Gardening with Tulips

This pictorial guide presents a fresh approach to using these popular bulbs in contemporary gardens. The book begins with a history of tulips and moves on to design approaches and tips for various plant combinations. Twenty groups of tulips are described in detail, and a separate chapter deals exclusively with color varieties, making it easy for readers to choose tulips to create a wide palette of color combinations in their garden. Complete growing and maintenance instructions are also provided.

Media reviews of this book:

"I'd pretty much given up on growing tulips, but this book is making me reconsider. Not just because of the gorgeous color photos on every page, but because it's filled with specific advice on using tulips as an element of garden design."

—Kathleen Purdy, Horticulture, April 2006

"Gardeners wishing to learn about the fascinating history and classifications of tulips will savor King's enthusiastic writing, and relish his expert advice on how to use perennials, shrubs, and grasses inventively to allow tulips to shine ... a guide that should prove highly useful to any tulip lover serious about garden design."

—Alice Joyce, Booklist, September 15, 2005

"This highly illustrated guide presents a fresh approach to using these popular bulbs in contemporary gardens."

—Rainy Side Gardeners, May 8, 2006

"King's book brims with mouth-watering color, the freshness and dewy form of the flowers coming through as if you're there."

—Jean Starr, Munster (IN) Times, January 5, 2006

"Gardening with Tulips is a great book on the topic of designing tulips into gardens."

—Chuck Gleaves, Bulbs, 2006

An excerpt from this book:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but most people seem to agree that the simple rounded form of a tulip flower is elegant. Its six petals create a distinctive flower with a clean profile that can vary from a bird's-egg-shaped bud to an open cup. Some flowers bear petals reflexed outwards towards their tips, which affords them a sinuous grace, even sensuality. Purity of form seems to me to be an essential characteristic for a tulip flower. This explains why I am less excited by double-flowered tulips which, although bold colourful plants, can present a heavy, muddled appearance. While historical associations may well be a strong motivation for choosing to grow certain tulips, the simple shapes and clear colours of tulips can also make references to modern design style ...

Read the whole excerpt