This journal introduces each month with a key concept to guide gardeners.his record book features the 12 Hobhouse "rules" for good gardening, theirst of which is to keep personal notes of gardens visited, of plants seennd plants bought, of setbacks as well as successes.;She reminds gardeners ofhe pleasures as well as the value of recording seasonal changes in thearden, of noting tasks accomplished and jobs to be done. Photographs show aide range of successful gardens, from Butterstream in Ireland to West Deann Sussex and Penelope Hobhouse's own garden in Dorset. Penelope Hobhouse ishe author of "Colour in Your Garden", "Garden Style", "The Country Gardener",Flower Gardens" and "Penelope Hobhouse on Gardening".

Forty-five-year-old Flora New is surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of her youth as she moves back to her childhood home in Asheville, North Carolina, from Seattle, Washington. She deeply misses her mother, who died two years ago, but after restoring the aged Victorian home, Flora reads her mother's old gardening journals and brings her beautiful garden back to life. Through her mother's journals, Flora learns about the values she and her flowers need to grow. Along with nurturing herself, she nurtures them. By coincidence or design, each time Flora plants a new flower, a new friend enters her life. It's as if the flowers come alive and exhibit their own unique personalities. The seeds cultivate a diversity of friendships. Gloria "Morning Glory" Moran, Lavenia "Lavender" Labelle, Rosa "Rose" Wasserman, DeCynthia "Bleeding Heart" Hart, Lily "Lily of the Valley" White, and Holly "Hollyhock" Alexander become an integral part of Flora's life. This short story and gardening journal demonstrates that gardening is one of life's metaphors. Seeds are planted, they bloom, they are nurtured, and they die, only to start again, creating a beautiful work of art and friendships to be enjoyed.

Noted marine and children's-book artist Loretta Krupinski found that she had to relearn many of her gardening skills when she moved from Connecticut to coastal Maine. A practical gardener, she kept notebooks of what she learned. Her garden journal, with its superb watercolor illustrations, both instructs and delights.