No comments about Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Flowers: Beautiful Blooms in an Afternoon.

5 comments about Start Your Own Florist Shop and Other Floral Businesses (Start Your Own A).

1. This book gave a thorough and easy to read account of all the aspects of the floral business, at least to a newcomer. It was well-written and informative.



2. enjoyed book was very helpful just wished for more information. Seemed a little outdated and reasources limited.



3. Very simple book. Covers a lot of information, yet not in-depth...wished for more details, a bit elementary



4. There is good info. on here but I found it lacking "meat". Needed more info.



5. This book was filled with vague information about owning and operating a shop, presented almost exclusively from the author's life experience. It read more as an autobiography than as a how-to-master something book. There was little concrete information offered. Frankly, nothing in this book isn't available using simple internet searches and nothing was specific enough to start any sort of business.
   
   Having said that, for someone not trying to open a floral business, this might be a fun Saturday afternoon read into the life & times of a florist.

4 comments about Gertrude Jekyll's Colour Schemes for Flower Garden.

1. As an Engish Gardener "displaced in Kansas" this book was a delight. Anyone who wants to plan a garden large or small should turn to this little gem written over 80 years ago. Miss Jekyll was the definitive garden planner, her ideas of colours and seasonal planting will inspire you to create a beautiful garden of your own. Quite the best of her kind.



2. For those who are truly crazy about making and playing in flower gardens, this Gertrude Jekyll book is one of the best. It's not a practical how-to book. Few gardeners will share the climate she was writing about, or have her enviable resources, like a tidy trust fund, 10 acres and a small staff of gardeners. Ms. Jekyll was the most famous garden writer of her day, producing many books in addition to writing articles and designing a lot of high-end residential flower gardens.
   
   This book is a fascinating and surprisingly relevant record of how she contrived her own flower gardens a hundred years ago. There are detailed planting plans of her gardens, drawn by her, and also some fantasy garden designs. In addition to the classic flower border (which she had a strong hand in inventing) there are designs for bulb and annual flower gardens, and many, many other ideas for landscaping. If you think the gardens of an elderly lady in England a hundred years ago would be filled with washed-out colors and fussy ornaments, you are in for a huge surprise.
   
   Like Russell Page's 'The Education of a Gardener', this is the chance to get inside the mind of a great artist: how they think, how they see, and how they tranlate their insights into garden design. As originally published (with plan drawings and photos by Ms. Jekyll) her original is an all time classic.
   
   I'm not completely enthusiastic about this edition. Some plant names are updated (fine), many color pictures are added (nice pics, but none of Ms. Jekyll's gardens), modern watercolors of plants mentioned in the copy are scattered about (OK, but more decoration than education) and a few additional Jekyll designs not included in the original book were added (very nice).
   
   Negatively, they edit her plan drawings a bit, coloring them in, and removing the original scale marking, so you can't tell how big the beds are. The coloring will help those not super-familiar with plant names to get the jist of the designs. They have also removed some of her original B&W photos. That's not good. I'm sorry I lent my original version to someone and lost it.
   
   This edition is a colorful and largely satisfying replacement, but I will probably try to hunt up a true reproduction of the original. I'd rather get a clearer version of Ms. Jekyll's voice.



3. A very enjoyable read Gertrude Jekyll was the great female designer who has been lost to wider public



4. If you are new to gardening but want classic borders, this may not be the book for you. To understand this book, you need to have a thorough understanding of garden plants, especially those that are grown in England. This is not a "plug and play" kind of book. Here's an sample:
   "The undergrowth of such a group may be of Solomon's seal at the back, and, if the bank or border is in the sun, of a lower groundwork of Iberis and Corydalis ochroleuca, or, if it is shaded, of Tiarella, woodruff or Anemone sylvestris. With these, for the sake of their tender green foliage, there may well be Uvularia grandiflora and Epimedium pinnatum."
   If you didn't follow that sample, and understand the subtlety of composition here, imagining the composition of color, plant form, leaf texture, moisture and sun requirements, and seasonal variation, you'll need several good plant books and visits to arboreta to understand this book. There aren't photographs to illustrate the prose. It would be even more difficult to translate this into your specific garden.
   
   That being said, it is fascinating to read Jekyll's own words, and even more so to see her drawings. Each plan is augmented by watercolor which helps in understanding. Each plan could take hours of study to begin the understand the genius of Jekyll. I agree with another reviewer in that it was a mistake to eliminate the scale on the drawings.

5 comments about Guide to Flowering Plant Families.

1. 
   Occasionally I have to (try) and key out plants at work. Not having a botany background makes this difficult and when I get stumped on a particular term or piece of plant anatomy I call up this book to walk me through the terminology. It is particularly useful if you can key the plant out to family level. It's picture (line art) illustrations are very clear and help tremendously when trying to understand what it is the key is referring to. Well worth the 35 dollars if you deal with the anatomy of plants at all or need to know family characteristics.



2. Many floras and the USDA Plant Database use Cronquist's classification system. Several families in that system are missing in Thorne's system as used in this book. I would suggest supplementing this book with James Payne Smith's "Vascular Plant Families."



3. This should be a five start rating but something happened when I wrote the review so I can't change the star rating. Suffice it to say that this is a very comprehensive book with wonderful black and white illustrations. A very useful guide for students of botanical art or for anyone interested in plants.



4. I got this book because I needed to learn about plants and I needed a no nonsense, basic introduction to the plant families of the world--not just trees, not just herbs, and not just information from one part of the world. This book is all that and more. The descriptions of each family use botanical terminology, there are clear line drawings of the taxonomically informative characters, and economically important species are listed in each family. Because I am not an expert on plants, I can't comment on the accuracy of the information, but I can say that this book has been a great resource for me, as a novice botanist. My only complaint (and this is a minor one, because this is not supposed to be a field guide) is that I am unfamiliar with many of the families and color photos would really help me to learn to recognize the plants in nature. I highly recommend this book.



5. The book is just fine ... that's why I ordered it ... it's a good book.
   
   However, I thought I was buying the book USED at a less-than-new price. The price I actually paid was the new price. And I did receive a new book, thank you.
   
   My question: Why didn't I pay for and receive the USED book that I wanted? I wonder if there is something in the ordering process that I missed. This is the first book order from amazon.

5 comments about Tussie-Mussies: The Victorian Art of Expressing Yourself in the Language of Flowers.

1. I have read this book and use it as a ref guide in our work shop. We manufacture tussies. The only wrong thing about this book is it does not have a glossery of where one can purchase the things they would need to make these wonderful tussies. As in WHERE could you purchase the holders? or who makes holders like this? Also where can you purchase special ribbons. and so on. We make these as our job, but for the home garden person who perhaps would like to dabble into this as a gift making idea will not find much in the way of suppliers. Anyone can use lace and doilies, but the real EYECATCHERS are the hand casted resin containers! Too bad they didnt say or give a list of suppliers. Other Than that.... it is a well photographed book.



2. I have read this book and use it as a ref guide in our work shop. We manufacture tussies. The only wrong thing about this book is it does not have a glossery of where one can purchase the things they would need to make these wonderful tussies. As in WHERE could you purchase the holders? or who makes holders like this? Also where can you purchase special ribbons. and so on. We make these as our job, but for the home garden person who perhaps would like to dabble into this as a gift making idea will not find much in the way of suppliers. Anyone can use lace and doilies, but the real EYECATCHERS are the hand casted resin containers! Too bad they didnt say or give a list of suppliers. Other Than that.... it is a well photographed book. Patricia Anne's Ltd.



3. My friend and I used this book as a source for a program for my garden club. We did this in January when our gardens were bare, or so we thought. After looking, we were able to find lots of things that were useful as well as meaningful. With a few dollars worth of flowers from the grocery store we made several examples from the book (with a few substitutions). We were delighted at how beautifully they turned out. I talked about the language of flowers and then showed everybody our samples. We had assembled a variety of ingredients and then each of our 15 members created her own Tussie Mussie. Each one turned out differently and each was charming. I cannot wait for a reason to make another one. We had a hoot of a time. My only complaint with the book was that there were not enough sources of materials such as holders, etc. Thank you for such a beautiful book.



4. I have used this delightful book for reference and inspiration countless times since buying it several years ago. It's paid for itself and then some! Tussie-mussies never fail to provide a gracious touch to the giving of flowers. Anyone can merely present flowers, but to customize the bouquet to the recipient or occasion? Truly impressive and touching! I once attended a luncheon honoring a well-known philanthropist. The hostess spent a fortune on catering for the event and decorated the banquet table with an enormous [$] floral arrangement of spring flowers. The well-traveled multimillionairess was cordial but a trifle bored (been there/done that)until I presented my tussie-mussie, assembled just for her, with a hand-lettered scroll listing the flowers and their definitions. She was astonished and fascinated. That's all she talked about afterwards--the table arrangement could have been dandilions and crab grass. Even if you don't actually make up a tussie-mussie from real flowers, Laufer's book has other terrific uses. I used it to design a bouquet in watercolors for my aunt's memorial service program. You will relish this book!



5. Got this book to help plan our wedding and the flower arangements to choose the right flowers for the event. Wow, it has a lot of information and is great for making a statment in flowers. It gives you the Victorian meaning and the present day use of each flower a long with some history.
   
   Good choice.

3 comments about Four Seasons of Orchids.

1. Featuring spectacular full-color photography of each orchid showcased in "Four Seasons Of Orchids", a superbly compiled 256-page compendium of information making this an excellent guide for amateur gardeners and horticultural professionals alike. Of special note for beginning orchid gardeners are the step-by-step potting guides for all the featured orchids from 'Phalaenopsis' to 'Cattleya'. The collaborative work of commercial photographer and orchid grower Greg Allikas and botanist and orchid expert Ned Nash, "Four Seasons Of Orchids" is a welcome and very highly recommended addition to academic library Horticultural Studies, and community library Home Gardening reference collections in general , as well as personal and professional reading lists for growing orchids in particular.



2. This book is once again a masterpiece by Greg Alikas and Ned Nash. Tons of beautiful photographs and very helpful information on growing orchids.



3. This book is great for the beginner and those who have been growing orchids for a while. I bought it for my orchid club. Simply written and beautiful pictures to illustrate. And the price was reasonable too!

3 comments about Hydrangeas.

1. Every page has color pictures on it. The bulk of the book describes each variety of hydrangea. There's a little info on planting.



2. This is a terrific little inexpensive book on hydrangeas. It was published in 2001/2002 by a New Zealand horticulturist. The pictures are luscious and most are labeled with specific variety names. However, this is not just a coffee table book. It contains easy to understand, accurate information on growing hydrangeas. The chapter on pruning is excellent and includes a section on pruning tree form hydrangeas. I would highly recommend this book.



3. This is a wonderful and inexpensive book with many beautiful pictures and lots of useful information on hydrangeas. I will reference this book over and over.

No comments about Loves Me, Loves Me Not: The Hidden Language of Flowers.

3 comments about Fragrant Orchids: A Guide to Selecting, Growing, and Enjoying.

1. Frowine lists a multitude of orchids within this book that have been observed to be fragrant either through first hand knowledge or word of mouth. For many of the orchids, he lists some of the basics such as fragrance (i.e. what it smells like), distribution, and some cultivation information. The cultivation information isn't very detailed, but this is a book about fragrance and cultivation information can be found in other books and on the web. For me, the most useful section of the book is the appendices. There are 6 appendices and they are all great:
   
   A) Orchids by Ease of Culture
   B) Orchids by Light Requirements
   C) Orchids by Nighttime Temperature Preference
   D) Orchids by Intensity of Fragrance (my favorite, also describes the fragrance)
   E) Orchids by Time of Fragrance
   F) Orchids by Season of Bloom



2. The book teaches to cultivate some easily orchids found at especialized stores.
   The photos need to have more ligth, many are dark; its a book indicated only for beginners.
   It was not that waited.



3. I read and enjoyed "Orchids for Dummies" another book by Steven Frowine which actually helped give me the courage to get started in the wonderful hobby of growing orchids, so when I saw the "Fragrant Orchids" book by the same author I picked it up confident that it would help me learn more about these extraordinary plants.
   I was not disappointed. After a brief couple of chapters entitled "Fragrant Fact and Fancys" and "The Basics of Growing", the book is divided into informative chapters on orchid "alliances", each one profusely illustrated with life like photographs. Everything from pronunciation to recommended potting medium is covered for over 100 fragrant orchids.
   I found the extensive appendices offered by the author to be very helpful. Here the species are sorted in to several useful categories that range from "Ease of Use" to "Time of Fragrance". This book has certainly help deepen my knowledge and love for the beautiful and now fragrant orchids.

5 comments about An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials.

1. This includes all of the classics, a bunch of new herbaceous shade perennials, many, many wildflowers, and hundreds of ferns, both old and new for the shady garden.
   It covers herbaceous perennials only, as the title implies, but there are thousands of them. A few are missing, but that is a good thing. They are weedy and shouldn't be planted anyway.
   I liked the personal stories and connection of the author with each of the genera, and the attention paid to culture, diseases, propagation and heat and cold hardiness.
   As in any encyclopedia, the plants are arranged by genus name and within the genus by species and cultivar names, alphabetically. For the plants illustrated in color, the names are in bold letters. You must know the Latin names of plants, but a huge index lists all of common names and tells you what the Latin name for it is. It also gives cross references for synonyms, different scientific names that have been given to the same plant. It takes a while to get the gist of it, but it is worth the time.
   A book that will give great shade gardening information for many years to come. It should be in every serious shade gardeners library.



2. I am still reading this book. There are many words of wisdom and there is a lot to digest. This book will be used often. It may not have an answer for all shade problems but it gives great information for what to do in the ground layer of a shady garden. The plant descriptions are detailed and the cultural information is extensive and complete. Add to that colf hardiness and heat tolerance as well as propagation, diseases, and anything else you must know, this volume give the nitty-gritty on many shade perennials, herbaceous as well as evergreen. This is a good book for starting and experienced gardeners. The starters may have to take time to get to know how to use the book. The photos are outstanding, albeit gathered in a bunch in the center sections, but bold printed names point to the illustrations. I'll use this book often and enjoy the many stories presented along with the plant information.



3. Although I've been a shade gardener for many years, this book contains many shade perennials that I had never heard of. I liked that almost all the pictures appear to be of mature specimens, so you can see what the plant will look like. (My pet peeve is when gardening books show baby plants! What good is that?) There are sometimes many pictures of one plant: one picture will show a close-up of the flower, one picture will be a distance picture. The descriptions tell growing information, zone, size, and possible gardening problems. I was pleased with this book and am glad that I purchased it. I have been barely able to put it down, even though I have read several other shade gardening books. Thank you, Mr. Schmid, for a fantastic, wonderful resource. I enthusiastically recommend this book to any shade gardener.



4. From the man who is the original expert on the subject, a fantastic resource for all who garden in the shade. Very user friendly with seven thousand species and cultivars, useful to the novice as well as the expert. Thankfully the shade craze caught on perhaps with the publication of Schmid's first book, "The Genus Hosta." The book starts with practical tips on the "bones of the garden" trees and soil and covers briefly many other subjects before getting into the plants that are appropriate for shade. I own many books on shade gardening, including books devoted exclusively to the subjects of ferns, ivies, mosses, etc. I find that this is the book that I keep right there with my other two favorites, Dirr's on trees and of course "The Genus Hosta".



5. In this volume Schmid has unselfishly shared his most intimate feeling and knowledge about the art of gardening. He has put a life time of intense gardening knowledge between the covers of this wonderful book. Every page is filled with gardening insights,understanding and details. Yes I paid for it, but it is so dam well written that, I can only consider as to have been some kind of a gift. It is much more then encyclopedia or a how to book, sure he gives a lot of how tos, but now you can know, why tos as well. A profession writer could easily make five or even ten books out of this one, just by adding some random garden minutia, but Geroge is not in to making a fast book(buck) he is into gardening. Now I can be an artful gardener toos :)