cover image Gardening with Bulbs: A Practical and Inspirational Guide

Gardening with Bulbs: A Practical and Inspirational Guide

Patrick Taylor. Timber Press (OR), $17.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-88192-351-3

Bulb gardening is more than tulips, daffodils and the occasional gladiolus. This comprehensive guide, a practical reference for the doer and a delight for the dreamer, blooms with information--and 240 color photos--about a dazzling number and variety of bulbs from albuca to zephyranthes An introduction, taking the reader through four seasons of bulbous gardening, precedes the alphabeticaly arranged Directory of Bulbs, which meticulously addresses each entry's appearance, structural emphasis, flowering habits, scent, place of origin and cultivation. Suggestions for incorporating each bulb into varying light and moisture conditions or container arrangements are offered along with particularly useful listings of species and cultivars by qualities (e.g., scent and foliage) and suitability for different sites. Hardiness zones are included, but Taylor reminds his readers that these ratings offer only ""a broad indication"" and encourages people to experiment in their own gardens. Who could resist trying the Allium, acuminatum, whose blossoms have ""dashing character"" or the daylily called Claudine, ""rich red with a darker eye."" (Aug.)