Now in paperback, a beautifully illustrated guide to the white and green sign of spring. Elegant flowers dressed in simple white and green, snowdrops look far too fragile to deal with wintry weather. But that’s just what they do, and they have become treasured by horticulturalists for their ability to flower in the earliest parts of the year. In this book, Gail Harland explores the role snowdrops have played in gardens and popular culture alike, as a treasured genus for enthusiast growers and an important symbol of hope and consolation. Harland explores a variety of cultural meanings for the deceptively petit flower. In Victorian England snowdrop bands encouraged chastity among young women. They have been favorite subjects in paintings in many different eras, and today they are the iconic symbols of several hope-giving charities. Poets and writers have written extensively about them, as have pharmacists, who have used their chemical, galantamine, in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Today some of their rarer bulbs can fetch record-breaking sums, and annual festivals that celebrate them draw people from all over the world. Walking among their brilliant white beds, Harland offers an ideal companion for any plant-lover who has ever eagerly awaited this treasured sign of spring.

Alexander Stewart, Viscount Merrick, is honor-bound to marry Anne Parrish after a snowstorm strands them alone together overnight. But nothing is going to force him into living with her when he believes she deliberately ensnared him. He settles her on his country estate and does not see her again until his grandmother, determined to bring them back together, invites Anne to join the whole family at a house party in honor of her Golden Wedding anniversary. Alexander finds Anne much changed, and he discovers that his feelings toward her are changing too. But will his angry, newly confident wife allow herself to be wooed?

Snowdrops are known as the 'harbingers of spring' at a time when there is little else in flower in the garden to brighten the dull winter months. No-one should be without these dainty white gems which can symbolize innocence, purity and hope. The author describes all known snowdrop species, the cultivation of garden-worthy varieties and their naming as well as their history in early European and English literature. He includes the earliest reference to the English word 'Snowe Dropps' in 1615, preceding the previous earliest reference to 'Snow drops' in 1633. For novice gardeners and those who have never grown snowdrops before he describes how to grow just a few reliable varieties, with advice on buying, planting, dividing, looking after snowdrops, labelling, diseases and companion plants. He also dispels the myth that snowdrops are difficult and don't survive well in gardens, giving advice on all aspects of snowdrop culture. For galanthophiles varieties are recommended to extend their collection. This advice is based on personal experience from growing over 100 different cultivars in his town garden in Oxford. The sequence of flowering of different snowdrop varieties from October to March is described, including the autumn-flowering Queen Olga's snowdrop. This diary format of their emergence will help gardeners learn how there can be snowdrops flowering for six months of the year. The book is illustrated with a stunning selection of close-up images of different varieties of snowdrops to help aid identification of these dainty flowers.Included in the chapter on snowdrop art are many historical images from the earliest-known snowdrop woodcut in Dodoens' European Herbal, 1568 to more recent 19th century images. No other author on snowdrops has attempted such an extensive description of snowdrop art over the centuries, including advice from Jacquie Hibbert on how to paint snowdrops, or has described the evolution of this art form for snowdrops. The book concludes with a useful index of all 22 recognized species and over 100 varieties with reference to international collections.

Snowdrops have a delicate, quiet beauty. Their white bell-shaped petals are striking alone and in a swath, and they are a harbinger of spring. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Snowdrops is the first book to make this group of bulbs accessible to the home gardener. It features profiles of 60 hybrids, species, and cultivars, with information on flowering time, distinguishing features, and ease of cultivation. It addition, it shows how to design with snowdrops, and how to grow and propagate them, also offering tips on where to see snowdrops in public gardens and where to buy them. Each Plant Lover’s Guide in the series is supported by lush, photo-driven design, featuring the most beloved plants and valued expertise of the gardening world in a visual, comprehensive resource.

Thirty of Hans Christian Andersen's most cherished stories in single volumes Illustrator various artists. Known all over the world, these fairytales hold stories of great value and are a source of inspiration for both young and old.