Bank Flower Garden

Take a stroll through the garden of a self-confessed hortimaniac. Gardening is Marie Harrison's avocation, passion...some might say, obsession. In her personal, witty style (she refers to her husband as Amiable Spouse, or A.S. for short), Marie divulges her own tried-and-true ways of gardening along the coasts of the southeast United States. Marie covers perennials, flowers grown from bulbs, herbs, shrubs and small trees, vines, edible flowers, and herbs for flower borders. A section of full-color photos captures these beautiful plants and flowers in all their vibrant glory. Charming pen-and-ink illustrations are sprinkled throughout the text. Marie discusses the edible and medicinal properties of various plants (there's even a quick or two!), as well as coastal considerations such as salt tolerance; environmental issues such as pesticide use, beneficial insects, and exotic invasives; and gardening for birds and butterflies. She also offers her musings on the seasons in Florida and how she spends her time in the garden during each phase of the year. Whether you're seasoned gardener like Marie or a tentative beginner just starting out with a windowsill herb garden, this delightful book will make you appreciate the dirt under your fingernails.

Few things are more beautiful than a bouquet of flowers, and growing and cutting your own adds immeasureably to the pleasure a bouquet brings. In this book, illustrated with 50 inspiring color photographs, the gardener's cut-flower season extends from late winter, with shrubs and trees to force indoors, through the spring and summer flowers -- bulbs, annuals, perennials -- the "everlastings" you can grow for winter's dried flower bouquets. Especially valuable are the sections on when and how to cut flowers, how to condition them, and suggestions on combining different flowers into carefree arrangements. The basic mechanics of flower arranging and photos of home-grown bouquets will encourage novice gardeners.