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Zusatztext “This detailed book delivers an impressive amount of useful advice on choosing and growing one of the most beguiling of all flowers. Richard Wilford writes with succinct authority! distilling for us all the information that is really useful for gardeners to know.” — Gardens Illustrated “There are profiles of 100 commonly available species and cultivars! plus growing information! recommendations for companion plants! and tips on how to use tulips in the landscape.” — The English Garden “Positively groans with sumptuous photographs...this book as it helps to demystify those classifications which you see in bulb catalogues and on websites and provides planting of inspiration on how to use these jewel like flowers in your garden.” — Patient Gardener Informationen zum Autor Richard Wilford is the collections manager for the Hardy Display section at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. He has a particular interest in bulbs and is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Bulb Committee (formally the Daffodil and Tulip Committee). He writes for Kew Magazine and Garden Illustrated among others! and serves on the Publications Committee for Kew Publishing and the editorial committees of Kew Magazine and Curtis’s Botanical Magazine . This is his fourth book! all of them illustrated extensively with his photos. Klappentext Tulips steal the show in spring when their bright, finely cut flowers light up the garden. Their incredible color range includes almost every imaginable hue from pure white through pastels, rich reds and purples to near black. Their shapes are equally varied and may be short-stemmed, lily-flowered, or even goblet-shaped. Expert Richard Wilford recommends tulips for specific conditions and cultivation preferences, and offers a selection of the brightest, the boldest, and the best. The Plant Lover’s Guide books offer a rich source of information on both new and classic garden plants. Written by enthusiastic experts, they recommend the best varieties for different situations, inspire ideas for new plant combinations, and are packed with resources for the home gardener. These gorgeous guides celebrate the beauty of each plant and form a comprehensive library that every plant lover will want to own. Introduction: Why I Love Tulips How can you not love a perfect display of bright, pristine tulips, basking in the warmth of the spring sunshine? The richness of their colours and the variety of their flower shapes make tulips endlessly fascinating. It may not be love at first sight, but the allure of these plants will creep up on you and before you know it, you are seeking out new varieties, experimenting with different colour combinations, and finding new places to try tulips in your garden. I first started paying attention to tulips when I was looking after the bulb collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. One of the cold frames was home to a collection of tulip species growing in clay pots. I watered them, repotted them every autumn, and put them out on display when they flowered, as I did with all the other bulbs. Not until I saw a tulip growing in the wild, however, did I really start to take more notice. It was on the Mediterranean island of Crete that I saw my first wild tulip. It was tiny---a delicate, pale pink flower, almost white, held on a short stem above two narrow leaves. Its name was Tulipa cretica and it seemed to be growing straight out of a rock, surviving on the bare minimum of soil. The Cretan summer is long, hot, and dry, yet this little plant was going to live through it until the autumn rains arrived. It could do this because it grows from a bulb, and before the summer hit, it would retreat back to that bulb, hidden from the sun and needing no wat...
