Bulbs - Brian Mathew

This illustrated text provides a source of reference for planting ideas, covering a range of bulbs and their cultivation. It offers guidance to over 100 popular species with planting schemes for all year-round colour. Daffodils, naturalized in drifts of grass, encapsulate the essence of spring, tall flag irises rise majestically above the summer border, the delicate pink and white hues of cyclamen signal the beginning of autumn and the great carpets of snowdrops provide a welcome relief from the wintry gloom. There are flowering bulbs for almost every month of the year, and certainly for all seasons. Many can be grown with equal success in window boxes or indoor containers.;It covers not only when to plant bulbs, but what to plant them with as a key element to their success, because although they are spectacular in bloom, many have a relatively short flowering season. If the colour is to be maintained, it is important to know which plants make up for the times when the bulbs are out of flower. Following an introduction on the history of bulbs, there is a seasonal A-Z of bulbs with associated flowerings. With chapters on bulbs for containers and Cape bulbs, as well as practical and technical information. This text provides a comprehensive guide which should be of interest for the amateur gardener and bulb enthusiast alike.