What gardeners want most is a bigger and better return on their investment of time and money—maximum yields and superior flavor for edibles, long-lasting blooms for flowers. Derek Fell's Grow This! features expert advice for choosing and growing the top-performing plants (and avoiding the ones that disappoint). Derek Fell has grown hundreds of varieties and annually visits gardens and test plots across America, so he's qualified to guide gardeners to the best of the best—more than 600 vegetable, flower, herb, and lawn grass all-stars. He offers honest feedback about plant performance, even when it contradicts favorable public opinion or a grower's claims. Seed racks may be filled with ‘Kentucky Wonder' snap beans, but he dismisses that variety as too fibrous and needy and instead recommends ‘Blue Lake' beans for tenderness and high yields. Fell's firsthand experience means the difference between choosing plant winners and losers. Packed with insider evaluations from seedsmen, growers, and nursery retailers that readers won't find elsewhere, Derek Fell's Grow This! explains industry lingo and debunks marketing hype to help gardeners select the best-performing plants for all garden conditions and goals.

This wonderfully readable series by premier gardening writer and photographer Derek Fell presents invaluable information on every element of gardening from design and planting to maintaining and harvesting. Each information-packed volume includes: -- A discussion of Fell's gardening principles, including site evaluation, soil testing and conditioning, selection of appropriate plants, and tips on care and maintenance -- The basics of garden design, with tips on creating striking color harmonies and special theme gardens, complete with sample garden plants that detail effective designs -- An A-to-Z listing of Fell's recommendations for truly superior plants -- each entry includes a full-color photograph, a complete description of the plant, cultivation information and propagation methods, the season of bloom, disease and pest resistance, and the plant's best usesSolid advice from one of the world's foremost gardening authorities and a focus on results that are both beautiful and achievable makes this series perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.

This wonderfully readable book by premier gardening writer and photographer Derek Fell presents invaluable information on every element of gardening from design and planting to maintaining and harvesting. Full color throughout.

Solid advice from one of the world's foremost gardening authorities and a focus on results that are both beautiful and achievable makes this book perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Full color throughout.

A History of Zinnias brings forward the fascinating adventure of zinnias and the spirit of civilization. With colorful illustrations, this book is a cultural and horticultural history documenting the development of garden zinnias—one of the top ten garden annuals grown in the United States today. The deep and exciting history of garden zinnias pieces together a tale involving Aztecs, Spanish conquistadors, people of faith, people of medicine, explorers, scientists, writers, botanists, painters, and gardeners. The trail leads from the halls of Moctezuma to a cliff-diving prime minister; from Handel, Mozart, and Rossini to Gilbert and Sullivan; from a little-known confession by Benjamin Franklin to a controversy raised by Charles Darwin; from Emily Dickinson, who writes of death and zinnias, to a twenty-year-old woman who writes of reanimated corpses; and from a scissor-wielding septuagenarian who painted with bits of paper to the “Black Grandma Moses” who painted zinnias and inspired the opera Zinnias. Zinnias are far more than just a flower: They represent the constant exploration of humankind’s quest for beauty and innovation.