Table Of ContentThe Flower Gardener’s Bible
Te
Flower
Gardener’s
A Complete Guide to Colorful
Bible Blooms All Season Long
LEWIS AND NANCY HILL
Photography by Joseph De Sciose
Storey Publishing
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The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing p ractical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
Edited by Gwen W. Steege and Nancy J. Ondra
Cover design by Alethea Morrison
Art direction by Cynthia McFarland
Text design by Kent Lew
Text production by Kent Lew and Susan Bernier
Indexed by Susan Olason, Indexes & Knowledge Maps
Text © 2003 by Lewis and Nancy Hill
Photographs © 2012, 2003 by Joseph De Sciose, unless otherwise noted (see page 371)
Illustrations © 2003 by Elayne Sears
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the p ublisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate
credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans mitted in any form
or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other — w ithout written permis-
sion from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are
made without guarantee on the part of the authors or Storey Publishing. The authors and publisher disclaim
any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information please contact
Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.
Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized editions. For
f urther information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
Printed in the United States by Versa Press
10 9 8 7 6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hill, Lewis, 1924–2008
The flower gardener’s bible : time-tested techniques, creative designs, and perfect plants
for colorful gardens / Lewis and Nancy Hill.
p. cm.
isbn 978-1-58017-462-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn 978-1-58017-463-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Flower gardening. I. Hill, Nancy. II. Title.
sb405 .h536 2003
635.9 — dc21
To our very special editor and friend, Gwen Steege, who has worked tirelessly with
us on many projects with great skill, patience, thoroughness, and creativity, m aking
it all fun.
In addition to Gwen, we are grateful to talented photographer Joe De Sciose, who
made our words come alive with his artistic eye, and Elayne Sears, exceptional art
ist, who transformed garden concepts into colorful works of art.
Many thanks to the other skillful people who made this book a reality: Nancy
J. Ondra, expert gardener and editor; and Cynthia McFarland, consummate art
direct or and gardener. Thanks, too, to Kent Lew, for his wonderful design, and to
Susan Bernier, for her skillful production.
We are grateful to Tobi and Sally von Trapp, who welcomed us into their beau
tif ul gardens to photograph. And finally, a huge thankyou to John and Martha
Storey, with whom we have greatly enjoyed working over many years.
Lewis and Nancy Hill
November 2002
Contents
FOR E W O R D B Y S U Z Y B A L E S viii
I N T R O D U C T I O N : The Pleasures of the Garden x
PA R T I : THE JOY OF F LOWER GARDENI NG 1
C H A P T E R 1 : The Fascination of Flowers 3
C H A P T E R 2 : Designing Your Flower Garden 15
C H A P T E R 3 : Nurturing Your Garden Soil 45
C H A P T E R 4 : Planting Your Flower Garden 59
C H A P T E R 5 : Making More Plants 77
C H A P T E R 6 : Coping with Garden Pests 97
C H A P T E R 7 : Caring for Your Garden 111
PA R T I I : A GALLERY OF GARDENS 131
Down the Garden Path 132
A Fantastic Foundation Garden 135
Wildflower Extravaganza: Meadow and Woodland 138
A Rock Garden to Love 142
Don’t Forget to Smell the Flowers 146
Great Gardening on a Hillside 149
Gardening in a Shady Nook 152
Successful Seashore Plantings 158
The Charm of a Cottage Garden 161
The Magic Spell of Water Gardening 164
The Multifaceted Herb Garden 170
Outdoor Gardening in Containers 174
A Deckside Garden 179
A Bed for Butterflies 182
A Five-Star Garden for Hummingbirds 184
A Garden for Plant Collectors 187
Create a Child’s Garden 190
An Island of Flowers 193
True Blue, the Zenith of Gardens 196
A Take-It-Easy Garden 199
A Shrub Garden 202
Gardening with Groundcovers 205
The Romance of a Rose Garden 208
PA R T I I I : A F EAST OF F LOWER S 213
An alphabetical listing of plants with speciesbyspecies information
on each plant’s characteristics and how to care for it.
A P P E N D I X A : USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 348
A P P E N D I X B : AHS Plant Heat-Zone Map 349
R E A D I N G L I S T 350
P L A N T S O C I E T I E S 351
G L O S S A RY 352
I N D E X 354
P H OTO G R A P H Y, L O C AT I O N, A N D D E S I G N E R C R E D I T S 371
Foreword
I think of flowers the way most people think of money — there
can never be enough! Flowers are happy creatures, such living marvels of
nature. They share their joy with everyone who touches them or leans in
for a whiff, so I’m always looking for more creative ways to keep them close
at hand. The Flower Gardener’s Bible is the answer to my quest. Everything
a gardener needs to know is in this book.
The late Vermont nurseryman Lewis Hill gardened for more
than 40 years with his wife, Nancy. Together they shared their wis-
dom in The Flower Gardener’s Bible, a book so flled with insights
and hands-on experiences that no matter how long you have gar-
dened this book still has something new to teach you. The best part
is that the Hill’s garden journey is that of every new gardener. I
found comfort in the telling of their own mistakes and was empow-
ered by the detailed information on how to make a better garden
and grow bigger and better flowers.
The frst section of the book covers garden basics. Garden terms
are defned, Latin names translated, basic propagation demon-
strated, and seasonal jobs explained. The second section contains
23 basic garden designs to get the reader started on any site and
location. The designs can be copied, enlarged upon, or flled in
with your favorite flowers. The third and last section contains
detailed plant portraits of more than 400 flowers.
Choosing a plant is a bit like screening a job applicant — it’s easy
to be fooled. It may take a year or two before you know whether the
plants you purchased crawl, walk, run, leap, or blindly charge
viii
ahead. The plant portrait section takes away the guessing, and it
also includes details only a couple with dirty hands from garden-
ing and owning a nursery would know.
Most new gardeners limit their flower gardens to perennials and
annuals, but the best flower gardens also contain a mix of bulbs,
vines, and shrubs. The Hills knew diversity is the basis of a better
garden so the plant portrait section also includes flowering shrubs,
vines, and bulbs. The shrubs add year-round form; the vines add
vertical appeal, especially in a small garden, making it feel larger.
Vines are at home climbing in the background on a fence, a wall,
or an arbor. And, early-blooming bulbs extend the seasons when
tucked in between perennials and around shrubs.
The Hills’ attention to detail is what sets this book apart. Expe-
rienced gardeners will be pleasantly surprised at the expert advice
they might not have considered. Because of the Hills, I looked
inside the hood of a monkshood flower to see the pair of monkeys
on sticks they described inside. Actually, I think they looked more
like parrots. It is something I’ll enjoy arguing about with my
grandchildren.
It is my sincere hope that this book inspires you to plant a flower
garden or, at least to grow more flowers. They give back in beauty
and joy so much more than they require in care from a gardener.
— SUZY BALES
Author of 14 books, including The DowntoEarth Gardener, The
Garden in Winter, and Garden Bouquets
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