Become a plant parent to some of the most stunning flowering plants you've ever seen Orchids display more beautiful and exotic flowers than you'll find on other flowering plants, but they do require some love and care to grow well. With help from Orchids For Dummies, anyone can be successful in growing and flowering these gorgeous and fragrant plants in their garden or home! This step-by-step guide shows you how to select orchids that will thrive in your own unique environment and how to water, fertilize, repot, and propagate them on your own. You'll learn to decipher complicated orchid names ("phalaenopsis," anyone?) and create spectacular displays. You'll also discover: New information about updated plant and orchid classification systems so you can know what to buy at your local garden center or store Expanded info on moth orchids, one of the most popular varieties of the plant sold in the world today Updated instructions on which pesticides, fertilizers, and potting materials you should be using Perfect for amateur gardeners, orchid-lovers, and anyone interested in growing these exquisite flowers on their own, Orchids For Dummies will turn your thumb green in no time at all!

We initiated research studies on the postharvest physiology of cut flowers almost 20 years ago, when the floriculture industry in Poland began to grow. At that time, like most flower growers in our country, we discovered cut flowers preserve their good appearance longer if kept in a vase with water rather than in dry storage. We then began intensive reading of various horticultural and other specialty journals, and we learned that many scientists had made the same dis covery long before and had gone even further, showing that sucrose and certain chemicals added to the vase water prolong the vase life of flowers much better than water alone. In the meantime, we learned that in the Netherlands, the United States, Israel, and elsewhere, great progress has been made in the postharvest treatment of flowers through the use of floral preserva tives; grading, packing, and transportation procedures; and the organization of trade. In all these countries, researchers generously offered their information to growers, wholesalers, florists, and indi vidual flower lovers eager to improve flower quality and keepability. We collected much of the practical information from various countries with the intention of using it in research projects con cerning the postharvest physiology of floricultural commodities."

My Unicorn Garden is bursting with crafts and activities perfect for children. Created with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK's leading gardening charity, this amazing book is packed with fun things to make and do both indoors and outdoors. It's time to get your green-hooves ready with your favourite unicorn friends! Paint a unicorn plant pot Create fantastic flower pressings Make your own mini unicorn garden Discover the wonderful secrets of gardening with magical, mythical unicorns! These unicorns are off on a garden tour to learn all about plants, wildlife and top gardening tips. The unicorns can't wait to start exploring - and you can join them! This book is packed with fun facts and activities, so you can become a gardening expert, too. Step-by-step gardening activities - perfect for families to enjoy the garden together Easy-to-follow instructions for growing your own plants Colouring in, spot-the-difference, and make your own daisy chain and winter wreath!

This title helps you brighten up your garden with vibrant flowers and foliage, with 120 beautiful photographs. You can discover the versatility and range of annual plants for every place in your garden, from beds to window boxes. You can make the most of continuously beautiful blooms, leaves and stems throughout every season of the year. You can enjoy stunning, healthy plants - from asters and geraniums to poppies and sunflowers - with advice on making the best choices, planting and maintenance. It features an at-a-glance reference chart giving plant descriptions and a guide to annuals' common names. The wonderful benefit of annuals is their ability to transform the garden almost immediately after planting. This handy book is an instant guide to the wide variety of annuals, biennials and tender perennials that have vibrant flowers and foliage, with suggestions suitable for every season and garden location. There is also advice on using different shades and tones to achieve eye-catching effects, from stunning reds and oranges to cool blues and creams. Packed with invaluable practical information, from sowing your own seeds to maintaining plants, and illustrated with 120 wonderful photographs, this is the perfect handbook for gardeners who want reliable results.

Brighten your garden all year round with a wide variety of bulbs. Ideal for first-time gardeners, Grow Bulbs contains everything you need to bring year-round colour into your garden with bulbs. Learn how to plant, care for, and divide your bulbs, create stunning displays including naturalistic drifts and eye-catching containers, and choose from a huge range of bulbs, corms, and tubers with the book's handy seasonal directory. Packed with practical, jargon-free know-how, this easy-to-use guide has everything you need to know to help your garden Grow.

Discover everything you need to know to grow your garden in containers. Even if you only have a balcony or small patio, you can grow more than you ever thought possible in pots, wall planters and hanging baskets! This is your no-fuss guide to container gardening. Are you interested in making your outdoor space greener but don't know where to start? This urban gardening guide for beginners will help you choose and care for more than 80 different plant varieties, all specially chosen for their ability to thrive in containers. Discover the quickest way to bring nature into your home all year round! From suntraps to shady corners, this easy gardening guide will show you how to brighten up even the trickiest areas with beautiful plants. You don't have to be a horticulture expert to get started, this indispensable reference book will take you through every single step! It includes: - Tips on how to care for more than 80 different container plant varieties - Packed with practical, jargon-free know-how and simple gardening techniques - Easy-to-follow format to help grow your gardening knowledge Let It Grow! Gorgeous, full-colour photography provides plenty of inspiration and styling ideas! Expert tips and step-by-step instructions on every page help make sure that you care for your plants in the right way for them to flourish. Grow Containers shows you how to leverage every square inch of your gardening space. It's perfect for first-time gardeners, especially renters and small homeowners with paved-over gardens. Complete the Series: Make your green-fingered dreams a reality with the Grow series from DK. Learn how to sow, grow and harvest vegetables successfully in Grow Easy Veg, or discover how to garden more sustainably in Grow Eco-Gardening. Alternatively, there are more titles to explore such as Grow Pruning & Training and Grow Houseplants.

There are hundreds of choice bulbs that revel in southern warmth and humidity, and Scott Ogden profiles the best of them in this fascinating, comprehensive volume. In a series of chapters that takes us through the gardening year, Ogden introduces the plants that help to give southern gardens their distinct regional flavor, many with charmingly descriptive names: rain lilies, oxblood lilies, jonquils, crinums, and scores of others. Weaving in bits of history and lore, Ogden details each plant's appearance and growing requirements. Originally published to widespread acclaim in 1994, "Garden Bulbs for the South" has been updated and significantly expanded in this edition to include information on new varieties as well as nearly one hundred new photographs.

Orchids, the epitome of floral beauty, have long inspired poetry, adventure, art and scientific discovery. In Orchid Muse, historian and home orchid grower Erica Hannickel brings together fascinating tales of the orchid-smitten throughout history, along with tips on growing the exotic blooms at the centre of each account. Consider, for instance, Empress Eugenie and Queen Victoria, the two most powerful women in nineteenth-century Europe, who shared a passion for Coelogyne cristata. John Roebling, builder of the Brooklyn Bridge, and Raymond Burr, the actor famed for playing Perry Mason, cultivated thousands of orchids, introducing captivating new and unusual species. Transporting the reader from hazardous Amazonian journeys to a seedy dime museum in Gilded Age New York's Tenderloin, from the glories of the palace gardens of Chinese Empress Cixi to the island of Bourbon, where the vanilla orchid thrives, Orchid Muse spans the world, exploring our enduring fascination with these exquisite flowers.

This is the first book devoted solely to bulbophyllums, a very diverse group of orchids comprising the largest genus in the orchid family; it is an introductory guide for amateur and advanced orchid growers. The author focuses on those species likely to be cultivated, including 375 "Bulbophyllum" species and 170 related species and hybrids; she gives practical suggestions on how best to grow each plant in cultivation.

No flower surpasses orchids for beauty and diversity, and with the expert advice, practical instructions, and beautiful how-to photos found here, even nervous newcomers can grow them with confidence. In addition to an extensive illustrated directory of the specialized and popular orchid groups, detailed explanations cover all the techniques needed to keep orchids in good shape. There are hints and tips on watering, feeding, lighting, and temperature conditions, as well as information on propagation, hybridization, caring for orchids in pots, and handling pests and diseases. Stunning close-up color images provide an amazing view of many of the loveliest plants. With this guide by your side, your orchids will flourish the first time and every time.

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.

"Indian Garden Flowers" is a comprehensive manual discussing all the factors that make gardening a joyous affair and covers everything an amateur gardener needs to know in order to grow seasonal flowers. It is a delightful, comprehensive and scientifically accurate manual with 76 rich and colourful illustrations. It gives details from the conception of a garden to reaping its rewards. Brief propagation details along with post-planting care and usage of manure and fertilizers will forego dependency on the shallow knowledge of the local mali. Written in a lucid and concise style and complimented with beautiful real-to-life illustrations, this handy reference guide will prove to be extremely useful to a novice as well as an expert gardener.

Campanulas have long been a gardeners' favourite, their spectacular summer performance earning them a place in the herbaceous border year after year. Here their lesser-known relatives, the smaller dwarf campanulas, take centre stage. Everyone who grows campanulas will enjoy this book, finding uses for the diminutive yet exuberant forms at the front of the border as well as in rock gardens, alpine houses, troughs, and containers. More than 200 "Campanula" species and hybrids are described, and specialists and collectors will delight in the descriptions of rare and little-documented plants and devour the information about the plants' wild habitats. Color photographs enhance the text, encouraging gardeners to experiment with dwarf campanulas in a wide range of garden situations and appreciate the diversity of this rewarding group of plants.

The Fakahatchee Strand, Florida, once a vast swamp awash with indiginous orchids, was plundered during the orchid boom of the 1890s. Its remaining plants, now fiercely protected by law, still attract the unwelcome attentions of thieves. John Laroche is one such self-confessed and convicted thief.

Intrigued by newspaper reports of his trial, Susan Orlean followed Laroche on an enthralling exploration into the eccentric world of the obsessive orchid collectors; a subculture of aristocrats, enthusiasts and smugglers whose passion for plants is all-consuming.

"Rhododendrons & Azaleas" profiles over 4,000 varieties of this highly popular and striking plant. Illustrated with 1,100 color photographs, each entry includes a description of the plant and flower color; notes on hardiness, height and spread, and flowering time; advice on cultivation and proven performers; and the name of the parent plants, the raiser, and similar varieties. Practical advice is also given on rhododendrons in the landscape, maintenance and husbandry, pests, diseases, problems and disorders, propagation, and buying and collecting rhododendrons, along with a brief history and a guide to their classification.

A rose is one of the most beautiful, versatile, and rewarding plants that a gardener can grow, but with over 30,000 different types of roses available to gardeners across the world, how do you find the right one for your garden? RHS Roses is a joyous celebration of this garden icon, which brings together stunning photography of rose gardens and displays with expert advice on how to choose, grow, and enjoy roses in any garden, anywhere! With passion and petals on every page, you can explore: - Author Michael Marriott brings an unrivalled level of expertise to this title, with easy to follow instructions and accessible text that readers can trust -The content and layout will showcase the different types of roses available to readers, as well as how to grow them. -The inspiring range of roses available and the essential contribution they bring to a garden -"Rose selector" that gives you the key information about roses for your garden - from front of border beauties to shady wall show-offs. New to roses and don't know where to begin? No worries, DK has got you covered! This invaluable guide teaches gardeners how they can make the most of their garden's unique qualities, from practical considerations like soil and climate to the mood and style of the space. Central to the book is the "rose selector" section, which features 200 profiles showcasing the best varieties for different uses, climates, and characteristics like scent and hips. As one of the world's leading rosarians, with more than 35 years' experience and a close association with the internationally renowned David Austin Roses, author Michael Marriott showcases his expertise and insight with stunning photography, to provide the ideal book for gardeners who love, grow, and want to know more about their favourite flower.

This book focuses on roses that are particularly suited to small gardens, those that are more compact or less rampant in habit, those that are repeat flowering and that offer interest even when not flowering. It also includes advice on how and where to plant and what to grow with roses.

Everything you need to know to achieve dazzling displays, including colour and life right through the seasons, year after year with hardy perennials. This illustrated plant directory lists popular perennials from 70 families.

Gardening Under Lights details everything a gardener or hobbyist needs to know to garden indoors. Part One starts with the basics of photosynthesis, the science of light, and how to accurately measure how much light a plant needs. Part Two provides an overview of the most up-to-date tools and gear available. Parts Three and Four offer tips and techniques for growing popular ornamental plants (orchids, succulents, bonsai, and more) and edible plants (arugula, cannabis, oregano, tomatoes, and more) independent of the constraints of volatile outdoor conditions. Gardening Under Lights is a highly-detailed, accessible guide for seed starters, plant collectors, and anyone who wants to successfully garden indoors.