Thursday 5 June 2008

Wildflowers, (The New England Wild Flower Society)




Product Description
This most complete and authoritative guide to North American wildflowers offers clear and detailed information on growing and propagating 200 genera and 1,000 species of these precious plants. No matter what your level of interest -- whether it is to introduce a few plants into your garden or to learn how to propagate them for yourself or for sales, this book will inspire as well as inform you.With Cullina's guidance, you'll learn in which parts of the continent the plants are found in the wild, and -- even more helpful -- where and how to succeed with them in your own garden wherever you live. As open land disappears, so too do many of the native plants that once flourished on this continent. Gardeners may be their last resort. It is the author's philosophy that a garden is not just an extension of our houses but a habitat we share with plants and the animals that depend on them for food and shelter. He writes:"There is value in preserving wilderness, but there is equal value in restoring the suburbs and cities where most of us live to something closer to balance -- for our children's sake and the sake of all the other species around us. Growing wildflowers is not only fun and easy, it fosters a genuine connection with the region you live in."William Cullina is the nursery manager and propagator for the New England Wild Flower Society, the oldest and one of the most widely known plant conservation organizations in North America. In 2000, the Society celebrated its 100th birthday. In spite of its regional name, their commitment is to the study and protection of all temperate North American native flowers. The Garden in the Woods, in Framingham, Massachusetts, is the popular showcase for the NEWFS. It features naturalistic displays of native plants organized by habitat and includes woodland, bog, meadow, pine barren, western/alpine, and pond side plantings.


Customer Reviews
A Guide To Wildflowers By A True Expert If you happen to be visiting The Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA, you will probably notice a man puttering in the gardens or working in the nursery. More than likely he will instinctively know that you have a question about the wildflowers you are examining and he will be more than happy to share his knowledge. This amiable person is William Cullina of the New England Wildflower Society. For those who are unable to visit the garden, or have a question about wildflowers, Cullina's book GROWING AND PROPAGATING WILDFLOWERS is the next best thing. This coffee table style book is filled with lavish photographs and wonderful commentary about many wildflowers found in North America. The book not only assists the reader in identifying various wildflowers, but helps the reader who wishes to incorporate wildflowers in a home garden. Cullina mentions in the introduction that horticulture has been a life long passion. This is evident in his writing style. The information in the book is informative and while it is presented in a formal manner, it is non-threatening for the novice gardener. This work is not helpful just for gardeners. Photographers will appreciate the wonderful shots of the flowers, many of which were photographed by Cullina himself.
Disappointing if you want to cultivate these plants I was under the impression that this book would provide the information I needed to cultivate these plants on some scale. I was very disappointed. There is no way that you could reliably produce these plants with the information provided in this book. There are much better books out there for that purpose. If you are a novice, homegardener wanting to learn about wildflowers and grow a few in your backyard, this book would be okay for you. But if you are knowledgeable on the topic already, I think you will be disappointed.
Great Information, Weak IIlustration This is a wonderful book about the culture and propagation of North American native flowers. The author clearly knows his stuff and communicates it well.
The only weakness is the limited and low quality photography (lots of depth of field problems) which, I gather is not the author's work, but came from a wildflower society. There really are far too few pictures considering the wide variety of plants. Don't plan on being able to tell which of the diverse Eupatoriums or Asters you want to plant by looking at their pictures.
HOWEVER, this book would be worth it without pictures, just for the information. Go buy the book and then write the pubisher a note saying the illustration is beneath the writing....just like I just did.

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