Container, Small Space, & Urban Gardening, Bulbs - Gardening

Bulbs in Containers

Name: Bulbs in Containers
Author: Rod Leeds
ISBN: 9780881927351

by Rod Leeds, Marie O'Hara

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Overview

Fantastic color photographs and excellent writing make this an inspirational and accessible guide for specialty plant collectors, alpine and rock gardeners, and city gardeners, as well as anyone gardening in small spaces. Readers will learn about the ease and practicality of growing bulbs in containers — bringing year-round color and interest to one's home. Popular classic bulbs are included, as well as a range of more unusual varieties such as the delicate-looking but surprisingly unfussy corydalis, and graceful, late-spring-flowering scillas. The book details how to plan and prepare for a year of flowering bulbs — how to store bulbs during the dormant period and get them ready for planting, how to make homemade shelters to protect plants during the growing season before they begin to flower, and how to create simple accessories that show off the final display. Detailed advice on seed propagation provides gardeners an inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and satisfying method of increasing their range of species bulbs.

Synopsis

Alice Joyce - Booklist

"Set apart by its wide-ranging approach, Leeds' guide offers irresistible ideas for enhancing the beauty of bulbs in containers plantings."—Alice Joyce, Booklist, September 1, 2005

About the Author, Rod Leeds

Rod Leeds began his career in education and worked as a primary school head teacher for 23 years before taking early retirement. He now lives in Suffolk, England, where his half-acre plantsman's garden provides ample opportunity to showcase his unique collection of bulbs. He is the chairman of the RHS Joint Rock Garden Plant Committee and is actively involved with the Alpine Garden Society, where he is Publications Officer. Rod Leeds lectures and writes widely on gardening topics, calling on his practical experiences. He is a regular contributor to The Plantsman and other specialist plant journals and is author of The Plant Finder's Guide to Early Bulbs.

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Editorials

Booklist

"Set apart by its wide-ranging approach, Leeds' guide offers irresistible ideas for enhancing the beauty of bulbs in containers plantings."—Alice Joyce, Booklist, September 1, 2005
— Alice Joyce

Horticulture

"The trouble with this book is that it prevents you from getting your work done — unless of course your line of work involves surfing the Internet and charging bulbs to your credit card. Author Rod Leeds has filled the pages with inspiring writings on bulbous treasures to grow in pots. You will want to have all of them in your garden."—Sara Begg, Horticulture, Fall 2006
— Sara Begg

National Gardening Association Regional Reports

"Contains photographs of dozens of intriguing lesser-known bulb plants to whet any plant lover's appetite!"—Cathy Cromell, National Gardening Association Regional Reports, July 6, 2006
— Cathy Cromell

Library Journal

When it comes to bulbs, readers have a wide variety of book resources; here are three new additions to the literature. Horticultural consultant Bryan (Bulbs) has written a comprehensive guide for laypeople to bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers that flower from early spring through autumn. The bulk of the book, illustrated with more than 300 color photographs, is made up of a listing of bulbs alphabetized by genus. Each entry includes common name, plant description, bloom period, soil type, light requirements, planting instructions, U.S.D.A. hardiness zones, and garden uses. Where applicable, individual species are listed within an entry. Gardeners interested in growing daffodils, tulips, or hyacinths will find British horticulturist Stebbings's book a joy. Lavishly illustrated with 100 color photographs of individual flowers, Spring Bulbs describes 240 species and cultivars of daffodils, 190 of tulips, and 80 of hyacinths. Each flower is accompanied by information on history, breeding, structure, commercial production, cultivation, problems, and group classification. Stebbings describes each group and lists several cultivars, noting their colors and shapes as well as his opinions on their beauty and usefulness. If pictured, the page number of the image is also included. British garden writer Leeds (The Plantfinder's Guide to Early Bulbs) arranges his book first by season, then by scientific name. He describes a vast array of plants; advises on such topics as planning and preparation, storage, and seed propagation; and instructs on ideal conditions for growing bulbs in containers as well as how to make protective shelters and accessories. More than 100 mostly color photographs illustrate the text. Bryan's easy-to-follow guide is recommended for all gardeners while Stebbings's work is for more serious bulb growers who want descriptions of the myriad cultivars of spring's blooming bulbs. As for Leeds's book, its decidedly British slant makes it less useful for those who garden in the United States, as very few Americans garden in Leeds's relatively mild English climate. No U.S.D.A. hardiness zones are listed, but libraries in areas with similar climatic conditions will want to consider purchasing.-Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.