Member Reviews
I love this book. The flowers, the aesthetic and the art bring me joy while reading it. Thank you so much!
A great collection for the beginning flower grower. You'll love the tips, tricks, and general information found in this handbook.
I received an ARC from Netgalley
The Cut Flower Handbook by Lisa Mason Ziegler is a valuable resource for both beginner and expert gardeners, providing detailed information on how to grow and enjoy cut flower gardens. The book covers topics such as warm and cool season gardening, flower selection, planting techniques, and more. With stunning photographs and practical advice, this book is a must-have for anyone looking to enhance their gardening skills and create beautiful cut flower arrangements.
The Cut Flower Handbook is a very well written, layman accessible, well curated guide to selecting, growing, and using cut flowers written by Lisa Mason Ziegler. Due out 27th Feb 2024 from Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, it's a generous 240 pages (hardcover) and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
One of the highlights of this book (and why it's suited for hobbyist/nonprofessional gardeners) is the author's emphasis on non-exotic, less formal flowering plants which will be familiar to many gardeners, and more attainable in general than the orchids, roses, and anthuriums which many associate with typical cut flower arrangements.
The author is rightly fond of beautiful flowers such as sunflowers, poppies, cornflowers, and even "wildflowers" such as Bupleurum (hound's ear), and rudbeckia. She shows how to succeed with planning, incorporating, and succeeding with a garden area which will produce well over three seasons. The planning and introduction chapters (including a fascinating read on her personal biography as a commercial cut flower supplier) lead to chapters listing good performing species and varieties for both cool season and warm season hardy and tender annuals respectively. There are selections to satisfy even the most uncompromising palate.
There's a very short resources and links list along with a cross referenced index. The book is maybe not a one-stop-shop for advice for gardening, but it is a fully up to date resource for cut flower gardening, which includes new and classic varieties. It's very well photographed in color throughout the volume.
Five stars. This would be a superlative selection for public library acquisition, for gardening and allotment groups, for smallholders, and home gardeners. It's impressive that the author originally started with -and succeeded- with a half acre suburban plot of land.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
While I've grown flowers for years, I never truly thought about growing flowers for cutting until this past year. The Cut Flower Handbook is so informative and taught me so many new things, things I'd never really given much thought to like how to correctly cut a zinnia flower. You mean you just don't snip the bloom?! Ha to me!
Ziegler covers all aspects of planting a cutting garden from choosing what types of flowers to grow, how to grow the seeds, prepare the bed, when to cut flowers and so much more. I found the sections on the different flower types to also be very useful.
A great addition for a gardener's library. Now I just need to find more space to plant in!
Many thanks to the publisher for sending a copy.
Not only is this book beautifully set out, but it is also very informative and easy to read.. I like this book because it took me outside the box, whenever I think of cut flowers I automatically go to the roses, orchids etc,- all the high impact flowers that we have grown accustomed to. This book took me into the everyday annuals and perennials to make beautiful displays; plants that produce much, much more flowers than our usual cut flower varieties. Easy to grow and fabulous multi variety and color vases to cheer up any space. Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DR
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to review. This is a gardeners dream book! Whether a beginner or a more advanced gardener, I'm sure you'll find something new in this book. The book was easy to read, there are spots to make notes for the particulars of your region, and detailed instructions on a variety of plants.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a nice book on flowers! It's a helpful guide in growing, harvesting, and arranging your own flowers. The book breaks down plants individually with tips on how to grow them and where they do best. It's a helpful guide for gardeners and those wanting to grow flowers for show.
The Cut Flower Handbook by Lisa Mason Ziegler is a truly astounding discovery! Many of us garden but how many mindfully prepare and enjoy cut flower gardens for our and others' pleasure? Not only is the information presented priceless but the photographs are enchanting and breathtaking...and the good news is that these cut flower arrangements are attainable for all but the harshest of environments.
The author grows commercially on her 1.5 acres and generously discusses warm and cool season gardening (and how to determine which annual seeds are best for which season), how to optimize growing space for longer, pinching and cutting, succession planting, bed preparation, removing declining plants, mulching, irrigation, harvesting and everything between. But that's not all. She includes 50 cool and warm season flowers to grow with information on preferred season, temperatures, how many days to bloom, sun requirements and so on.
Beginner gardeners as well as experts will love to savour the wondrous details, insight and wisdom Ziegler offers. Though a Master Gardener, I used to be almost afraid to cut flowers (at the time lived in Zone 2a with only 90 frost-free days a year) until I realized how beneficial it is. It is better to snip with wild abandon. This book has inspired me to plan more cut flower growing in 2024. The book is written conversationally and encouragingly, very easy to understand and follow. Talk about an excellent resource for gardening shelves!
My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this lovely, lovely book.
Chock-full of very, very specific advice on how to most efficiently set up and maintain a garden for cut-flower production - particularly one meant for commercial supply to florists, no greenhouse required! What makes this special is the author's success in growing en masse high-quality blooms outdoors, and despite the limited space. The amount of info presented is astronomical and backed by a wealth of experience; every question you might have is answered in great detail leaving nothing vague or unclear. The introductory chapters cover topics such as planting times and temperatures, spacing, seed-starting methods, soil and bed preparation, and much more, as well as how to properly harvest and conserve flowers after they're cut.
The last two sections are in-depth profiles for individual plants, delving deep into their unique quirks and best growing methods as well as introducing the author's favourite varieties. Again, I can't express enough how incredibly specific and detailed the advice here is.
The book itself is beautifully laid out with plenty of photos and diagrams, and I'll definitely be using it for reference in future. Truly the Bible of cut-flower gardening, and highly recommended!
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A comprehensive guide to how you can set up a cutting flower garden from the author who has many years experience. It is US centric and many of the flower names will not be recognised by UK readers. If you are thinking of creating a garden, it seems that plenty of data is needed such as the average temperature, when the last and first frost occurs. This is a great starting point
This book has beautiful photos to compliment the detailed text! This will be a great guide for anyone wanting to get into flower gardening!
The Cut Flower Handbook by Lisa Mason Ziegler Is beautifully written and the pictures are beautiful and quite inspiring. This book has everything you need to know about having and starting a flower garden. I have learned new things when it comes to seed starting and bed preparation and i am excited for spring to implement the knowledge I have gained. A must read for any flower gardener. Thank you To NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thoroughly enjoyed! I LOVE books about gardening and flowers. I have several about having a cutting garden. And this one will be an excellent addition. The pictures are bright and lovely. The hints and tips are helpful and well guided.
Absolutely beautiful book! Not only are the pictures stunning, but so many examples are given that I cannot wait to try in my own garden! I've always been intimidated with flower beds, but you are given a road map that makes it seem like anyone can grow beautiful flowers. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC that will up my garden game.
This gorgeous book is perfect for flower lovers and gardeners! It is full of beautiful, bright, colorful photos and so much information for creating a cut flower garden. I really loved the layout for flower bed options, step by step directions & simple explanations for how to start seeds, plant them outside, and harvest them after growing. It also includes a flower index that includes some that are new to me, and advice for continued planning during the cold seasons. Overall, I would love to get a physical copy of this book, as the valuable info and stunning content would really help take my cut flower gardening to the next level!
A beautiful, comprehensive, and inspirational book! This book teaches the how to for growing gorgeous blooms that are perfect for cutting so you can have bouquets all around the home. The author has turned her gardens into a successful business.
This is a fantastic resource for people who want to grow cut flowers. It’s incredibly thorough on every step of growing each variety, and packed with photos from the author‘s own cut flower farm. I don’t grow on nearly this scale and I’m in a very cold climate, but I loved the information and inspiration.
I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.
This book is so informative. As someone who has a cut flower garden for fun I was able to get a lot of good tips. There are so many varieties to learn about and the book really gives great step by step to have a successful flower garden. I recommend this book to anyone who grows flowers either as a hobby or on a commercial scale, it is a great guide and many can benefit.
The Cut Flower Handbook by Lisa Mason Ziegler was thorough with beautiful illustrations. Im excited about this coming year of my own cut flower garden. The author dives in by explaining how she started her own garden and how she got where she is today. Beautiful, clearly explained pictures with simple to understand instructions on how to do everything. I made my husband look at almost every page as I excitedly devoured every bit of advice.
I recommend this book and I’m buying my copy as soon as it’s released.
Thanks Quarto Publishing Group via NetGalley.