More than fifteen thousand rose species and cultivars are grown worldwide. Every one of these plants has its own distinctive name, given perhaps by the person who first picked it for a sweetheart, a botanist who dissected it long ago or a horticulturist who nurtured it. Douglas Brenner and Stephen Sanniello tackle the thorny task of digging up the history behind rose names. Their stores are filled with enough romance, tragedy, mystery and scandal to satisfy even those who would never dream of actually tending a plant. For instance, did you know the gallica rose's perfume wafted through Pliny's Roman villa and lulled Marie Antoinette on the night before her wedding, or that roses in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were mainly raised for medicinal purposes? With ornate vintage art and photographs, "A Rose by Any Name" unearths the roots or rose lore and reveals how people, communities and cultures across the globe and throughout the ages have identified the living things that matter to them most.

Discover the fascinating stories behind around 300 species of wildflowers, and marvel at a botanical beauty and diversity you never knew existed.

Did you know that orchids existed alongside dinosaurs? And that 30,000 plant species are used as medicine worldwide? In this stunning book, leading botanist Chris Thorogood brings you closer to 300 species of wildflower through fascinating facts, plant profiles, and detailed illustrations. More than just meadows, discover wildflowers that are pollinated by birds, that look like stones, and that feed on the creatures around them.

Humans have had a close relationship with wildflowers throughout history from growing dahlias as crops and comfrey as medicine, to carrying posies to ward off the plague and roses down the aisle. Bringing together natural history, culture, food, medicine and technology, this fascinating book will open your eyes to the botanical wonders all around us. With a guide to the wildflowers growing in every habitat, identification notes, a grow-your-own guide and more, this is the ultimate flower-lover's companion.

Announcing the changing of the seasons and the coming of summer, Lilacs are ubiquitous both within gardens and as a wild flower. Their scented flowers are well-known to many with whorls of fragrant blossom sitting perfectly at nose-height. Symbolising first love, their fleeting bouquet can provoke a sense of nostalgia. As a garden flower they became a popular choice in the eighteenth century, particularly across North America, and lingering shrubs and blooms in the wild are a telltale indication of where earlier dwellings might have been. Naomi Slade explores a wide range of different Lilacs, drawing our attention to the varying shades of pink, lavender, mauve, burgundy and of course, lilac, and also to white, blue and yellow varieties. Lilacs are durable plants and this book offers advice on how to care for and propagate your flowers, how to identify rare species and practical tips for how to get the most glorious blooms and the most bountiful cut flowers.

In The Flower Hunter, Lucy Hunter takes us on an inspirational journey through a year in her garden and artist's studio set among the mountains of North Wales. Lucy's evocative, gently humorous words accompany her glorious photographs and exquisite floral arrangements, as she encourages the reader to marvel at the intricate cycles of the natural world, develop their own innate creativity and to look for beauty in the everyday. Her garden provides the raw materials for Lucy's floral artistry - breathtaking naturalistic arrangements with the painterly beauty and flourish of a Dutch still life. Simple projects accompany Lucy's text, from drying garden flowers for an autumnal wreath to making your own journals and natural dyes to assembling lavish arrangements that showcase the voluptuous beauty of garden roses. Lucy believes that we all have a creative voice buried deep within. The Flower Hunter will encourage you to find your own creativity and help it to blossom.

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.

A celebration of season, Flower Philosophy presents a selection of beautiful arrangements designed to free readers from the pressures of perfection and instead encourage creative freedom, intuition and original results. Flowers are not perfect, and flower arranging shouldn't be either. Anna Potter, author of best-selling Flower Fix, teaches us how to listen and learn from nature to create something truly original with 25 combinations of stems and foliage. Free yourself from a prescriptive, one- size-fits-all approach and let each unique bloom inspire you with this refreshingly honest and liberating florist's guide. Featuring: A NEW PERSPECTIVE: Start with nature and let this inform your arranging A WEALTH OF PRACTICAL ADVICE: All the basic, essential information on flora, seasons, colour and arranging BUDGET-CONSCIOUS CHOICES: From small humble buds to large luxe flowers eg weed arrangements. Plus foliage, fruit, vegetables, sea shells and anything grown out of the ground. 25 FLEXIBLE FLOWER PROJECTS: Step-by-step, with options/prompts to encourage autonomy, originality, creativity PERSONAL TOUCHES: Author's stories, poems, thoughts, experiences and musings FLORAL THERAPY: Tips to improve wellbeing with nature; tap into its mindful benefits throughout the arranging process A FLOWER THESAURUS: An unorthodox flower index of favourite and too-often-forgotten flowers, ideas for pairings, benefits to the senses and mood, meanings etc. Arranged by season, Anna Potter guides you through the process of creating your own wreathes, bouquets and installations, all using flowers that can be bought, found and foraged from your neighbourhood. Accompanied by stunning photography from India Hobson, this book provides the basic foundations to pick, choose and assemble with unlimited possibilities.

Ten annuals appear here, each a specific cultivar carefully selected for its innate and enduring beauty. The photographs show every critical stage of their development, creating an album which should inspire planting that is as attractive in Winter as Spring. Each plant is described in detail, explaining not just how it develops and the conditions in which it develops, but also its cultural, historic and folkloric associations.

The Complete Language of Flowers is a comprehensive encyclopedia providing the meanings, powers, facts, and folklore for over 1,001 flower species. Now in a pocket-size edition for easy, on-the-go reference. Along with a beautiful visual depiction, each entry provides the flower's scientific and common names, characteristics, and historic meanings and powers from mythology, medieval legends, folklore, and flower poetry. For centuries, symbolic flower meanings have fascinated readers, writers, poets, and suddenly smitten couples alike. Extremely popular during the Victorian era, these floriographies flourished and versed the public on the hidden meaning of popular flowers such as: Purple Tulip-Eternal love Amaryllis-Adventurousness; Enthusiasm; Passion Daisy-Beauty and innocence; Cheer; Childlike playfulness Sunflower-Ambition; Constancy; Devotion Together with stunning full-color illustrations and two indexes, one for searching by common flower name and the other organized by meaning, this beautiful reference is a must-have for gardeners, florists, and flower enthusiasts. Whether you're looking to arrange the perfectly bespoken wedding bouquet or to understand what the yellow rose you just received from an admirer means (friendship), this updated floriography is a visual delight. Elegantly designed and beautifully illustrated, the Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy references on a range of intriguing topics, including birthday astrology, dream interpretation, techniques for harnessing the power of dreams, and the stories behind signs and symbols.