The Tulip Garden: Growing and Collecting Species, Rare and Annual Varieties

by Polly Nicholson, Andrew Montgomery (Photographer)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Alongside gorgeous, full-color photography, this exploration of what it takes to raise tulips is as comprehensive as it gets. Whether you're looking to start your own garden, cultivate the one you already have or merely appreciate the floral photography, this book has it all.

An inspirational introduction to growing and collecting tulips, set against the backdrop of a beautiful English garden, with expert tips and advice for gardeners

Tulips are one of the world’s most popular flowers, with over 2,500 varieties produced in the Netherlands each year. This spectacular book showcases a unique collection of rare and covetable tulips at Blacklands, the beautiful English country garden of tulip expert Polly Nicholson.

Combining the flower’s rich cultural history with growing advice, Nicholson provides a comprehensive introduction to cultivating species, historic Dutch and English Florists’ tulips, and annual garden tulips. Featuring all types of tulip – from wild, species tulips to old Dutch cultivars, as well as English Florists’, and the ever popular annual garden tulips – she also offers modern context and sensible and practical advice for gardeners, based on her personal horticultural experience.

Bringing to life varieties that date back to the 16th century, Nicholson demonstrates how these treasured bulbs and more modern varieties of these enchanting spring flowers can be grown today – whether in herbaceous borders, naturalized in grass, in containers, gravel, meadow settings, or in the garden for cutting.

The Tulip Garden is an essential reference for tulip lovers, florists, and gardeners, but also, with newly commissioned photography by Andrew Montgomery, an inspirational resource, tapping into the zeitgeist for sustainable flowers and organic gardening, focusing on one of the world’s most popular flowers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838667689
Publisher:	Phaidon Press
Publication date:	04/10/2024
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	50,911
Product dimensions:	10.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Specialist flower grower and tulip expert, Polly Nicholson is the owner of Bayntun Flowers in Wiltshire – growers of organic flowers cultivated in walled gardens and a one-acre field at the foot of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire. Nicholson holds the National Collection of Tulipa (Historic) with Plant Heritage, and has featured on BBC Gardener’s World, Radio 4, in Gardens Illustrated, Country Life, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, The World of Interiors, and House & Garden.

Andrew Montgomery has been a photographer all his life. Based in London, he began his career shooting portraits before moving into lifestyle and narrative photography. His first book commission was Jasper Conran’s Country (2010), and more than 20 titles followed, covering food, travel and gardens, and working with acclaimed chefs and food writers as well several of the UK’s leading garden designers.

Editorial Reviews

'Polly’s passion for tulips is completely infectious and the enchanting sanctuary she has created for them beguiles and delights from every single page of this book. It will undoubtedly become the tulip lover’s bible and might well generate a twenty-first century episode of tulipomania. Welcome to a new addiction.' – Shane Connolly, floral designer and author

'One of the most beautiful and transporting books written. Polly has captured the beauty of the historical tulips as they were intended when they were at their height of fashion and desire. This is a must-have book!' – Arne Maynard, Garden Designer

‘[Nicholson] has gathered all her knowledge into The Tulip Garden, a book that breaks down the hugely complex groups and divisions of tulips into a luscious guide.' – The Telegraph

‘A kaleidoscope of tulips blooms in spring.’ – The New York Times

'Specialist organic grower Polly Nicholson shares her passion for these blooms' – House & Garden 

‘If you know someone who loves a vase of slumped-over tulips, we think they’ll also like this book.’ – The Strategist

‘Aspiring gardeners will savor this title that combines a gardening manual with an art book.’ – Library Journal

‘Gives this eternally charming plant its proper due.’ – The Grand Tourist

'Expert grower [Nicholson] shares her secrets on raising the most rarefied tulips.’ – Gardenista

From the Publisher

04/01/2024

Flower grower expert Nicholson's debut spotlights tulips. The book is enhanced by photographer Montgomery's (The Art of Making Gardens) stunning images. Nicholson has used her horticultural background to grow tulips for the past 15 years at Bayntun Flowers, her organic floral business located in Wiltshire, England. This book combines that knowledge and expertise with her sustainable environmental and cultivation practices and techniques. It explains the geographical origin of tulips, their social significance in the Ottoman Empire, the dangers of tulip-breaking virus (which causes color-breaking of the flowers) and the stringent standards required by tulip societies. Each tulip variety profile highlights a flower found in Nicholson's garden. They're accompanied by magnificent full-color photographs, along with the scientific and common names, height, estimated flowering time, and more. There's also a perennial list, suggested combinations for container plantings, a seasonal checklist of tulip-specific gardening jobs, a glossary, a list of U.S. and European bulb suppliers, places to view tulip festivals, excellent gardens around the world, and recommended readings and websites to further one's tulip knowledge. VERDICT Aspiring gardeners will savor this title that combines a gardening manual with an art book, thanks to Montgomery's visually lush and stylistic photographs.—Aspasia Luster

Library Journal