Product Description
Americans love flowers. We grow them with a passion and crave helpful advice on nurturing them in our gardens. A great, friendly, indispensable book, THE FLOWER GARDENER'S BIBLE is written with wit and authority by Lewis and Nancy Hill, who share both their joy in growing flowers and more than 75 years of combined experience.

This new primer is both painstakingly thorough and stunningly photographed. It covers every facet of growing perennials, annuals, bulbs, wildflowers, small trees, vines, and shrubs for season-long color and beauty. It is organized in three sections, and the first focuses on the basics - choosing the right varieties for your zone and type of garden, and planning and planting for maximum impact. The second section presents plans for 25 distinctively themed gardens. And finally, a photographic encyclopedia of more than 400 species includes detailed descriptions of each plant - garden uses, susceptibility to pests and diseases, propagation methods, and more. THE FLOWER GARDENER'S BIBLE is illustrated throughout with more than 500 full-color photographs that are joyously informal, and charming in their simplicity. Dozens of charts group plants by bloom time, height, color, affinity to shade, specific soil and sun needs, appeal to birds and butterflies, and more. THE FLOWER GARDENER'S BIBLE takes every reader - at any level of interest and expertise - and offers the one thing guaranteed to increase his or her pleasure in flower gardening - knowledge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great for first time gardners
This book has really helped me understand starting a garden and improving the one I already have.Very easy to understand and great step by step instructions from improving your soil to finding the right plants for your garden.

A Real Gardener's Bible for Flower Beds
The Flower Gardener's Bible: Time-Tested Techniques, Creative Designs, and Perfect Plants for Colorful GardensLots of useful information and educational. Not as good as the Gardener's Vegetable Bible but has a long reference guide for particular flowers.

Inspiration and information for flower growers
The Hills have an easy way of writing that seems almost effortless, yet they manage to give readers information on all aspects of flower gardening. The 372 page book covers the gamut from garden design and layout, to getting started, soils and nutrient requirements, starting new plants, coping with pests, different kinds of gardens and a listing of plants with information about each and how to care for it. The book has a nicely presented table of contents, an index, glossary and various useful tables.

The pages are full of large, colorful photographs and illustrations, which encourage browsing. This is useful as a coffee table book as well as an encyclopedia of gardening. How could a gardener not be attracted to this book?

by Norman Pellett, author of Gardener's Quiz Book

Clear, sensible info; gorgeous pics
I started with the Storey Books "Vegetable Gardener's Bible" and moved to this one. Really great instruction on every aspect of gardening, with excellent illustrations. It's very helpful to have lists of shade-loving plants, water-loving plants, scented plants, plants that are good in containers, etc. And there's an excellent guide showing bloom time, as well as pH charts, guides on bulb depth, compost, nutrients, etc. Really an all-around winner. Storey books have not disappointed me yet.

Flower Gardener's Bible
Excellent transaction.Book is in excellent condition, was received well before anticipated.Recommend this seller highly. ... Read more

Product Description
The gardener's fantasy of colorful blooms that begin in early spring and continue through the last glow of fall is now an achievable reality. With a little careful planning and the fun-to-use formulas in The Ever-Blooming Flower Garden, season-spanning  spectacular color is more attainable than ever before.

Author Lee Schneller developed her blueprint system when she began designing gardens professionally, and she has successfully applied it to more than 150 gardens. Now she brings her proven system to gardeners everywhere who continue to chase that elusive dream of perpetual bloom. 

Schneller's system is a wonder of organization and information - packed with checklists and questionnaires, planning equations and plant characteristics. Yet for all its wealth of information, gardeners of every level will find Schneller's techniques simple to use and her blueprints fun to customize. Readers choose from a list of 220 low-maintenance plants organized by bloom month and supported by a Flower Catalog with basic growing information and photos of all 220 plants.

By following five simple steps, readers develop a unique garden design featuring personally chosen plants that deliver height, color, and tons of blooms all season long. For added convenience, the completed planning chart also serves as a plant shopping list.

Once the blueprint has been created,  Schneller helps readers put the plan to work, offering advice on shopping, planting, and finally, enjoying and maintaining the garden.

Praise for the book:
"The book lives up to its title: It is a blueprint for continuous color in the garden (at least from early spring to fall). There is instruction on mapping it all out on a grid -- and also instructions for those who don't want to put pen to paper. Don't be daunted; I'm not a mathematical person, but it makes sense to me. Lee Schneller, who has designed and built more than 150 gardens in Maine since 1995, takes you through the five steps to continuous color, including grabbing graph paper and a pen and checking out the plant palette and flower catalog in the back of the book. I particularly liked the flower catalog, which lists more than 200 trusty perennials selected for, among other things, their hardiness, attractive flowers and foliage, and long bloom time. The flower catalog provides the bloom period of each in a useful, graphical way. My only wish is that Schneller would publish a follow-up flower catalog for those who want more."  -Ann Robinson, www.oregonlive.com 05/06/09

"If you, like me, love color in the garden, both for admiring and cutting, you'll pick up The Ever-Blooming Flower Garden. The book lives up to its title: it IS a blue print for continuous color in the garden." - New York Newsday

"The book is divided into five parts, which follow a logical path to allow any homeowner with some basic growing skills to create an attractive continuously blooming flower garden."
-- Portland Press Herald, 7/14/08 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

The Ever Blooming Flower
Gift for my husband. It has very good ideas on the how tos of abeautiful garden

Probably misplaced expectations
I picked this book because of the great reviews, and it did have some good information and plant combination ideas that I hadn't previously seen, but I was hoping for more inspirational photos of plant combination blueprints that I could copy. This book seemed more for the professional garden designer who needs to graph plant types and quantities in a systematic way. A lot of the book was plant information which I could get from my Western Garden book.

Best garden info book.
this book gives complete information on sun requirements, height, bloom times,
and grow zones.Also gives colors of the bloom.It also gives info as to the
pluses and minuses of the specific plant.
It gives a complete list of plants that will grow in sun or shade. Also a
list of good plants to grow and plants that will have problems.

My saving grace
As a new home owner and novice gardener, I was overwhelmed by my overgrown 1/3 acre yard.It has beautiful bones, but has not been well-tended in many, many years.I took out book after book from the library and felt nothing but frustration.Then I discovered this book.Since then, I have planted hundreds of new plants and torn apart the old weedy beds.Perhaps most exciting, the whole process was incredibly fun.This guide takes away all the angst and lets you enjoy the beauty and creativity of gardening.About 10 of my friends, novice and experienced gardeners alike, have now purchased this excellent book.

Get's you right into planning mode from the first chapter!
Once I started to research desiging a perrenial garden design, I was overwhelmed by all of the books and reference materials needed to get started. Lee's book put an end to my frustations within the first 15 pages with a logical step-bystep approach. Very Useful!!! ... Read more

Product Description
If you can relate, then this all-inclusive new volume is just what you need to chart your path to Southern gardening glory. From the experts at Southern Living, it includes basic how-to information, stunning photography, and lots of inspiration to create your own blooming masterpiece. ... Read more

Product Description
Expert flower grower Lynn Byczynski provides a complete introduction to raising a cornucopia of cut flowers for home use and for sale to retail customers, florists, and other markets. Providing a clear, realistic look at both the benefits and the challenges of growing flowers organically for local markets, this guide will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great book for a newbie flower farmer
This book is a great resource if you want to grow flowers for a living. I have to warn you, if you love flowers as much as I do, you may have a problem cutting and selling them. Oh, well. I still do sell tomatoes.

The Flower Farmer is complete
Lynn Byczynski's book is terrific! It has all the information that you need to pursue a career as a flower farmer. It has given me the information that I was seeking to make a career change and become a farmer's market flower grower. Especially appreciated the "Source and references" section.

Not the best book on the subject
The author spends a great deal of time telling you how to plant, transplant, fertilize, etc.She spends way too much space on basics of horticulture.Surely, anyone interested in selling flowers already knows how to grow them! The Ball RedBook would be a better reference for plant-specific growing advice.This book has extensive information about marketing and field yields, but I would take her advice with a grain of salt.I do not agree with some of her calculations and her other information is so far off the mark that I do not trust her opinions in this regard either.

The best info in this book is from her "case studies".The farmers she interviews give good information about their methods and mistakes, but very few specifics about the most important topic: preservation.Just as top chefs will alter recipes so that no one can duplicate their materpieces exactly, most flower growers are very tight-lipped about their secrets and will write pages and pages without giving specifics.This book is true to form."Proper contitioning" tips go no farther than adding sugar or asprin, or buying commercial (and expensive!) potions.

My greatest complaint has to do with her guide to cut flowers at the end of the book.Some flowers that keep beautifully (after conditioning) are dismissed as having "no vase life". For example: Poppies and Cleome are dismissed as lasting a day or two, but using certain methods my Cleome lasted 2 WEEKS in the vase and won a blue ribbon at the county fair, and poppies can fetch $5 a stem and last 7-10 days if you do it right."Flowers for Sale" by Lee Sturdivant has much better conditioning and plant selection information.

Thorough book
My daughter picked this book out over every one she could find on this subject, after an extensive library search.

The one book you need to start.
If you are just starting out, looking for a business or just love cut flowers, this book will get you off to the right start.What to plant and how much, for getting started.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (10)

gardening
information on the best plants to grow but elusive if you can grow other plants

needs more pictures
This book did provide new info for me, but it would have been helpful to have more actual photos of plants.

"midwest gardening for dummies"
WONDERFUL - not pretentious or "snobby" in its' writing, perfect for an Arizona gal like me to learn the midwest from the ground up, literally.Again, I have yet to read this one cover to cover, which is definitely on my summer reading list, but I have used it as a handy reference to plants/flowers/shrubs I already have and ones I plan to purchase in the future.I can already see my "black thumb" turning a wee bit green - not to jinx myself, lol.Great for beginners and seasoned gardeners alike - I highly recommend it.

Black and White Illustrations
Do you want a book with pictures of gardens you can emulate at home?Keep looking.This book has no pictures, only close-up black and white illustrations of flowers.

Brown thumb to green- brown yard to rainbow of colors
After receiving this book as a gift, I felt obligated to try to turn my brown yard into at least a small spot of color. With the guidance and help from Laara's book, my drab fenceline is now lined with beautiful perennial flowers that are low maintenance and high color bringing joy to my family and the songbirds in the area. I even tried buying and growing a rose plant and this spring intend to plant more. The instructions about planting, mulchign and feeding the roses really made a difference.They were beautiful all summer. The book can even make a brown thumb like mine green. ... Read more

Product Description
This classic on native plants encourages the garden use of wild flowers, grasses, ground covers, and hardy ferns native to the eastern and midwestern U.S., suggesting suitable plants for woodland, meadow, and wetland features in the garden. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

wonderfully organized!
This book is not meant to be an encyclopedia but a guide to gardening in the midwestern and eastern US.After the opening discussion of general issues (planning, management, soil, light, nutrients, pH, etc.) come several sections, each of which provides gardening information and detailed lists of native plants according to several possible sites -- sun, shade, meadow, bog -- plus separate sections for ferns, for grasses, sedges, and rushes, and for native ground covers.This is exactly what I've been looking for!
A note to the reviewer who complained of the book's including the invasive Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife).Had you looked on p. 165 where it is cited in the Index, you would have seen this warning: "This introduced species with tall, magenta-colored spikes has become a noxious weed along stream banks and around ponds in the North, choking out many interesting native species.Purple Loosestrife is so aggressive that it should never be planted."

Includes invasive species!
Don't buy this book!It says it lists native wildflowers, but lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) is listed in the table of contents.This species has been listed as an invasive species or noxious weed in about thirty states.Its sale is prohibited by law in several of those states.Obviously the authors did not do their homework. I wouldn't be surprized if there were other invasives listed in there too.

Good content, don't like how it's presented
This is one of the better books when it comes to information about growing native plants. The authors are not shy about their opinions and the book is better for it.

On the down side, the book is not nearly as exhaustive as Cullina's books.I also don't like that it puts the photographs apart from the text, as this makes for some annoying page-flipping. The quality of the photographs is also rather amateurish.

A tepid recommendation would be a hearty one with a better layout and improved pictures.

too garbled
I have an extensive collection of books on native plants - and the plants
to go with them! This book is one of my least favorite. The information is
not well sorted or presented.I would recommend C. Colston Burrell's
"Encyclopedia of Wildflowers" in preference to this book.
Or Carole Otteson's "Native Plant Primer" with trees and shrubs in addition to
herbaceous perennials.

The bible of native flowers!
I never thought I would take a gardening book to bed with me. This one is a pleasure to read and taught me a lot about identification and gardening uses of native wildflowers of the southeast and northeast.It's the first book I grab to look up a species.Lots of full color photographs have made it much easier for me to identify the plants I want at the nursery. The two authors are coming from different perspectives - one has a natural meadow/woodlands landscape and the other uses native plants in a more controlled garden setting along with exotics.Between the two of them, the reader gets a balanced idea of the possibilities of introducing native flowers to their own yards.I only wish the index combined scientific names with common names, rather than having two separate indexes.It would also be convenient if the plant photos were on the same pages as the descriptions.But those are minor criticisms of an overall superb book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the perfect book to aid those who wish to create a rock garden, perhaps as an attractive adjunct to an open terrace, doorway entrance, flagstone walk, driveway, or winding woodland path. Author H. Lincoln Foster presents a wide variety of landscape planting ideas, as well as detailed instructions for the use of rocks in the landscape.Published at $24.95 Our last copies available at $12.49 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One of the rock gardening classics
I knew I was on to something when this title kept cropping up in gardening articles and in other gardening books. Author H. Lincoln Foster is a premier authority on how to build a rock garden.He lists plants he has tried with great success and those with which he has experienced failure. Written in a comfortable conversational style and illustrated by his wife, Laura Louise Foster. A quote from the dust jacket: "The heart of the book is an alphabetical descriptive catalogue of more than 400 genera, comprising over 1900 individual plants, with cultural directions for each.The range runs from spring-flowering bulbs to autumn asters, from ground covers to the rarest of alpine treasure, from creeping herbs to broad-leaved evergreens and dwarf trees, from favorite perennial standbys to suitable ferns and the most pleasing of wildflowers."

Down-to-earth, practical advice on gardening
Although this book is titled "Rock Gardening", it has great appeal to all gardeners.It includes introductory information on how to create rock, bog and woodland gardens, how to propagate plants, maintenance, etc. But the best part is the comprehensive plant descriptions, with practical advice on their cultural requirements, difficulty and propagation.Although there are no color pictures, I find this is the book I rely upon most for accurate information on lesser known rock garden and woodland plants. ... Read more

Product Description
Combining the authority of the AHS with the visual expertise of DK, this full-color gardening reference is the definitive guide for gardeners.

Simply the definitive full-color reference to the horticulture of North America, AHS Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers contains more than 8,000 plant profiles, over 4,250 photographs, and practical advice on everything from cultivation, pests, and diseases, to plant selection and identification ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Excellent Guide
Gave this book as a gift but have referred to it when visiting.Good guide for identifying plants and flowers and for planning landscaping projects.Lots of helpful details for a wide array of plants and flowers.

A Home Depot catalog
It is a landscaper's plant selection guide, got thousands of nice thumbnails of common flowers and plants by habitats.

Great LARGE book.Needs more "common" names
This is a great Plant and Flower book, but it needs more common names so you can look up "Grandma's old Flowers" etc.

The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers
Very detailed book, also very heavy to carry around.I want to enter the world of floral design and it is helping me complete my "at home" education.

RECOMMENDED

Big Book ,Nice pictures ,Worth IT
I am sending this as a gift, wonderful pictures and information,this is nice to send to someone that has a green thumb,and a lot of room for flower gardens. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Fantastic Flower Garden Book!
This is an excellent book! It walks you through the steps to a fantastic flower garden!!!

Flower gardening Book
I love this book.It really helped to be able to view some of the inside.
Exactly what I was looking for.

Take this book
This book is so beautiful that even if you don't have a garden you will like it.It is a big book with wonderful pictures.It is very comprehensive. Besides chapters dedicated to garden desigs,anual and perenial bulbs . It also has an encyclopedia of plants with photos and information in alphabetical order.

Everything's coming up flowers ...
How wonderful to see this book at this phenomenally reduced price!That should open up the opportunity for many garden enthusiasts to purchase it and make it part of their (uh hum) perennial collection! It's amust-have, must-read, must-sow for every gardener or "wannaweed"gardener! ... Read more

Product Description
Encyclopedic in its range of information, this single volume contains everything you need to know to create a breathtaking perennial garden. Hodgson thoughtfully covers site selection, starting a garden, garden pests, and diseases and gives the lowdown on more than 700 perennials. As he says, 'Some give you great value for your money, some are weeds, and some need special care.' Plants are organized by attribute, from bloom time or light needs to low-care and no-care categories. Each plant description includes vital statistics, a list of the problems and solutions specific to that plant, suggested 'neighbors,' recommended cultivars, plus a color photograph showing both bloom and foliage. Learn how to plan your dream garden and follow the 10 commandments of perennial design to avoid the most common pitfalls of perennial gardening. If you are overwhelmed or intimidated by the choices, simply select one of Hodgson's lovely no-fail designs, such as an entry garden, a shady foliage garden, or even a layer cake garden. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Great for a novice!
I recently moved and have the opportunity to plant a perennial garden for the first time..... but was overwhelmed with the amount of variety of plants available and didn't know where to start.This book not only has wonderful pictures of plants; it also gives advice on how to plan, prepare, plant and care for a garden.

Great for northern gardeners, too.
I agree with Jay Keefer's review and would like to add that I live in Washington state and the author gardens in Canada. He listed plants that have a wide zonal range - almost all of them can be grown in my cooler zone, Zone 5. He did not waste my time by listing plants that can only be grown in the deep South or California. I first checked this book out at the library, but quickly realized that I will need to have a copy of my own to refer back to when I divide, fertilize, transplant, etc. So, I'm here on Amazon to buy this essential book.

wonderful book!
This is a wonderful book. Perennials can be overwelming. This book helps simplify it. A must for the perennial gardener.

Perennials for Every Purpose
This is an excellent book.It is very thorough and an excellent reference source.I'd recommend it to any gardener!

A great stand-by reference for everyone
Even if you are just dabbling in perennial gardening, you will find this book simply delightful.I myself have been a perennial gardener for many years, and I also work in the greenhouse industry, yet this is the most positive, fun to use, and informational book I have found yet. Anything you could possibly think of, from soil prep, to sunlight, to multiplying your babies will be found here. I myself still like to curl up with this book on a cold winter day to dream about tweaking my gardens next spring. This would be a good single reference if you do not buy another gardening book-do try this one. ... Read more

Product Description

The Arizona Low Desert Flower Garden serves as the perfect guide to designing, planning, and caring for a garden in this complex climate. This book features easy-to-use tri-cut flip pages that make it a snap to compare plants and visualize how colors will blend in the garden, as well as to compare growing season, height at bloom stage, propagation method, and sunlight requirements for hundreds of low-water plants.

Customer Reviews (2)

Put to good use
The book came on time as indicated.I am taking a Master Gardner's class and recently used the book at a Design Charrette.Fun to use.

Excellent, thorough guide, but flip pages are hard to deal with
Everything you need to know to successfully grow desert flowers, with hundreds featured. Maybe it's me, but the small, separated flip pages featuring each flower are really hard to maneuver.I've yet to figure out why this page style was chosen. Has beautiful illustrations. A must-have book for any Arizona low desert gardener. ... Read more

Product Description
This sequel to Carrots Love Tomatoes lists hundreds of herbs and flowers, with information on how their proximity can maximize the health and yield of vegetables, berry bushes, and fruit and nut trees. This edition features a dozen illustrated garden plans. 178,000 copies in print. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

one of the few companion planting books
This is, surprisingly, one of the few books out there about companion planting. A wise, observant gardener's insights are valuable to anyone wishing to know more about plants.

My mother is very happy with it
One of my mother's gardening friends recommended Roses Love Garlic to her.She's been sharing the book with her garden club and they have all enjoyed it.

Interesting and Informative
This is an inclusive set of information. It is not just a list of companion plants but also gives descriptive information about the plants. I would reccommended it to any gardener.

Not as Practical as Corrots Love Tomatoes
I'm an extremely practical gardener. My idea of a pretty flower is my eggplants blooming.Having read Carrots love Tomatoes, I was eager to get my hands on Roses as well, imagining all sorts of useful plants with flowers on them.But this book is actually about flowers, the ones people grow just because they're pretty.There's nothing wrong with beauty for beauty's sake, it's just not my style.This book definitely has information that I plan on using, and I highly recommend it for people who actually like flowers on their own.

I wish I could have met Louise Riotte, she seems such a fascinating person from her writings.

GREAT EASY AND FUN RESOURCE
This book is a world of info.Layout is easy to use.Such wonderful bits of info are stuck in all thur the book.Recommend!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Pamela Crawford, container garden guru and the queen of easy gardening, has done it again in this groundbreaking book. She shows you how to grow vegetables in containers with such easy techniques that even the worst gardener can have bumper crops of tomatoes! And, for the first time in any book, she shows how to make your vegetables look great, worthy of the nicest patio! Pamela grew 1768 plants in the course of writing this book and shows her mistakes (bloopers) along with her successes so that you won't make the same mistakes with your vegetables. With these simple-to-follow instructions, you won t believe how easy and beautiful your containerized vegetable garden can be! The book is extremely easy to read, with over 500 gorgeous pictures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

helpful, quick to read, good advice
I bought this book as a companion to McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers, so that I would have some idea of what my containers would look like mature. Bountiful Container Gardens is a great book, but it doesn't have any pictures in it. As a novice gardener, I don't have enough experience to be able to picture these plants in my head well enough to be able to plan container gardens around them, so it helped me a lot to be able to look at color photos of actual vegetable container gardens. Don't be put off by the comments that mention Ms. Crawford's side-planting system--she does mention it, but even if you aren't going to use side-planters, the book is still very helpful at a reasonable price. It isn't a beautiful book by any stretch of the imagination, but the pictures and the information are straightforward, to the point and very helpful. It even includes photographs of bloopers too, to help you avoid the author's mistakes. One thing that was nice about this book, is that Ms. Crawford had no experience growing vegetables when she wrote it, so a lot of the information is very helpful to novices like myself, because she doesn't presume the reader knows anything at all (however, the information is insufficient on its own--if you are new to gardening, get another book for information--either Bountiful Container Gardens or the Burpee Garden Cyclopedia: A Concise, Up-to-date Reference For Gardeners At All Levels. The Burpee Garden Cyclopedia is the best book I have bought on gardening. If you can only afford one book, that is the one to get.

container gardens
After seeing this book noted in the newspaper, I thought it sounded like a fun idea to try.It was a great success; the author has taken the guess work out of what to try together so your chances for a pretty and productive container are assured.Give it a try!!

Great Little Book
A Great Little Book with lots of big ideas that I'm looking forward to trying and am already sketching the plans for.

Inspirational and Easy to follow
I bought this book and brought it on a trip with a friend. The friend liked it so much she begged me to keep it. I just came from her home and she has created 3 different baskets of flowers and vegetables, just from reading this book. I have since reordered the book so that I try my hand at easy container gardening. Every gardener that sees this book, loves it and wants one for themselves! Finally a book for container gardening that even a novice can understand and follow.
Easy Container Combos: Vegetables & Flowers (Pamela Crawford's Contianer Gardening)

Fabulous!
I love this book! Her writing is interesting & she even lists the plants in each arrangement so you can copy them if you wish.And the pictures are out of this world! I hope to eventually get my garden to look like those. ... Read more

Product Description
Our grandparents did it.  And their grandparents before them.  In fact, saving seeds is as old as gardening itself.  Why then is it such a neglected component of gardening today?  Many say that because seeds from catologs are so cheap we don't need to save our own.  Have you figured out lately what you spend on seeds each year to grow the same plant?  (And doesn't it seem to be a little more each year?)  Now multiply that figure by the number of years you expect to have a garden.  Adds up, doesn't it?  But even if it still doesn't seem like a lot, the bottom line is that it's money you just don't have to spend!  Let Marc Rogers introduce you to the world of seed saving, where you will save money, strengthen your plant strains, and find a new appreciation and understanding of your garden. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

I can't wait to apply these tips!
I have been interested in saving seed since a child. I moved away to the city in my teens and am about to move back home. I am excited to save my own seed and feed my family with my science! Thank you.

not so good
The info it's very general. For the new gardener or seed saver many questions are left with no answer. Like the time to soak seeds on water. I ended up with more questions than answers at the end, glad did not pay full price.

Saving Money
It is hard to justify spending money on anything when you live in poverty, but I thought that this book may pay for itself.I was right.I have only had it for a few months, and already it has helped me to grow enough food to pay for itself.My plan is to completely stop buying seeds within 3 years, and if all of the points in this book work as good as the ones that I have already used I see no problem with sticking with that plan.

Great for vegetable gardeners
I bought this book so I could start harvesting my own seeds for vegetable gardening.This is the exact reference I was looking for.Each veggie detailed with instructions for selecting, protecting from cross polination, harvesting and storing.Lots of info for flowers too, but flower seed harvesting is much more straight forward, so I think it is covered appropriately.

happy gardener
This book has many practicle ideas on how to save hierloom seeds from year to year. It is a little older but still has sound advice that is easy to read and understand. It will be priceless to the beginner or the master gardener in a short time. ... Read more

Product Description
Acre-for-acre, flowers are the most profitable--as well as the most beautiful--crop on the farm. In The Flower Farmer expert flower grower Lynn Byczynski provides a complete introduction to raising a cornucopia of cut flowers for home use and for sale to retail customers, florists, and other markets.

The book offers detailed, manageable plans for flower growing on a scale ranging from a backyard border to a half-acre commercial garden. It will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, including:

Product Description
This comprehensive guide addresses one of the most common problems for gardeners. Shade Gardening has over 250 color photographs of the 350 best trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, bulbs, ground covers, vines, ferns, and grasses for shaded areas. Articles cover the basics of growing plants in the shade as well as such subjects as city gardens, flowers, foliage plants, pests and diseases, and lawns. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

You should know your Zone before you get the book
This book is really great.I live in Zone 6, but found that some of my best flowers an also thrive in Zones 3 and 4, amazingly.The author does state that trial and error is the best method to go about a shade garden but he also catagorizes the differences between the intensities of shade.Really a great book, lots of information. Will be using it over the winter to choose what I will plant in the Spring.

A good book severely hampered by its format
This is the first "Taylor's Guide" I have ever owned, so I don't know if this unusual format is a standard of their publications.It's about 9" high and over an inch thick, but only 4" wide!This means that you do have to crack the spine in order to comfortably read the information on the inner margins of the pages.I hate having to do that with books, but it was unavoidable here.

Content looks good and I hope to find it useful as we tackle the northern side of our property, which only gets about 1 hour of sun a day.

Gardening
Provides lots of interesting gardening information if you are planting only trees and shrubs.Book does not detail anything for vegetable gardeners.Title should be changed to include the word "Forestry" rather than the broad term 'gardening".

Very helpful handbook
This is a great reference for those gardening in shade.It is organized in a logical format and can be easily used.The photos are nice and the information helpful as plants are considered for a shade garden.While it may not be adequate for those gardening in the deep south, it is very well suited to zones 5,6, and 7.

A must have
This wonderful little book (thick, but only 4.27" wide) is an absolute necessity for anyone who wishes to do some gardening in a shady area. In fact, this book is really three books rolled into one. The first section looks at shade and shade gardening, it is straightforward and highly informative. The second section is entitled The Color Plates, and gives a long list of shade-loving plants, including a very nice color picture, and a highly informative description. The third section goes hand-in-hand with the second, and gives more in-depth information.

This book is really great, a must have for those of us who wish to do some gardening in a shady area. I highly recommend this book to all gardeners! ... Read more

Product Description
With detailed descriptions, stunning photographs, and essential advice, noted garden experts Willliams C. Welch and Neil G. Odenwald invite you to join the rich Southern tradition of growing and sharing cut flowers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

unbelievable
I've given away most of my gardening books-from lack of interest. Checked this one out from the library and must buy it so that I may underline. Mr. Welch GETS IT. He knows we want beauty in our lives, but we can't babysit picky plants that when they succeed, we're too proud of them to cut!. Here is the definitave word on how to grow inexpensive masses of color from seed and how to preserve cut flowers in the vase. Quite a few of his plant suggestions were new to me for my zone--This book gives me information for the exact reason I raise flowers, to play with them!

Beautiful, lavishly illustrated compendium.
The Bountiful Flower Garden is a beautiful, lavishly illustrated compendium for growing and showcasing cut flowers from the southern garden. Beginning with the influences of the European, Asian and Americanheritages. The Bountiful Flower Garden reveals how to extend the life ofcut flowers in order to bring their beauty indoors. It details when, howand where to cut, as well as when and how to employ chemical extenders. TheBountiful Flower Garden offers the reader invaluable information on otherplants effective in cut-flower arranging. The Bountiful Flower Garden isenhanced with lists, essays, and step-by-step instructions regarding trees,shrubs, vines, perennials, annuals, foliage plants, and berry/fruit plants.The Bountiful Flower Garden is the definitive guide and a wonderful bookfor family gardeners and interior designers to simply browse through insearch of ideas and possibilities for enriching the atmosphere and decor ofhomes and offices. ... Read more

Product Description
The experts at Better Homes and Gardens present a comprehensive encyclopedia of 450 plants, featuring photo; description; size, light, climate, and soil and moisture requirements; information on planting and propagation, special care needs, pests, and diseases; and garden design. 630 color photos; 75 full-color illustrations, including 24 garden plans; 25 one-color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

could have been better....
it would have been alot better if it had a picture for each flower that they had listed i would say this book is "ok" seems kinda outdated also.

Good reference book
I'm happy with this book and glad I bought it, despite its age (1995).Best features are the colorful photos, layout, and 395 useful pages.First half consists of different gardens, e.g., cottage-look, formal English gardens, herbs, hummingbird gardens, rock gardens, etc.Back half is separate sections listing perennials, annuals, bulbs, roses, ferns, etc., and this layout is easy to locate and read about individual species. Another positive are the many listings throughout the book, e.g., butterfly attracting flowers, blue-purple hued flowers, fragrant flowers, etc.Each of these lists segments down into perennials, annuals, bulbs, and bloom season.Basically, this book is a good reference tool, and full of colors that makes it pleasant to use.

Great Book!
The Better Homes & Gardens Complete Guide to Flower Gardening, is just what the title says. It's very informative and complete, and just what the novice like myself, needs.

good gardening book
This is a great gardening book, I bought it used and it was in excellent condition. I saved a lot of money buying it used instead of buying a new one. It will help me figure out what to plant, where to plant it, and what kind of soil the plant needs to survive. Our soil is not that great, so I plant the kinds of plants that are hardy, tough plants, that require little maintenance.

Great gift
Purchased for novice gardner who really wants to learn.Excellent pictures, descriptions, soil and light needs with color cross references. ... Read more

Product Description
Explore the pleasures of growing and drying flowers to create beautiful lasting arrangements. This single volume contains all the information you may need from planning your planting and cultivation details, to drying techniques and guidance on the principles of arranging. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent book for dried flower grower
An excellent reference book that deals with each individual plant that you can grow and dry.It offers growing and harvesting and dryingtips on each plant.This is very useful to ensure you harvest at the right time for each plant.Not every plant text has an accompanying photo however so you need to know what the plant is before you use the book.It also gives some nice layout suggestions for planting a flower bed to make the most of the plants in their setting before you harvest them.There is a nice section on drying techniques.It is a very good book for anyone who wants to grow and dry a few to many acres of plants.

Great Tips for Growing the Right Flowers for Drying
Already a classic on the subject of dried flower gardening, this book has been re-released.

Choose your dried flower plants by color, method and or part to dry.Or, use one of Ms. Sheen's designs to get your garden jump started.

What do you fancy? An Orange, Yellow, White and Green Garden?

And, do you want that in perennials or annuals or both?

The extensive A-Z of Recommended Plants section examines her choices of plants in comprehensive detail, providing insight into each variety that only an experienced gardener can offer.

Methods of harvesting, drying and storing are clear and easy to follow,as are her craft ideas for everything from a simple bouquet to an elegant Autumn potpourri.

With Dried Flower Gardening you can enjoy the garden, fresh and forever. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Gardening for Non-gardeners
I'm really not much of a gardener because I don't have the time to devote to it, but this book helped me put together a nice display in no time at all. It helped me pick some nice looking pots, told me what kind of soil mix to use and even showed me which plants worked with others. Pretty foolproof.

Gardening Made Easy
I wanted to add color and some design interest to the area around my front door, and this book helped me do it. It not only provided the basics for gardening in containers, it also gave specific plans to follow for combining plants. The pictures showed me how the designs look once they are planted. Money well spent.

Great book on container gardening
Covered everything that I was interested in.I checked out the book at a local Barnes and Noble to be sure it was what I wanted, then ordered from Amazon.com.Can't beat these prices. ... Read more