Books for Christmas - Part 1

With so many books on the market, I hope to list over the coming weeks some books which folks new to growing and old hands alike will enjoy.

CAPE BULBS by Richard L. Doutt

Thriving in mild, rainy winters and dry summers, unusual bulbs from the Cape Province of South Africa will add exotic beauty to almost any garden. This handy guide, with beautiful line drawings and color photos, describes several hundred Cape bulbs currently available and provides information on their care and cultivation.

Whilst this book is good, it does need updating, but if you are new to Cape bulbs; it is a good book to have. 290 pp, 75 color photos, 52 line drawings, 2 maps, 6 X 9", hardcover,0-88192-245-5, ©1994

Gardening with Bulbs: A Practical and Inspirational Guide by Patrick Taylor.

From Gardening with Bulbs: Late summer is almost as rich in bulbous plants as early spring. Although some of these (such as the stately galtonias) are of subdued colouring many more explode in dramatic reds, purples and yellows. Garden taste is once more turning to these exciting arrangements to which bulbous plants make such a contribution. Dahlias of the deepest red (such as D. 'Arabian Night'), the giant foliage and flamboyant flowers of cannas, and the sharp raspberry red of the little Alstroemeria psittacina are dazzling ingredients in the "hot" border.

With autumn the bulbous season is by no means finished. The garden now sparkles with enchanting nerines, Cyclamen hederifolium scattered like jewels in unlikely places, colchicums and sternbergias producing exquisite flowers among the first fallen leaves, and flamboyant amaryllis throwing out their candy pink flowers. As the first frosts clear away tender growth, the exquisite foliage of cyclamens is revealed and in December the indomitable flowers of Iris unguicularis appear to remind us that the great bulbous cycle is about to start again.

Bulbs are a favorite of gardeners, for they burst forth with color earlier than anything else in the garden and provide a glorious array of blooms that require little special care. Although spring is their most abundant flowering season, bulbs can be found flowering in any month of the year in most climates.

In Gardening with Bulbs, Patrick Taylor chooses the best bulbous plants, including corms, tubers, and rhizomes, for all manner of garden situations. All the varieties selected, from the very common to the very rare, are commercially available. Each entry describes the special qualities of the bulb, gives cultivation information, and makes suggestions for best effect in the garden.

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