Monographie, Iridaceae

“A Way to Garden prods us toward that ineffable place where we feel we belong; it’s a guide to living both in and out of the garden.” —The New York Times Book Review For Margaret Roach, gardening is more than a hobby, it’s a calling. Her unique approach, which she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” is a blend of vital information you need to memorize and intuitive steps you must simply feel and surrender to. In A Way to Garden, Roach imparts decades of garden wisdom on seasonal gardening, ornamental plants, vegetable gardening, design, gardening for wildlife, organic practices, and much more. She also challenges gardeners to think beyond their garden borders and to consider the ways gardening can enrich the world. Brimming with beautiful photographs of Roach’s own garden, A Way to Garden is practical, inspiring, and a must-have for every passionate gardener.

“A visual treat as well as a literary one…for gardeners and garden lovers, connoisseurs of botanical illustration, and those who seek a deeper understanding of the life and work of Emily Dickinson.” —The Wall Street Journal Emily Dickinson was a keen observer of the natural world, but less well known is the fact that she was also an avid gardener—sending fresh bouquets to friends, including pressed flowers in her letters, and studying botany at Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke. At her family home, she tended both a small glass conservatory and a flower garden. In Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life, award-winning author Marta McDowell explores Dickinson’s deep passion for plants and how it inspired and informed her writing. Tracing a year in the garden, the book reveals details few know about Dickinson and adds to our collective understanding of who she was as a person. By weaving together Dickinson’s poems, excerpts from letters, contemporary and historical photography, and botanical art, McDowell offers an enchanting new perspective on one of America’s most celebrated but enigmatic literary figures.

Alan M. Cvancara has nurtured a passion for wildflowers for more than 40 years. His early photographs of them were mostly records, but later evolved to artistic images. He likes to take wildflower novices on walks, immerse them in their floral subjects, and test them on identification until they learn in spite of themselves. Alan hopes that greater acquaintance with wildflowers will lead to their greater protection. Alan is a retired geology professor and the author of 11 nature books: Edible Wild Plants and Herbs, A Field Manual for the Amateur Geologist (two editions), Exploring Nature in Winter, Sleuthing Fossils, Bare Bones Geology, Sleuthing Fossils, Designs of Nature, Geological Glimpses, Showy Wildflowers of Casper and Muddy Mountains, Wyoming, and At the Water’s Edge. With his wife, Ella J. Cvancara, he has co-authored Back Trip: A Journey Into Perseverance, a chronicle of a chronic back pain victim, and Windows Into Legacy, a poetry-photography book. This book is an introduction to the diverse world of wildflowers. Twenty-seven close-up flower portraits reveal fascinating floral details. The photographs, with accompanying essays for each, allow you to gain insight into what makes a flower, its purpose, and further appreciation of nature’s beauty. And likened to the traits of a human, the photographic portraits and essays reveal a wildflower’s personality. Meaningful additions to this book include comments on wildflower therapy, wildflower quotations, and tips on creating artistic wildflower portraits.

Offers information on growing and propagating over 1,000 different species of wildflower, and includes an encyclopedia of plants native to the United States and Canada.