I usually don’t do a book recommendation until my annual holiday shopping blog, but a nice little book came across my desk a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share it with my readers. The book is called “How to Grow Flowers in Small Spaces” and was written by Arizona Master Gardener Stephanie Walker. It is a hardback book, filled with charming illustrations by Nicola Cunneen and published by Simon and Schuster in March of this year.
The book is divided into six chapters but also has three Appendices that give garden layouts, harvesting and arranging the flowers you grow, and Resources for more information. The book is divided further into Easy, Medium, and Difficult for the growing conditions.
Stephanie starts by giving us the benefits of growing flowers and my favorite tidbit of information is that there are scientific studies that confirm that gardening can actually improve our mood, something established gardeners already knew, but nice to have validated. Gardening also stirs up microbes in the soil and when we inhale those microbes, serotonin is produced and that causes us to be more relaxed and happier. Stress is released and moods are elevated. But Stephanie also reminds us of the increased benefits of physical activity as well as encouraging pollinators. Win-win-win.
The basics of flower gardening are covered, such as where to place your garden, choosing the best containers, irrigation, fertilization, soil construction, and, of course, what plants to pick. Planting zones, sewing seeds, and troubleshooting are all included in this easy to read and understand book.
The last chapter is filled with detailed explanations of forty flowering plants and how to grow them for the best success. Popular flowers from Anemones to Zinnias are included, and many of my favorites are here: Sunflowers, Calla Lilies, Roses, Icelandic Poppies and Nasturtium. But there are a few I have yet to try like Ranunculus and Yarrow.
Although Stephanie credits her book as being useful for novices and professionals alike, I found the book to be a bit elementary for a really experienced gardener. This does -by no means- take away from its information and charm! And I feel it would be an excellent resource for a beginning gardener or one who wants to learn more about adding more color to their gardens. I didn’t think I had room in my small shade garden to include flowers for cutting, but Stephanie has given me food for thought and I am going to try a few of her ideas and see what happens. I did notice that most of the plants in her flower detail section are sun-lovers, so that might be an issue for me. But that only means I need to be more creative in my sunny spots.
At a cost of $17.99, this would be a great gift for the neophyte gardener in your life. Or perhaps a good gift for Mother’s Day.
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