Have you ever killed an African violet? Kent and Joyce Stork killed their first violet too! They soon mastered the skills for growing the plant and eventually wrote for the "African Violet Magazine," the official publication of the African Violet Society of America, Inc. for over ten years. Their column "For Beginners" explained the basic elements of growing violets in an entertaining and straightforward way that anyone could understand.

Now these columns have been adapted and edited to provide even the most novice grower with a step-by-step guide, whether the goal is simply to keep violets alive or to exhibit the plants in competitive shows.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

Originally published in the late 1800s, this is a delightful book on gardening that still contains much information of relevance to today's gardeners. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork Contents Include - The General Management of the Garden - Lawns, Paths, Beds, and Border On the Duty of Making Experiments - Some Neglected but Handsome Plants - The Conservatory and Greenhouse - The Tool Shed and Summer House - Roses and Aateurs - Enimies of the Garden - The Rockery - Trees, and How to Treat them - Shrubs- The Inns and outs of Gardening - The Profitable Portion - Annuels and Biennials - Window-Boxes - Table Decoration - The Propagation of Plants - The Management of Room Plants - Various Hints

Have you ever had a question on how to grow African violets but could not find the answer? Now your dilemma is solved and you will be able to quickly find the information for which you are looking. With this book in your hands you will no longer have to guess when it comes to growing beautiful African violets, crowned with dozens of gorgeous blossoms. The primary theme of Mel Robey's third book on African violets is: Getting Back to the Basics. The reader will find answers to 250 of the most common questions the author has been asked since the publication of his first book on these popular houseplants. He combines a unique knowledge of horticulture with an easy to understand writing style. 250 Questions and their answers are covered in ten chapters Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Getting To Know Your Plants Chapter 3 Plant Food Essential For Healthy Plants Chapter 4 Potting Mixtures: Key To Being Successful Chapter 5 Containers For Growing Beautiful African Violets Chapter 6 Proper Watering Techniques Important Chapter 7 Those Ugly Pests: Insects, Diseases, and Other Unsightly Problems Chapter 8 Propagation Is Easy Chapter 9 The Environment Around Your Plants Chapter 10 Light: Its Role In A Plant's Life Glossary You will find answers to questions such as: .What can be done to solve the problem after a white, salty crust has formed on the potting soil surface and rim of the pot? .Does the type of fertilizer I use have any influence on how well my African violets bloom? .Are there any simple ways to sterilize my potting mixture? .If you could pick one problem that causes African violets the most trouble, what would it be? .Why are the flower buds on my African violet dropping off beforethey open? This is very discouraging

Originally published London 1905. The author with his many years of experience details all that is necessary to secure the successful cultivation of the "Queen of Flowers." This is a fascinating book for any rose enthusiast or flower gardener and also contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Illustrated. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Originally published in 1926, this book is a detailed look at art and practice of raising and cultivating Sweet Peas. The book contains an exhaustive examination of every aspect of Sweet pea cultur, and is still of great practical use to today's gardener. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: Sweet Peas: Their Origin, History and Development The Raising of New Varieties Classes of Sweet Peas Cultural Remarks The Cordon or Exhibition System of Culture Out of Doors General Culture Cold Greenhouse Culture Enemies and Diseases of Sweet Peas Sweet Peas for Indoor Decoration Seed Growing and Saving Varieties Sweet Peas of the Future

1923. With 48 illustrations. A popular book with descriptions on the wild flowers in Nature's garden. Some of the varieties depicted in this volume are: Spiderwort Family; Lily Family; Amaryllis Family; Buckwheat Family; Crowfoot Family; Poppy Family; Sundew Family; Witch-Hazel Family; Geranium Family; Buckthorn Family; Evening Primrose Family; Milkweed Family; Mint Family; Madder Family; Lobelia Family; and many more.

This is a perfect bedside book for the literate gardener and makes a terrific gardener's gift book. It is an entertaining survey of 80 plant genera, with a multitude of references to, and extracts from, myth and literature from Shakespeare to the Victorian language of flowers. Based on prodigious research, it includes much literature that has fallen into undeserved obscurity, as well as selections from the great poets. It is a delightful study of the influence of the world's flora on humanity, from the mundane to the mystical.

When The Youthful Knee Is Bent, And To Heaven Is Humbly Sent Grateful Prayer, -- Bending From His Throne Above Full Of Tenderness And Love God Is There!

CONTENTSThe Use of Flowers - The Snowdrop - The Arbutus - The Crocus - The Anemone - The Narcissus - The Dandelion - The Lily of the Valley - The Violet - The Pansy - The Mignonette - The Buttercup - The Forget-Me-Not - The Hyacinth - The Marguerite: A Daisy - The Peony - The Sunflower - The Clover - The Bachelor Buttons - The Rose - The Lily - The Passion Flower - The Mandrake - The Marigold - The Orchid - The Verbena - The Water Lily - The Poppy - The Iris - The Thistle - The Columbine - The Goldenrod - The Gentian - The Chrysanthemum - The Rosemary - L'Envoi

Al Rogers has been growing peonies since childhood, and this book represents more than 60 years' experience. Peonies are treasured by gardeners for their longevity, lush foliage, rich fragrance, and landscape uses. Captured within these pages are not only the flavor, charm, and history of the peony and its hybridizers but also expert information about the genus "Paeonia" and its many cultivars. The species are discussed, and from the thousand-odd listed cultivars of both tree and herbaceous peonies, Rogers singles out the truly superior for recommendation, along with some introductions that show great promise. Enthusiastic amateurs and professionals alike will be thrilled with the complete and detailed information supplied in "Peonies" -- an important book for any gardener's library.

This lovely book chronicles Dorothy Maclean's connection with the intelligence of nature. It brings together for the first time most of her Deva flower messages. These are truly Seeds of Inspiration. It includes several black and white flower illustrations created specifically for this book by artist Deva Berg.

Now in paper. The orchid is the most evocative of flowers, inspiring in some of its admirers a fanaticism akin to madness, as demonstrated in Susan Orlean's popular novel The Orchid Thief. This elegant survey of the orchid treats its place in legend and suggests the impact that these exotic plants had on the temperate European mind. Berliocchi chronicles the adventurers and scientists who introduced these marvels, discusses their place in the arts from literature and magic to cuisine, and concludes with accounts of the most important genera and their cultivation. Splendidly illustrated with period engravings and botanical paintings, it is literate and delightful.

The author was an ardent lover of roses and having carefully studied them over many years, wrote this book with the hope that there may be some little thing gained in these pages from his own experiences in rose growing which may interest, and possibly help, the reasoned Rosarian, by using the simplest language, and explaining the different branches of rose culture in the most detailed manner possible, and also by a careful choice of illustrations.

One of the most popular of all spring-flowering bulbs, the tulip has a history that is as colourful as the flower itself. In the 1600s, in the heyday of "tulipomania", these blooms were rare, very expensive and considered status symbols by European aristocrats. Today, just about all of us can afford to "tiptoe through the tulips" right in our own gardens. This easy-to-use, abundantly illustrated guide tells novice and expert gardeners everything they need to know to successfully grow many exquisite varieties of tulip, from the bizarre Parrot to the classic Rembrandt.

Roses remain the all-time favourite flower and the vast majority of gardeners cultivate them in smaller gardens. This visually stunning book is the first to focus on the roses that are particularly suited to small gardens. It will appeal in particular to gardeners who value roses for their distinctive beauty, colour and scent, but who have smaller plots, a buiser lifestyle or a subtly different approach to planting. From a lifetime's experience of roses, Mark Mattock advises on the best roses to plant and maintain successfully. Exciting, essential and authoritative, this book stands alone in the advice it gives and in the allure of its beautiful photography.

Bulbs are truly magical members of the gardening world - buried treasure. The strange, twisted, sometimes ugly tubers, corms, and true bulbs planted and forgotten in the fall will erupt into some of nature's most spectacular, unique and colorful blooms in the spring and summer. It is the early bulbs that mark the end of winter and the start c spring in most of the gardening world, but many bulb species perform their magic in the summer, or even autumn. This is the most comprehensive, up-to-date book on bulb-gardening now available. Its plant encyclopedia includes many new developments in bulb horticulture not found in any other book. And unlike other books, which a largely alphabetical listings of bulb species, this refreshing book is an overall presentation of planning, planting, and caring for bulbs in the garden.

In Anatomy of a Rose, Sharman Apt Russell eloquently unveils the "inner life" of flowers, showing them to be more individual, more enterprising, and more responsive than we ever imagined. From their diverse fragrances to their nasty deceptions, Russell proves that, where nature is concerned, "wonder is not only our starting point; it can also be our destination." Throughout this botanical journey, she reveals that the science behind these intelligent plants--how they evolved, how they survive, how they heal--is even more awe-inspiring than their fleeting beauty. Russell helps us imagine what a field of snapdragons looks like to a honeybee; she introduces us to flowers that regulate their own temperature, attract pollinating bats, even smell like a rotting corpse.In this poetic rumination, which combines graceful writing with a scientist's clarity, Russell brings together the work of botanists around the globe, and illuminates a world at once familiar and exotic.

The author believes gardening in the middle South, where seasons have no definite boundaries but merge imperceptibly, could and should be a year-round pleasure. She takes us through the cycle of seasons, telling which plants are most suitable to which season. The book includes tables giving blooming dates of over eight hundred varieties of plants which were recorded over a period of years.

'A warm, comforting tale of family and community which brims with kindness and love' Annie Lyons 'A heartwarming story about family, forgiveness and the importance of kindness... If you're looking for a feelgood novel in these difficult times, this is definitely it!' Fiona Harper The smallest things can make the biggest difference... Veronica Beecham's cottage is the neatest house on Mapleberry Lane. A place for everything, and everything in its place - that's her motto. But within her wisteria-covered walls, Veronica has a secret: she's hardly left her perfect home in years. Then her teenage granddaughter, Audrey, arrives on the doorstep, and Veronica's orderly life is turned upside down. Shy and lonely, Audrey is struggling to find her place in the world. As a bond begins to form between the two women, Audrey develops a plan to give her gran the courage to reconnect with the community - they'll form a kindness club, with one generous action a day to help someone in the village, and perhaps help each other at the same time. As their small acts of kindness begins to ripple outwards, both Veronica and Audrey find that with each passing day, they feel a little braver. There's just one task left before the end of the year: to make Veronica's own secret wish come true... A heartwarming story with community at its heart, about the little kindnesses that make the world a better place. Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Holly Hepburn! *** Readers adore Helen's heartwarming storytelling 'Enchanting... Employing all the warmth and charm of Maeve Binchy, and a special brand of kindness that she has made her own, Rolfe weaves together elements of mystery, romance, family relationships and the warmth of community in a story guaranteed to bring laughter, tears and miles of smiles' Lancashire Post 'A lovely community, full of friendship and love' 'I enjoyed every minute of this book and found it very hard to put down' 'Lovely, feel-good...filled with lots of love' 'Gave you all the emotions: suspense, happiness and excitement' 'Helen Rolfe's writing brought a smile to my face' 'Loved loved loved this fabulous book' 'Full of wonderful characters, great food, a lovely location'