As a young girl growing up in 1970s Afghanistan, Nelofer Pazira seems destined for a bright future. The daughter of liberal-minded professionals, she enjoys a safe, loving and privileged life. Some of her early memories include convivial family picnics and New Years’ celebrations overlooking the thousands of red flowers that carpet the hills of Mazar. But Nelofer’s world is shattered when she is just five and her father is imprisoned for refusing to support the communist party. This episode plants a “seed of anger” in her, which is given plenty of opportunity to grow as the years unfold. In 1979, the Soviets invade Afghanistan beginning a ten-year occupation. The country becomes an armed camp with Russians fighting U.S.-backed mujahidin fighters while trying to impose military rule. For Nelofer, daily life includes an endless succession of tanks, rockets screaming overhead and explosions in the street. During this time, she and her best friend, Dyana, seek refuge in their love of poetry. At eleven, the two girls throw stones at Soviet tanks and plot other acts of rebellion at the local school. As Nelofer gets older, she joins the resistance movement, distributes contraband books, studies guerilla warfare and hides a gun in her parent’s mint garden. When Nelofer’s younger brother comes home from school in military garb, the family finally decides to flee Afghanistan. What follows is a perilous, clandestine journey across rugged mountains into Pakistan. But the life of a refugee is not what Nelofer expects. Though she once idealized the mujahidin as freedom fighters, she is shocked, as a woman, to find herself stripped of her personal freedom in their midst. In 1990, Nelofer and her family are offered refugee status in Canada. Here she corresponds with her friend Dyana, whose letters reveal the increasing oppression of life under the Taliban. Fearing that her friend will kill herself, Pazira returns to Afghanistan to rescue her. This search becomes the basis for the acclaimed film Kandahar. Her journey to discover Dyana’s tragedy leads her finally to Russia, the land of her enemy, where she confronts the legacy of the Soviet invasion of her homeland first-hand. A Bed of Red Flowers is a gripping, heart-rending story about a country caught in a struggle of the superpowers – and of the real people behind the politics. Universally acclaimed for its astute insights and extraordinary humanity, Pazira’s memoir won the Drainie-Taylor Biography Prize for 2005.The Winnipeg Free Press writes: “Powerfully written, A Bed of Red Flowers is a rare account of a misunderstood country and its intrepid people, trying to live ordinary lives under extraordinary circumstances.” The Gazette (Montreal) describes the book as “an outpouring of passionate non-fiction that captivates like the tales of Sheherazade.… It’s a remarkable journey. An inspiring read.”

Discover everything you need to transform your empty plot into a stunning garden oasis with this gardening encyclopedia. This horticultural gem includes more than 2,000 recommendations from gardening experts and features valuable information and advice to expand on your gardening ideas. Planning your garden has never been this easy with this informative planting guide that every gardener needs on their bookshelf. Here’s what you’ll find inside: • Includes planting suggestions for over 30 types of sites, from notoriously dry ground by a hedge or fence to cracks in walls or paving • Explains how to assess site and soil, and presents a stunning range of plant partners and planting schemes • Includes a comprehensive range of more than 3,000 plants organized by size and situation • Simple recipes show you how to create beautiful beds, borders and garden designs • A “Special Effects” section helps you find plants with fragrant, colorful or architectural properties and offers solutions to common gardening problems and pests, like slugs, rabbits and deer Whether you have a small urban garden or sprawling acres of land, this gardening guide will help you every step of the way to create your garden masterpiece! You’ll discover a wealth of information on sections like which plants thrive in shady spots or whittle away in bright sunny areas, or “Special Effects” themes like Asian or Greek-inspired garden designs. The Encyclopedia of Garden Plants for Every Location is produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution, whose Smithsonian's Gardens creates and manages the Smithsonian's outdoor gardens, interiorscapes, and horticulture-related collections and exhibits. Your dream garden is within reach thanks to this helpful gardening reference book, perfect for gardeners looking to make the most out of their plot.

"Mother Bunny and her flowers" by Laura Rountree Smith. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

This 1883 best-selling gardening book revolutionised garden design in later Victorian England, advocating a more natural style.