When a friend stopped by the other day to entice me to go plant shopping, I begged off because I had just begun reading a new gardening book and I couldn’t put it down.

“Garden to Vase: Growing and Using Your Own Cut Flowers,” by Linda Beutler (Timber Press $29.95) is a trove of information that belongs in every gardener and floral arranger’s library. Beutler, an accomplished gardener and professional floral designer, has put together a winning combination of inspiration and practical how-to advice in friendly prose that makes this book a fun and fascinating read. The text is fully illustrated with gorgeous color photography by Allan Mandell.

It’s packed with information on floral harvesting, conditioning, and vase life as well as tips on growing.

Ever thought of using clematis as a cut flower? Beutler, currently president of the Pacific Northwest Clematis Society, gives the secrets to cutting so the blossoms last a week.

The alphabetical directory of more than 200 plants that grace the garden and the vase also includes valuable advice about buying flowers and how to spot those that are past their prime and will be goners in a couple of days.

Some flowers do well in water-sodden florist foam, while others prefer to spend their last days in water. Using floral preservative in the water will extend the life of many flowers but cut short the bloom time of others. Beutler provides the preferences of each flower.

Included in the mix are shrubs, ferns and grasses whose foliage as well as berries and flowers make fabulous fillers in the garden and vase.

There are also listings for the meaning of flowers and common and Latin names cross-referencing.

If you’re looking for a gift for the gardener in your life this book is a winner.

Nancy Szerlag is a master gardener and Metro Detroit freelance writer. Her column appears Saturdays in Homestyle. E-mail her at Szerlag @earthlink.net. You can also read her previous columns at det news.com/homestyle/. For more gardening tips check out her blog at www.gardener yardener.blogspot.com.

source : detnews.com