North America is home to approximately four dozen bulbous genera. Among these are some very popular rock garden plants, such as Calochortus, Erythronium, and Fritillaria, which have never had anything substantial written about them in book form. Others, including Calydorea, Hypoxis, and Muilla, are not as well known outside specialist collections. The characteristics that make bulbs so desirable in gardens include their great diversity of flowering time, color, size, and form; their ability to adapt to a wide range of environments; and their capacity to multiply...

Few gardens can transport visitors to wild and rugged landscapes as well as rock gardens. Eye-catching rock gardens are among the most challenging -- and satisfying -- expressions of the gardener's craft. A true rock garden is a specialized habitat that allows the gardener to grow plants that do not flourish anywhere else. This book offers the first comprehensive treatment of building rock gardens in all parts of North America. Topics covered include rock placement, materials, and planting and maintenance. Variations on the rock garden theme, from planting troughs to creating water features...