The Gardener's Atlas: The Origins, Discovery and Cultivation of the World's Most Popular Garden Plants
Grimshaw, a botanist and plant collector, describes the discovery of popular garden plants in their native habitats and their introduction to horticulture. Chapters focus on one or more plant families, such as lilies, poppies and peonies, buttercups and waterlilies, etc. Each chapter typically provides a map pinpointing the origin of selected species, botanical information, interesting stories about how the plants were discovered, and the breeding or hybridization carried out to improve them for horticulture. Additional essays profile botanical gardens or garden styles around the world, and a chapter on "Plantsman's Choice" highlights especially garden-worthy plants from each plant family. While this book is not a crucial purchase, many gardeners will relish the beautiful photographs and the stories about their favorite plants. For general gardening collections in public and academic libraries.?Beth Clewis Crim, Prince William P.L., VACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.