Brighten the summer garden with extravagant bulbs--not only familiar flowers but also exotics such as the South African nerine, Near Eastern eremurus, and Asian Colocasia. An encyclopedia highlights the experts' favorites from every region, with fabulous photos and foolproof advice on cultivation and care. Try clever and creative ways of combining summer bulbs with more common plants in beds and borders, of naturalizing them in the landscape, and of growing them in containers. Your garden will be the neighborhood's hottest!
Dubbed the Bulb Hunter in a 2006 New York Times feature story, Chris Wiesinger took his passion for bulbs to vacant lots, abandoned houses, cemeteries, and construction sites throughout the South in search of botanical survivors whose descendants had never seen the inside of a big-box chain store. The vintage specimens Wiesinger sought came from hardy, historic stock, adapted to human neglect and hot climates, reappearing faithfully over decades without care or cultivation. Traveling back roads, speaking to strangers, looking for the telltale color of a remnant iris or lily, Wiesinger started digging, then began trying to grow and share the bulbs he collected. From its humble beginnings on an East Texas sweet potato farm, his Southern Bulb Company has now grown into a full-fledged business known throughout the world, propagating and selling the rare, tough, heritage plants Wiesinger still seeks out and champions. Nicknamed “Flower” by his fellow cadets at Texas A&M University, Wiesinger relates his adventures in bulb hunting, telling stories of the bulbs he has discovered and weaving in his own life story as a student, plantsman, and small business owner. He then teams with veteran horticulturist William C. Welch to provide advice on how to grow and appreciate the bulbs that have been rescued and reintroduced. This “primer” gives gardeners information on what bulbs to grow where, when to plant them and when they bloom, and how to incorporate them with other plants in the landscape. Finally, Welch describes how bulbs have enhanced his personal gardens and brought him and Wiesinger together in the common cause of heirloom gardening. Entertaining, informative, and loaded with beautiful photographs, The Bulb Hunter is sure to be a favorite of gardeners and plant lovers everywhere.
Beauty, charm, and simplicity are the hallmarks of the Scandinavian planting techniques featured in Containers in the Garden. Celebrity gardener and Danish floral designer Claus Dalby shares his signature container gardening style in this gorgeously illustrated book. His distinctive use of a single plant species in each pot, with dozens of planted pots collected together, creates elegant and eye-catching garden displays. Partnered with an abundance of textures and often a monochromatic color palette, Claus’s container gardens change with the seasons. By combining flower and foliage colors with beautiful pottery and layered displays, the results are nothing short of extraordinary. In Containers in the Garden, the English-language version of his top-selling Danish gardening book, Claus shares his best-kept secrets so that you, too, can create the container garden of your dreams. Season by season and color by color, you’ll learn how to plant, organize, tend, and share your potted plantings. Whether your display is on the front steps or the back patio, the simple yet bold design methods found here create unique garden features that are a joy to behold. The breathtaking photography found within, coupled with Claus’s descriptive and personal text, features: Early season container plantings of tulips, primroses, narcissus, and other spring-flowering beauties Lush summer pots, overflowing with dahlias, roses, hydrangea, and foxgloves Colorful and textural foliage-only containers to add structure and interest to the collection Unusual container plants such as spikemosses, wintergreen, oxalises, and even edible plants Tropical beauties bring a summer explosion, including cannas, Brugmansia, and hibiscus Autumnal fireworks of bronze, gold, and rust round out the seasonal display Step inside Claus Dalby’s Danish garden, and find ideas and inspiration for bringing a bit of lykke and hygge to your home with Containers in the Garden.
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.
A comprehensive and highly practical study of the art of growing flowers, Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening presents expert tips on growing both annuals and biennials (including native and heirloom species) alongside 300+ lush photographs. This gorgeously illustrated book by Matt Mattus is based on decades of first-hand experience in his own garden—every variety or cultivar presented is one that he has personally tested and grown. Mattus sets you up for success by first providing everything you need to know about starting seeds, soil, sowing, hardening off, transplanting, plugs, growing on, cutting, and saving seed. Then you'll find tips for growing over 100 different annuals from seedand 12 types of spring and summer bulbs—all based on his hands-on experience, going beyond the information available on the seed packet. Every one of the hundreds of stunning photographs is taken personally by Mattus from the flowers growing on his own farm in Massachusetts. Just a small selection of the annuals covered: aster, cornflower, chrysanthemum, impatiens, larkspur, California poppy, delphiniums, sunflowers, morning glory, kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, salvia, and zinnia. The bulbs are allium, anemone, ranunculus, fritillaria, freesia, tulips, lily of the valley, true lilies, canna, calla, gladiolus, and dahlia. In short, there is nothing ordinary about this book—it is unlike any other cut flower book you will find anywhere.
“This is a love story about a couple and their relationship with an acre-and-a-half of land. . . with exceptional plant descriptions that read like character references for old friends. . . . beautiful photographs and prose await.” —Library Journal Marietta and Ernie O’Byrne’s garden—situated on one and a half acres in Eugene, Oregon—is filled with an incredible array of plants from around the world. By consciously leveraging the garden’s many microclimates, they have created a stunning patchwork of exuberant plants that is widely considered one of America’s most outstanding private gardens. In A Tapestry Garden, the O’Byrnes share their deep knowledge of plants and essential garden advice. Readers will discover the humble roots of the garden, explore the numerous habitats and the plants that make them shine, and find inspiration in photography that captures the garden’s astonishing beauty. There is something here for every type of gardener: a shade garden, perennial borders, a chaparral garden, a kitchen garden, and more. Profiles of the O’Byrne’s favorite plants—including hellebores, trilliums, arisaemas, and alpine plants—include comprehensive growing information and tips on pruning and care. A Tapestry Garden captures the spirit of a very special place.
Reprint of the original, first published in 1872. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.
Bulb gardening in the southwestern and southern United States presents challenges unknown in cooler climates. Bulbs that turn Holland into a kaleidoscope of color droop and fade in our mild winters, hot summers, and uncertain rainfall. Yet hundreds of native and naturalized species of bulbs thrive in these same conditions and offer as many colors, shapes, and fragrances as even the most demanding gardener desires. These are the bulbs that Thad Howard describes in this comprehensive guide to bulbs that will grow in USDA gardening zones 8 and 9. Writing from more than forty-five years’ experience in collecting and cultivating bulbs, Howard offers expert advice about hundreds of little-known, hybrid, and common species and varieties that grow well in warm climates. His species accounts, which are grouped by family, describe each plant and its growing requirements and often include interesting stories from his collecting expeditions. Lovely color photos illustrate many of the species. Howard also gives reliable information about refrigerating bulbs, using them in the landscape and in containers, choosing scented ones, making potpourri, buying, collecting, cultivating, and hybridizing bulbs, and dealing with pests and diseases. He concludes with lists of plant societies and suppliers and a helpful glossary and bibliography.
