Twenty-three-year-old Elizabeth Sprague has recently graduated from her botany studies at Wellesley College and now wants to leave her secure life with her parents in Boston to go to the Florida Everglades to study the plants there—something that in 1893 no woman has ever done. Her domineering father has other plans for her, namely, marrying her to a young man Beth detests in order to join his business with that of a prominent family. Her solution is to go off to St. Augustine with her aunt as chaperone. Her family assumes this will satisfy her Florida longings, but once in St. Augustine she figures out a way to head farther south, wisely carrying a derringer in her handbag. What she finds there is a wild and forbidding frontier inhabited by dangerous animals and even more dangerous men. She is warned about the poisonous swamp miasmas, the evil “night folks," and especially the ominous Swamp Ape, a hairy half-creature–half-man said to roam there. But none of this will prepare her for what she finds lurking deep within the Glades. Beth finds much more than unique and interesting plants in the Everglades. She finds that she is a woman who can face danger of every sort—from hurricanes and alligators to wild and desperate men—and hold her own. She proves she isn't just a “bucket flower," a pampered person unfit to face the rigors of the swamp. She finds her way, one much different from the one her parents had planned for her—and even quite different from the one she had planned for herself.

From taking cuttings to winning new customers, this is the guide to growing beautiful organic flowers for enjoyment or profit Over 75,000 copies sold! The first edition of The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers helped thousands of small growers start successful cut-flower businesses. This expanded and thoroughly revised second edition has become equally influential for backyard novices and experienced growers alike. New sections in this edition include: Utilizing greenhouses Recommendations for flower cultivars Post-harvest handling Also updated is the acclaimed resource directory, complete with sources of seeds, plants and supplies, and expert information on organic production under the National Organic Program. For the beginner and backyard gardener, there is an extensive section on the basics, including Variety selection Soil preparation Planting, cultivation & harvest Floral design For the commercial grower, The Flower Farmer, 2nd Edition includes information about: Larger-scale production Advice about selling to florists, wholesalers, and supermarkets Understanding the wedding and farmers market customers This updated edition also includes revised profiles of successful growers, offering behind-the-scenes insight into the operation of some of the most cutting-edge flower farmers in the country. Because of the extensive revisions and enhanced content, The Flower Farmer, 2nd Edition is essential reading for those already in the flower business, as well as those who dream of growing flowers for enjoyment or profit.

Explore 60 flowers, bloom by bloom, in stunning portraiture with lush macrophotography that showcases the details of each flower, and learn how to arrange flowers with different styles, tips, and techniques. Intimate portraits of each flower include quick-reference profiles with tips for choosing the best blooms, care for cut stems, arranging recommendations, colors, shapes, and even growing tips to transform the home, from yard to tabletop. Study a multitude of blooms, from the amaryllis in spring, snapdragon in summer, and dahlia in fall to tropical wonders such as orchids and African lilies. The Flower Book spotlights 30 sample floral arrangements that show how to design and build custom floral arrangements using featured blooms. Plus, a step-by-step techniques section walks beginners through the basics of foliage and fillers, bouquets, and arrangements to make this book as practical as it is beautiful. A perfect gift for anyone who loves flowers, The Flower Book celebrates all the wonderful qualities of flowers—their sheer beauty, infinite variety, and power to evoke admiration—bloom by exquisite bloom.

Whether you want to grow for pleasure or start your own business, The Flower Farmer's Year is the perfect guide. Grow your own cut flowers and you can fill your house with the gorgeous colours and heavenly scents of your favourite blooms, knowing that they haven't travelled thousands of miles – and you can make money while you do it! Combining boundless passion with down-to-earth guidance and practical advice, Georgie Newbery draws on her own experiences as an artisan flower farmer and florist in this delightful guide. The Flower Farmer's Year covers everything, from how to start a cut-flower patch and guidance on what to grow, to cutting, conditioning and presenting cut flowers, and creating a hedgerow for Christmas. For those interested in selling cut-flowers, the guide includes useful information on how to start a business, including where to sell cut-flowers, and marketing and social media tips. A flower farmer's year planner is also provided to make your cut-flower farm as productive as possible.

Simple Flower Arranging helps you create flower arrangements with style and flair, be it flowers for the home, a gift, or wedding flowers. Love having flowers in your house or making blooming bouquets? Be inspired by more than 60 stylish flower arrangements made simple, from vase arrangements to wedding creations. Owners of destination florist, Bloomsbury Flowers, Mark Welford and Stephen Wicks guide you through designs and techniques that allow you to create your own incredible arrangements. Key sequences are shown through step-by-steps and sumptuous photography so you can easily see how to take a simple bunch of blooms and present them with a professional touch, encouraging you to experiment with hand-tying, wire, papers and ribbons. Organized by flower type, it's easy to find flowers that you can buy in the supermarket, such as roses, lilies and sweetpeas and turn them into amazing arrangements. Simple Flower Arranging helps you to make beautiful bouquets and arrangements for every occasion, from baby celebrations to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.

The bouquet-building bible gardeners have been waiting for! Learn the ins and outs of growing gorgeous blooms at home with professional flower farmer Lisa Mason Ziegler of @gardenersworkshopfarm. Whether you’re cultivating fresh-cut bouquets for yourself, family, and friends or for others on a small commercial scale, you’ll go from sowing seeds to cutting armloads of colorful, long-lasting blooms with ease. Lisa’s unique approach and easy-to-follow advice on multi-season planting and harvesting uses the natural warm and cool weather cycles present in almost all growing regions to maximize cut flower production. This logical and nature-driven method is also a signature hallmark of her super-successful online flower-farming courses, and it’s one that translates equally well to both small urban backyards and large rural flower farms. Growing your own cut flowers means you can avoid bouquets laden with pesticides (who wants that on their wedding day?) and you can skip the trips to your local flower shop or grocery store to pay big bucks for a bouquet that has racked up more airline miles than you could ever hope to. Included in this essential cut flower growing handbook are: 50 extensive flower profiles divided into their preferred season of growth. Cool-weather favorites include poppies, snapdragons, and bells of Ireland. Warm-season beauties include zinnias, sunflowers, and celosia. Planting tips for a succession of blooms that carry over from one growing season to the next without any additional work from you. Illustrations showing how to pinch plants for more blooms, how to make your cuts, how to erect support netting to keep your flowers straight and upright, how to dig a planting bed, and more. Over 200 photographs of the best cut flowers for home gardeners to grow, the most effective methods for their care, and the most productive ways to organize them in the garden. Advice on caring for a cutting garden, locating the best planting site, starting plants from seed, making the harvest, prolonging the life of your cut flowers, and so much more! The Cut Flower Handbook is the perfect balance of inspiration and education for anyone interested in bringing more beauty into their lives by growing cut flowers at home.