Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening

I have a little hobby garden for the butterflies in my area, so this book was a natural fit for me. I'm truly curious on how to take my hobby a little more seriously than just me guessing at what to plant and hoping for the best!

To start off, the very first page of my copy was stunning - beautiful flowers with beautiful colours. What more can a flower loving girl ask for?! Throughout the book there are many pictures of plants and flowers that liven up the pages. It's a definite plus of this book!

"We might all know how to grow a dahlia." Boy do I wish! Mine get eaten up every year by some pesky squirrels, even when I used chicken wire! So clearly, this book was made for me. Some handy, dandy flower tips for my inner amateur gardener!

I will say I learned a lot just within the seed section. I grow a lot of random flowers for the fun of it, kind of just to see what I get. The tips on what sort of plants are better bought versus grown was truly intriguing. I never thought much about it or thought to ask (mostly because my local greenhouses always tend to contradict everything say they).

When Matt gets to the actual plants, I was shocked and surprised and at the same time not surprised at all. My crocus always grew well, so hearing that they do indeed grow well and it's not my gardening prowess was exciting and disappointing all at the same time! Learning what plants grow together in clumps, what bulbs I should order when, and when to plant them was well needed information. All of this information is presented like the everyday man - you don't need to be an expert to pick up this book. I almost wish I had this book sooner, but I'm glad our Spring season is coming up so I can make some use of these helpful tips!

I was also overjoyed to find information on how to prune lilacs as that has been something I have been personally looking for the past few years. I had conflicting reports on whether to prune them or not, so it was nice to see a fellow gardener agreed that I should prune them. Another fun thing I learned was why my lavender did not do well: it likes sandy environments and needs great water drainage (both of which were not present). Overall, I learned a LOT and now have many new flower varieties I will be trying in my own garden.

I can't quite find any negatives about this book other than sometimes I wanted more information. This is a beginner's guide, so don't expect every piece of scientific information possible. For beginners like me, this is a great way to get started and learn.

Overall, this book is an excellent guide. I learned a lot and plan to use it. I highly recommend it to other hobby flower gardeners!

Five out of five stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press for the opportunity to pick up this wonderful little guide! My butterflies and bees thank you!

A great flower gardening book that takes you through each season and their flowers. The pictures are vibrant (and boy do I want to visit this garden) and the information and advice on all the different flowers is thorough and great. It would be a great addition to any gardening library.

I have a small flower bed that was once cute and appealing probably not truly anything noteworthy. Over the last few seasons due to health reasons I have all but abandoned its care so only the hardiest of plants needing little to no care have survived and it no longer resembles a flower bed or garden. I requested this book in the hope of finding easy to care for plants that could revive and restore my lack luster attempt. First off this book is absolutely visually stunning!! It is filled to the brim with absolutely beautiful photographs of stunning flowers, arrangements and gardens. Each flower has planting guidelines as well the best ways to cultivate them. I was really blown away by the beauty of this book. I learned a great deal about selecting and caring for flowers and how to gain optimal results.

The seed section is very informative I have really never been terribly successful trying to grow from seeds and this section really breaks it down and makes what seemed a daunting task much easier to accomplish. The tips on what sort of plants grow better if purchased versus grown was truly helpful to me I definitely have not been planting them in the proper areas or time-frames for optimal growth. I never thought much about it I just looked at the seed packet and dismally failed at each attempt assuming I just don't have the skills required... Technically I am known to kill pretty much every plant I try to cultivate so that is partially true. However, this book truly makes it much more achievable for even someone as skill less as me. I honestly wish this fantastic book had been out there years ago and I am excited as spring approaches to see if I truly learned what I hoped. I am definitely buying a copy because I truly loved it.

I was also very happy to read the section on how to prune and when because I never know the best times for that and everyone has a different opinion. This is a fantastic beginners guide and perfect for my lack of knowledge and provides a wealth of information on how to get started without being overwhelming.

I highly recommend it to other readers who wish to increase their knowledge of flower gardening!

I received this book from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press for an honest review.

A very informative book on on growing a flower garden. Separated mainly into the four seasons, there are some fabulous photographs and information of the many blooms that thrive at these time of year. The book then isolates various examples within these seasonal groups for extra attention, such as bulbs, irises, lilacs,sweet pea, primroses, poppies, lavender, stock, peony, dahlias, mums and more. These are gives chapter to themselves.
There is a section on growing from seeds at the beginning of the book and information on tender plants at the end.
A really informative book with wonderful photographs and written in an easy to read style

A great guide to flower gardening with beautiful pictures and clear explanations.
I loved how it explains the characteristics of the different flower, the pictures and the organisation of the book.
An excellent guide, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

As a novice gardener I was so excited when I received this book. It helped me so much! I think theres enough information in here to even help the most experienced gardener as well. Thos book was a life saver.

If you’re obsessed with plants and you’re determined to fill your garden with as much beauty and color as possible, then this book is a great resource. There are all sorts of useful tidbits and advice for growing beautiful plants all year round – yes, you can surround yourself with flowers even in the middle of winter, provided you play your cards right, and follow the advice provided in this book. Definitely recommend to the plant or gardening nerd excited for Spring.

I loved this book. As newbie to the gardening world, I’m not familiar with a lot of plants. I just started growing my own seeds last year and I thought I could only plant them inside. This book guides you with types of plants based off the seasons they grow. And how to grow seeds whether it’s inside or outside. I think this would be a phenomenal book for any new plant grower.

This is a somewhat eclectic look at flower gardening. It doesn't profess to cover every single flower type, nor does it provide a comprehensive how-to for flower gardening. Instead, it highlights the author's favorite species for each season, along with some nice suggestions for growing. Photography is stunning. Each plant gets a half page profile, but some of his favorites (e.g., lavender, lily, sweet pea, poppy) get several pages with more detail on the various types. I liked the book because it gave detailed info about some of my favorite flowers to grow. I'd say it would be a good book to add to a serious gardener's collection!

Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening by Matt Mattus is a comprehensive guide to planting and growing both annual and biannual flowers.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Quarto Publishing – Cool Springs Press, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
 My Synopsis and Opinions:   

This was quite informative.  It contains tips on growing both annuals and biennials.  The plants which are discussed contain both common, native, and some special plants.  It helps to know that the author has grown every plant that is discussed, so his knowledge is based on his own experiences.

It contains information about starting seeds (and where to get them), soil, sowing, hardening off, to transplanting, and even forcing winter blooms.

There is a great section on spring flowers which included common favorites like crocuses and tulips, irises and lilacs.  There was a whole section on primroses.  I even learned that the giant allium is actually an ornamental onion.  Then, it went on to summer and fall and even winter blooms (which is where we moved indoors).

I found most of the flowers to be familiar which I found refreshing.  Often there are so many exotic plants in these books.  If you can't find them to plant them, the information is not much use.  This book was great!

The photographs are beautiful.   All flower-gardeners would love this one...

As flower gardening is very dear to my heart, I found this book to be invaluable in its advice, photography and detailed knowledge of annuals and biannual. A lovely addition to any gardener's book shelf.

Honestly, is there any aspect of flower gardening that isn't included in this book? The book is divided into Spring Blooms, Summer Blooms, Fall Blooms and Winter Blooms and each section is chock full of information and gorgeous photographs. Each section includes information on a wide variety of flowers - history of the flower, when should you plant, where should you plant (sun or shade), how much space does it need, what will it look it when it blooms, what plants would compliment it in your garden ... Once you decide on plants, now what? Should you buy young plants or start new ones from seed? How do you start seeds and when and where should you start them? Which flowers can you force for winter blooms? Which flowers are deer and rabbit resistant? How can you plant a garden that will provide color throughout the season? How do you prune a raggedy looking lilac bush? Can't find some of the flowers referenced in this book at your local garden center? No worries, the book also includes a full list of online sources for both rare and common varieties. A must for an gardener's shelf.

I am a novice gardener. I found this book very informative.

There were a lot of beautiful full-color photos. This book would make a great coffee table book as well as a reference book for gardening.

I received this galley from NetGalley.