The Old Farmer's Almanac Flower Gardener's Handbook

The Old Farmer's Almanac, America's longtime trusted gardening resource, shares with you how to grow more than 30 stunning flowers throughout the year. Gorgeous photos accompany expert guidance and inspirational ideas, providing gardeners of all experience levels with the tools for success and creative enjoyment.We all want one--a lush, lovely flower bed or pot full of colorful blooms all season long! But it's not easy to know where to begin or how to handle certain problems along the way that challenge making our dream a reality. This is where The Flower Gardener's Handbook comes in. Created by The Old Farmer's Almanac, America's longtime trusted gardening resource, this book will take you by your garden-gloved hand and show you how to plan, plant, and care for more than 30 amazing flowers that will make you--as well as your family, friends, and neighbors--smile in absolute delight. Gorgeous photos accompany expert guidance and inspirational ideas, providing gardeners of all experience levels with the tools for success and creative enjoyment.Highlights include . . .Imagine the possibilities! This accessible and inviting resource introduces you to bulbs, annuals, biennials, perennials, shrubs, and vines that will perk up your space and season. Browse the 32 plants profiled in vivid detail (from asters, irises, and coneflowers to hydrangeas, roses, and wisteria); for each, you'll find beautiful photos and essential information on planting, care, disease and pest problems, cut-flower harvesting, and recommended varieties. There are also helpful chapters on summer-flowering shrubs, tiny bulbs, flowers for constant color throughout the season, and more! Invite birds to your garden! Discover flowering annuals, perennials, and shrubs that offer food and shelter to make feathered friends feel right at home.Go native! Native plants offer many advantages, such as requiring little to no maintenance or water once established. They also provide nectar for native pollinators. Read about native flower options for various parts of North America, and you'll get a feel for which ones you might like to grow.Want to bring the joy indoors? Find out the best ways to cut and preserve your garden's floral bounty or to dry your blossoms for long-lasting enjoyment.Don't have the yard space to grow flowers or just want to keep things simple? Containers to the rescue! Learn the "pot-ticulars" about sizes, types, and growing mediums and then get ready to pot up your prized petunias!Nurturing flowers from seeds can be an inexpensive way to fill up a flower bed and offers more options for variety and color than you'll likely see in transplants available locally. Choose your favorites and then discover how to get your plant babies off to a great start.Moving to a new location can take it out of us, and the same goes for plants. Whether you grow your own or purchase just-the-right flowers at your local garden center, find out when they can be safely transplanted to their permanent homes.True success starts at ground level--or even deeper. Learn about soil structure, texture, pH, nutrients, and fertilizers, as well as how to improve your existing soil so that your plants grow up healthy and happy.Water is a precious resource. Gardeners just about everywhere can face periodic drought as well as high water bills and seasonal water restrictions, so water-saving practices in the garden not only make good "green" sense but also save time, energy, and effort. Read about ways in which you can be water-wise!Diseases and pests like flowers, too. The Flower Gardener's Handbook provides detailed, easy-to-understand information on how to identify and control a host of troublemakers. Write it down! Take advantage of occasional journal pages to jot down important notes, such as your soil's pH, seed-starting details, planting dates, and pest problems and treatment. Record your observations about plant performance, bloom times, and more to help you keep track of which varieties work well and which you'd like to switch out in the following year.What's an Old Farmer's Almanac guide without a little folklore and fun? Inside, you'll learn how to interpret Latin plant names (Did you know that mirabilis means "wonderful"?), the symbolism in the language of flowers (a peony can express "happy life"), and what your birth flower is (hint: some months have two!).Plus, much more! Carefully crafted by experts, The Old Farmer's Almanac Flower Gardener's Handbook is the second book in a best-selling gardening series that began with the extremely popular Vegetable Gardener's Handbook (now its sixth printing!) and is followed by the newest volume, The Old Farmer's Almanac Container Gardener's Handbook. This second book introduces you to the large and varied world of beautiful flowers and offers inspiration and guidance on selecting, growing--and harvesting!--colorful blossoms that will brighten your home and life. An easy-to-use, informative, and enjoyable resource for gardeners of all experience levels!