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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #644527 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-18
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .3 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The Hills recount a visit to a retired farm couple's garden where "flowers were planted in neat cultivated rows, just like their vegetables." Comprehensive formulas for vegetable gardening work, as did the Hills' The Vegetable Gardener's Bible (which has 135,000 in print), but the flower garden is perhaps too broad a subject for similar treatment. The Hills are skilled instructors in basic techniques-a strength they use well in Part I. Easy-to-read text, a welcoming magazine-like layout and step-by-step photographic guides provide a solid foundation in flower garden fundamentals. Part II, "A Gallery of Gardens," is less helpful, with watercolors accompanying descriptions and plant lists for everything from a garden path to a rose garden. By trying to serve all needs and tastes, this section sometimes overloads rather than whets the imagination. In Part III, the Hills present "species-by-species information" on 261 perennials, annuals, bulbs, wildflowers, shrubs, vines and grasses. While overall the result is sometimes uneven, the handsome color photographs will invite browsing and offer gardeners a good, homey foundation.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Although there are entire books devoted to any one of the many subjects covered in the Hills' "bible," comprehensive resources that provide a thorough overview of essential gardening topics are always welcome. Using their practical experiences as hands-on amateur gardeners, the Hills share techniques they find most useful, tips they feel most helpful, and treasured plants they think most reliable for successful flower gardens. Whether sowing seeds in spring or protecting tender roses for winter, fundamental aspects of garden planning, planting, culture, and care are covered, thus making them accessible, especially to those newly bitten by the gardening bug. After showcasing nearly two dozen specialty gardens, from fragrance to foundation, shade to seaside, herbs to hummingbirds, the Hills provide an alphabetical directory of more than 260 flowering shrubs, vines, bulbs, annuals, and perennials that lists critical information such as bloom time, size, site, and pests in a concise at-a-glance format. Helpful appendixes of hardiness and heat zones, plant societies, and a glossary complete this effective and informative compilation. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
This is the complete guide to flower gardening as taught by a couple who learned through first-hand experience, trial and error and a little help from friends and advisers. The Washington Post [Lewis and Nancy Hill] have again created a work that is fun to read, easy to understand, and so exhaustive it seems a veritable mini-encyclopedia. The American Gardener loaded with advice on improving soil, fighting pests and disease, plans for theme gardens, a schedule of blossoming times, and an expansive description of more than 400 flowering plants. Lewis and Nancy Hill have compiled an excellent guide. Minneapolis Star Tribune Lewis and Nancy Hill s practical information on designing your flower garden is sure to make all your plants happy. Garden Gate It s an all-in-one manual that covers everything needed for achieving success with plants. Country Decorating Ideas Using their practical experiences as hands-on amateur gardeners, the Hills share techniques they find most useful, tips they feel most helpful, and treasured plants they think most reliable for successful flower gardens. Booklist ...this concise overview presents a range of possibilities for novices. Library Journal