Baker - Flower Power!

Jerry Bakers Lawn Book
The Impatient Gardener
Jerry Bakers Happy, Healthy House Plants
Jerry Bakers Fast, Easy Vegetable Garden
Plants Are Still Like People

The New Garden Line Series
Jerry Bakers Problem Solver Series
On The Garden LineAmericas Gardening Newsletter

For more information on Jerry Bakers amazing lawn and garden tips, tricks, and tonics, please write to:

Jerry Baker, P.O. Box 1001, Wixom, MI 48393

or visit Jerry Baker online at

http://www.jerrybaker.com

A Ballantine Book
Published by The Ballantine Publishing Group

Copyright 1998 by Jerry Baker and The YardenCare Company

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by The Ballantine Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Originally published by Jerry Bakers YardenCare Company in 1998.

Ballantine and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy. The author and publisher assume no responsibility or liability for any injuries, damages, or losses incurred
during the use of or as a result of following this information. IMPORTANT: Study all directions carefully before taking any action based on the information and advice presented in this book. When using any commercial product, always read and follow label directions. When reference is made to trade or brand names, no endorsement by the author or publisher is implied, nor is any discrimination intended.

www.ballantinebooks.com

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-96696

eISBN: 978-0-307-48496-3

v3.1

To my family,
whose love, support, and dedication
has kept me going,
and growing, all these years

1
A NNUALS
T HE A NNUAL P ARADE

2
P ERENNIALS
Y EAR -A FTER -Y EAR F AVORITES

3
B ULBS
D ARLING D UTCH D ANDIES

4
R OSES
E VERYTHING I S C OMING U P R OSES !

5
F LOWERING T REES
A S PLASH OF C OLOR

6
F LOWERING S HRUBS
B LOOMING W ALLS

P REFACE

T his book is all about two of my favorite subjectsflowers and flower gardening. Most homeowners limit their use of flowers to the most popular annuals, like petunias, zinnias, marigolds, and impatiens, while their choice of perennials only includes chrysanthemums. What I hope to do with this book is inspire you to venture further into the beautiful and exciting world of flower gardening, so that you too can discover the challenge, beauty, and reward of a well-planned and well-planted flowering landscape.

If you and I have been gardening together for very long, then you already know that my tips, tricks, and tonics may seem rather nontraditional to say the least. But the fact of the matter is that they really do work! So, if youre new to the Jerry Baker way of gardening, then please, just have faith, and youll be handsomely rewarded many times over later this year. As silly as my suggestions may sometimes seem, believe me, your flowering garden will love them. How do I know? Because Ive used them for many, many years, and never had one complaint!

You may not know it, but a home yard can be planted to provide a different face for each season, even when the grass withers and the flowers fade. There are evergreens that change color in the winter, and trees and shrubs with interesting and colorful bark to show off after their leaves have dropped, not to mention the broad-leaved evergreens, like rhododendrons and mountain laurel, that retain foliage and berries throughout the year. Even in the short-season areas, where you are lucky to get ninety frost-free days a year, you can plan and plant combinations of flowers that will fill your days with beauty.

In this book, Im going to give you all of the information I can to help you create a flowerscape that will be the envy of the neighborhood. Were going to wander down the garden path, discussing the various families of flowers in the order of their importance to the average American homeowner, taking in account their longevity, return on time and money invested, ease of maintenance, and, of course, beauty. Well talk about amazing annuals, perky perennials, beautiful bulbs and robust roses. Unlike most books on flowers, Ive also included separate chapters on flowering trees and shrubs, since they are a very important part of any flowering garden.