Americans love flowers. We grow them with a passion and crave helpful advice on nurturing them in our gardens. A great, friendly, indispensable book, The Flower Gardener's Bible is written with wit and authority by Lewis and Nancy Hill, who share both their joy in growing flowers and more than seventy-five years of combined experience.

This new primer is both painstakingly thorough and stunningly photographed. It covers every facet of growing perennials, annuals, bulbs, wildflowers, small trees, vines, and shrubs for season-long color and beauty. It is organized in three sections, and the first focuses on the basics — choosing the right varieties for your zone and type of garden, and planning and planting for maximum impact. The second section presents plans for twenty-five distinctively themed gardens. And finally, a photographic encyclopedia of more than 400 species includes detailed descriptions of each plant — garden uses, susceptibility to pests and diseases, propagation methods, and more. The Flower Gardener's Bible is illustrated throughout with more than 500 full-color photographs that are joyously informal, and charming in their simplicity. Dozens of charts group plants by bloom time, height, color, affinity to shade, specific soil and sun needs, appeal to birds and butterflies, and more. The Flower Gardener's Bible takes every reader — at any level of interest and expertise — and offers the one thing guaranteed to increase his or her pleasure in flower gardening — knowledge.

A great, friendly, indispensable book, this handbook is written with wit and authority by the Hills. In the same format as the successful The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, this new primer is both painstakingly thorough and stunningly photographed.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 350) and index.

Award-winning photographer Joseph Desciose has been the contributing photographer for publications and promotional materials for both the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the New York Botanical Garden, where he also lectures frequently. His work has appeared in books and numerous magazines, including The New York Times Magazine, Country Living Gardener, House &Garden, and Country Home.