloveforflowers." - Linda van der SlotThe dahlia, a flower that was once thought of as old-fashioned, has surged in popularity over the past few years due to the development of new varieties and an uptick in appreciation from Royals and celebrities. They appear in a broad spectrum of beautiful colors and eccentric shapes, and thanks to their long flowering time they are garden crop favorites. This inspirational book explores every aspect of the dahlia from its history to its sustainable cultivation.
A stunning guide to growing, harvesting, and arranging gorgeous dahlia blooms from celebrated farmer-florist and New York Times bestselling author Erin Benzakein, founder of Floret Flower Farm. World-renowned flower farmer and floral designer Erin Benzakein reveals all the secrets to growing, cultivating, and arranging gorgeous dahlias. These coveted floral treasures come in a dazzling range of colors, sizes, and forms, with enough variety for virtually every garden space and personal preference, making them one of the most beloved flowers for arrangements. In these pages, readers will discover: • Expert advice for planting, harvesting, and arranging garden-fresh dahlias • A simple-to-follow overview of the dahlia classification system • An A–Z guide with photos and descriptions of more than 350 varieties • Step-by-step how-to's for designing show-stopping dahlia bouquets that elevate any occasion Expert Author: Erin Benzakein's gorgeous flowers are celebrated throughout the world. Her book Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers was a New York Times bestseller and her first book, Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden, won the American Horticultural Society Book Award. Filled with Wisdom: Overflowing with hundreds of lush photographs and invaluable advice, DISCOVERING DAHLIAS is an essential resource for gardeners and a must-have for anyone who loves flowers, including flower lovers, avid and novice gardeners, floral designers, florists, small farmers, stylists, and designers.
Dahlias are the showgirls of the garden. A favorite of floral and landscape designers, they come in a wide range of jewel-like colors—rich reds and vibrant oranges, shocking pinks—and an engaging variation of form and petal shape. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Dahlias is packed with everything you need to know to grow these fantastic flowers including tips on using dahlias in garden design, growth and propagation information, and lists of where to buy the plants and where to view them in public gardens. The bulk of the book is devoted to profiles for over 200 varieties, organized by color, with information on type, height, and spread. Gorgeous color photographs bring the plants to life.
Kristine Albrecht is an influential dahlia breeder who has introduced award-winning dahlia varieties that are a must-have for the show circuit and the floral trade. In this step by step book she explores pollinating strategies for producing unique dahlia seeds, breeding goals, seed germination, seedling care, marketing your new varieties, and more. Kristine has 14 years of breeding experience that she shares with the reader in an informal and intimate style. She also shares beautiful pictures of some of her most popular dahlia hybrids from her urban farm."Bravo! Thank you so much for sharing your hard-won knowledge with us all. This fantastic book is a gift to the world." -Erin Benzakein, Floret Farm"As an experienced dahlia grower and amatuer hybridizer I found this book easy to read, informative, and practical with nuggets of information throughout." - Brad Freeman, Senior Judge, American Dahlia Society"Lively and clearly written guide to hybridizing dahlias to generate new varieties. Suitable for the novice and with tips experienced hands will appreciate." -Dr. Virginia Walbot, Stanford University "A pleasure to read a book from the first hand experience of a hybridist who knows what she is talking about." -Dr. Keith Hammett ~ QSM Plant Breeder
Our popular ongoing Gardener's Guide series offers first-rate authors, an approach that is neither superficial nor overly technical, and excellent photographs.
#1 Amazon Best Seller — Welcome to the farm! The Cut Flower Garden: Erin Benzakein is a florist-farmer, leader in the locaflor farm-to-centerpiece movement, and owner of internationally renowned Floret Flower Farm in Washington's lush Skagit Valley. A stunning flower book: This beautiful guide to growing, harvesting, and arranging gorgeous blooms year-round provides readers with vital tools to nurture a stunning flower garden and use their blossoms to create show-stopping arrangements. Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Cut Flower Garden is equal parts instruction and inspiration—a book overflowing with lush photography of magnificent flowers and breathtaking arrangements organized by season. Find inspiration in this lush flower book: Irresistible photos of Erin's flower farm that showcase exquisite blooms Tips for growing in a variety of spaces and climates Step-by-step instructions for lavish garlands, airy centerpieces, and romantic floral décor for every season If you liked Paris in Bloom, you'll love Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden.
In this delightful and profusely illustrated encyclopedia, noted hybridizer and nurseryman Bill McClaren provides an authoritative account of garden-worthy dahlias for every garden design. Nearly 700 selections are included, complete with notes on their history, awards, and cultural peculiarities. Additional chapters on dahlia care and propagation, dahlia species in nature, hybridizing, and showing dahlias add to this well-rounded overview. Thorough appendices with resources on dahlia societies, nurseries, and gardens complete the book. This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.
For years dahlias have been dismissed for being garish, gaudy additions to gardens and arrangements, but when you find the right variety it's hard to think of a better garden plant or more striking cut flower. The next title in Pavilion's series of stylish floral gardening guides celebrates the diversity and return to fashion of the dahlia. This title explores the history of the dahlia from its Aztec origins and its highs and lows as a cultivated plant, to its current status as one of the most adored flowers on the planet. Pavilion's guide to over 60 beautiful varieties reveals their charms and assets together with practical cultivation tips for any garden. Including classics like Café au Lait and Karma Choc, together with modern, dark-leaved stunners like the Mystic series, the varieties and forms range from perky pompons and lush dinner plates to those that resemble sea-anemones or spectacular fireworks! With contemporary commentary on each bloom, easy-to-follow advice and glorious photography, this book will appeal to everybody who appreciates the glamour and versatility of the dahlia.
For fans of Anne Lamott, a profoundly moving memoir of rediscovering, reinventing, and reconnecting, as an estranged mother and daughter come together to revive a long-abandoned garden and ultimately their relationship and themselves. Peeling paint, stained floors, vined-over windows, a neglected and wild garden—Tara Austen Weaver can’t get the Seattle real estate listing out of her head. Any sane person would have seen the abandoned property for what it was: a ramshackle half-acre filled with dead grass, blackberry vines, and trouble. But Tara sees potential and promise—not only for the edible bounty the garden could yield for her family, but for the personal renewal she and her mother might reap along the way. So begins Orchard House, a story of rehabilitation and cultivation—of land and soul. Through bleak winters, springs that sputter with rain and cold, golden days of summer, and autumns full of apples, pears, and pumpkins, this evocative memoir recounts the Weavers’ trials and triumphs, detailing what grew and what didn’t, the obstacles overcome and the lessons learned. Inexorably, as mother and daughter tend this wild patch and the fruits of their labor begin to flourish, green shoots of hope emerge from the darkness of their past. For everyone who has ever planted something that they wished would survive—or tried to mend something that seemed forever broken—Orchard House is a tale of healing and growth set in a most unlikely place. Praise for Orchard House “This touching memoir chronicles how the act of transforming a garden together—of ‘planting hope’—helps a mother and daughter reconnect and revive the sense of groundedness that had been lost within their relationship and themselves. . . . [Orchard House] deftly [captures] the love, laughter, trials and tears that make motherhood the joy and job it truly is.”—American Way “Honest and moving . . . [the story of] one woman’s initiation into intensive gardening with her mother, which changed a neglected space into something beautiful and bountiful and shifted their relationship as well.”—Kirkus Reviews “Fascinating, tender, often heartbreaking . . . The perfect gift for a mother or a daughter with an appreciation for the transformative power of gardening.”—HGTV Gardens “A wise exploration of family roots . . . Nurturing a garden is a lovely metaphor for healing a family. . . . [Orchard House] could serve as a handbook for both.”—Shelf Awareness “With buoyant grace and empathic insights, Weaver offers an ardent tribute to both the science of perseverance and the art of letting go.”—Booklist “This is a glorious book—lyrical, honest, compassionate, and wise. It reminds us that gardens and families are messy businesses, but from them we can harvest hope and food and moments of grace.”—Erica Bauermeister, author of The School of Essential Ingredients “Filled with sensuous descriptions, this beguiling story enchants. Gardeners and non-gardeners alike will delight in this lyrical tale of how a garden grows a family.”—Diana Abu-Jaber, author of The Language of Baklava and Birds of Paradise “Orchard House is a glorious and deeply moving story of one family’s redemption. If Anne Lamott and Wendell Berry ever had a literary love child, Tara Austen Weaver might well be her.”—Elissa Altman, author of Poor Man’s Feast
We all - gardeners or not - appreciate the beauty of familiar garden flowers. But how well do we really know these everyday plants? When do we stop to consider a flower's personality, or to discover the dramatic events that have contributed to its particular identity? What adventures took place as these plants, now part of our daily lives, were transported - often by explorers or botanists who were quirky characters themselves - from their birthplaces in Asia, Africa, or the Americas? Strangers in the Garden, illustrated with over a hundred stunning photographs, prints, and drawings, reveals the characters and personal histories of ten popular flowers - the chrysanthemum, the clematis, the crocus, the dahlia, the geranium, the iris, the lilac, the peony, the rhododendron, and the tulip - by tracking their fascinating journeys from misty peaks, arid valleys, and exotic hillsides to our gardens, decks, and patios.
