Growing Bulbs: The Complete Practical Guide

A complete reference manual covering the practicalities of growing bulbs, from the tulip to the more unusual exotics such as Wurmbea and Zigadenus. Initial chapters offer essays on growing bulbs in various settings, as well as diseases and pests, followed by an A-to-Z listing of 100 genera providing basic cultural information. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

These two books are close to the opposite ends of the garden-book spectrum. A brief, practical handbook for the beginner or intermediate gardener, Bulbs consists almost entirely of descriptions of the various types of bulbs, corms, etc., with color photographs of outstanding named varieties. Its strength is also its weakness?the book is organized by height of plant, then season, then color of the main feature (usually the flower). This is very useful for a gardener searching for that perfect tall yellow flower to fill a bare spot in autumn, but someone looking for information on, say, irises, will find it scattered throughout the text, depending on the time of bloom of the individual species. Cultivation information is given briefly with each plant description and in a short chapter at the end of the book. Mathew, the author of Growing Bulbs, spent his professional life at Kew Gardens, and his book is packed with the detailed information for the sophisticated gardener that takes a lifetime to accumulate. Two-thirds of his volume is devoted to an A-Z list of bulb genera, by Latin name, followed by a detailed discussion of the cultural requirements of each species within each genus?moisture, soil, dry or wet winter or summer, temperature, etc. Readers should beware that hardiness is gauged by the author's own experience in southeast England. The best general books on bulbs are still Lewis and Nancy Hill's Bulbs: Four Seasons of Beautiful Blooms (Garden Way, 1994) or Time-Life's Bulbs (Time-Life, 1995), but Bulbs would make a nice supplement. Public libraries serving active garden clubs or master gardeners should treat them to Growing Bulbs, which would also be appropriate for horticultural collections in academic libraries.?Molly Newling, Piscataway P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This comprehensive reference manual is intended for novice gardeners interested in growing bulbs. Mathew, author of three other books on bulbs, offers advice on planting, soil, drainage, and potting mixes. He explains which bulbs can be planted in shady gardens, grassy areas, borders and sunny wall beds, raised beds and rock gardens, and containers. He gives instructions on staking bulbs and on propagation, and there is a chapter on pests and diseases. The bulk of the book is an A to Z listing of 100 genera with basic cultural data on each. Included are 48 color photographs and numerous line drawings. George Cohen