Lawrence Kingston is asked to search for a botanist friend who has gone missing. With nothing but a scrap of paper with a bewildering cryptic message, he begins to investigate. He discovers that his friend was experimenting with aquatic plants and has stumbled on a horticultural breakthrough with staggering implications, one that could ultimately generate billions of dollars in revenue: a unique and giant form of Amazonian water lily. Convinced that influential people are involved in the disappearance, he pursues more leads, but circumstances beyond his control plunge him deeper into jeopardy and a corporate world of ruthless, greedy men who are not to be stopped. Kingston presses on, knowing that his missing friend's life--and his own--both hang by a very slender thread. As with the highly acclaimed The Lost Gardens, Eglin brings his botanical and literary skill to this new mystery.

Claude Monet's water lily paintings are among the most iconic and beloved works of art of the past century. Yet these entrancing images were created at a time of terrible private turmoil and sadness for the artist. The dramatic history behind these paintings is little known; Ross King's Mad Enchantment tells the full story for the first time and, in the process, presents a compelling and original portrait of one of our most popular and cherished artists. By the outbreak of war in 1914, Monet, then in his mid-seventies, was one of the world's most famous and successful painters, with a large house in the country, a fleet of automobiles and a colossal reputation. However, he had virtually given up painting following the death of his wife Alice in 1911 and the onset of blindness a year later. Nonetheless, it was during this period of sorrow, ill health and creative uncertainty that – as the guns roared on the Western Front – he began the most demanding and innovative paintings he had ever attempted. Encouraged by close friends such as Georges Clemenceau, France's dauntless prime minister, Monet would work on these magnificent paintings throughout the war years and then for the rest of his life. So obsessed with his monumental task that the village barber was summoned to clip his hair as he worked beside his pond, he covered hundreds of yards of canvas with shimmering layers of pigment. As his ambitions expanded with his paintings, he began planning what he intended to be his legacy to the world: the 'Musée Claude Monet' in the Orangerie in Paris. Drawing on letters and memoirs and focusing on this remarkable period in the artist's life, Mad Enchantment gives an intimate portrayal of Claude Monet in all his tumultuous complexity, and firmly places his water lily paintings among the greatest achievements in the history of art.

Alex and Kate Sheppard have found the perfect house; the home they had always dreamed of owning. Nestled deep in the Wiltshire countryside and surrounded by a two-acre walled garden, The Parsonage was to be their own little paradise . . . but nothing stays perfect forever. Soon after moving in they make an impossibly exciting discovery---one that defies every known law of nature and science. They find a blue rose bush flourishing in their walled garden. But as word of their discovery leaks out, the Sheppard's peaceful existence is shattered and they find themselves plunged into a world of coded journals, genetic experiments, cold-blooded greed, and, ultimately, murder. Threatened from every direction, with no one to trust but themselves and Lawrence Kingston, a gardening expert to whom they have revealed their exciting secret---the only way they can save their lives is to unravel the dark, seductive secret of the Blue Rose.

Cross-stitch, one of the oldest forms of embroidery, is captivating today's crafters everywhere with its simplicity, charm, and exquisite designs. If you've never tried this masterful art, or are already experienced at this craft, X-Stitch will teach you everything you need to know-- and then some--to complete 19 incredible, easy-to-make-and-gorgeous-to-look-at cross-stitch projects. Varying in difficulty, and designed to appeal to both female and male stitchers, these projects offer a cool, modern take on a traditional art form. The reader will learn to master cross-stitch basics and fundamental techniques, get comfortable with materials and tools of the trade, read a cross-stitch pattern, identify the many established designs as well as create your own from scratch, and more.

Hidden within the derelict gardens of abandoned Wickersham Priory, a deadly secret is waiting. But when an unsuspecting young Californian named Jamie Gibson finds herself the new owner of the estate, through a surprise bequest from a total stranger---the secret begins to stir. Jamie, fired with enthusiasm to restore the gardens to their 1930s glory, seeks the help of Lawrence Kingston, a retired professor of botany, eccentric bon viveur, and amateur sleuth. Lawrence soon unearths an old chapel, which leads to an ancient Healing Well, which in turn yields a human skeleton. And as the police pursue their inquiries, Kingston begins his own investigation---following a baffling trail of clues that wind down through the centuries, from the battlegrounds of World War II to the depths of the Middle Ages. It is a trail marked by misadventure, revenge, compassion, and murder when finally Kingston unlocks the secret of Wickersham Priory, he and Jamie must confront a reckoning that neither of them could have ever imagined. As with the highly acclaimed The Blue Rose, Eglin brings his botanical and literary skill to this new mystery.

Victoria: The Seductress is a sumptuously illustrated book that tells the fascinating story of the Victoria water lily and her discovery and introduction into cultivation. It also details the adventures of the countless people around the world who attempted to grow and understand this aquatic marvel. Hailed as the Queen of the Plant Kingdom, Victoria has no equal among the plants of the world. Even today, she remains as elusive for home gardeners and nature enthusiasts as she was 150 years ago, when she first entered the princely homes and conservatories of Europe and America. This book offers a new perspective on the majestic Victoria, presenting a vivid portrait of her for garden enthusiasts interested in natural and cultural history. It is written by Dr. Tomasz Anisko, curator of plants at Longwood Gardens, who oversees the proper naming and identification of plants, coordinates plant trials, and leads plant exploration efforts.