Flowers are, unquestionably, the jewels of the green world. Their sole task is to become pollinated and produce fruit and seeds, but it is the colorful and fragrant way they go about this task that captivates us. We cannot help but look in wonder at the perfection of a daisy, an iris, or a poppy. As the British novelist Iris Murdoch noted, we should be mad with joy to have flowers about us. Of course, many flowers are short-lived and seasonal, which makes them even more beguiling. A spring morning is exalted by the all-too-brief display of tulips and daffodils. A summer evening is enhanced by the subtle fragrance of nicotiana and twining honeysuckle. And who cannot be gladdened by a slightly wilted posy of wildflowers gripped by the fingers of a smiling child?

The siren call of flowers is indeed hard to resist. And they are such an important part of our living world—offering food and habitat to our threatened pollinators such as bees, birds, butterflies, and more. That is why I chose to write about flowers and flower garden design. I have worked with flowers as a landscape designer and horticulturist all my adult life, and I know how wonderful it is to open the door to the sight of colorful blooms in the garden. More important, I believe we need flower gardens—our pollinator havens—more than ever. The more flowers we plant, the happier our endangered pollinators will be.

Flowers should play a bigger part in the modern world we live in because they brighten everyone’s mood. I wrote Floratopia to help in that effort. In the following pages, I profile flowers that anyone can grow. I discuss which flowers work well together for the best effect and share a few “secrets” for helping them thrive. And I spotlight some of my favorite flowers. I hope these tips inspire you to try your hand at growing flowers in a pot or in a plant bed. Or, if you do that already, to plant a flower or two that is new to you. This book is a paean to flower gardening, in all its guises.

Flowers have always been valued for their beautiful colors, fragrance, and form; but now, thanks to the influence of plantsman Piet Oudolf and other current landscape designers, we are learning to appreciate flowers’ seed heads and winter interest as well. In Floratopia, I note the trend to “intermingle” plants that flower and mature at different times. The seed heads of one flower sit side by side with another type that is just beginning to blossom. This expanded appreciation takes us beyond bright colors of spring and summer and into the earthy browns of late fall. It highlights flowers’ inherent beauty in all seasons.

Floratopia also stresses the vital role that flowers play in sustainable and eco-friendly gardens. The dance between flowers and their pollinators such as bees, moths, hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds is a crucial biological function. Flower gardens are really all about the pollinators. By planting a flower garden, not only do we enjoy its beauty, but we also create a habitat that can offer areas for egg laying and overwintering, for hosting butterfly larvae, and of course, for feeding. To paraphrase a well-known saying, “If you plant it, they will come.”

Papaver orientale, the oriental poppy, is native to Turkey and the Caucasus Mountains. The dark color at the heart of some oriental poppies mimics the presence of a female beetle, which is meant to attract pollinating male beetles in their native regions. A dwarf variety, ‘Allegro’ Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale ‘Allegro’) has scarlet-orange blooms with a dark center. It grows 18 to 24 inches tall and blooms in late spring-early summer; zones 3–8.

Pink coneflowers (Echinacea) and ‘Summer Nights’ oxeye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides ‘Summer Nights’) form an exuberant summer-blooming perennial duo. The coneflowers begin to bloom in early summer while the oxeye sunflowers start flowering in mid-summer. Both are native plants and will continue blooming into autumn, especially if deadheaded. ‘Summer Nights’ has goldeny-yellow, daisy-like blooms with mahogany centers. Hardy to zones 3–9. This is at the outstanding public garden, Chanticleer, in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

And lastly, Floratopia shares design ideas and growing techniques to help you create the flower garden of your dreams. I had the good fortune to learn these skills from a master French gardener, Alain Grumberg, years ago. He had trained in the world-famous gardens of Versailles before coming to the United States to become the head of grounds at Mohonk Mountain House, the historic resort hotel in New Paltz, New York. I worked in the display gardens there and, under Alain’s direction, we grew thousands of annual flowering plants from seed and planted them out in prepared flower beds in late May. We used European organic gardening methods—no pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

In the ensuing years, I have designed and supervised the planting of many flower gardens for clients around the country. I also plant flowers in containers and raised beds. One thing I have learned is that you do not need to have a grand garden—a simple planter full of flowers or a small flower bed is enough to feel the contentment that British writer A. A. Milne described so eloquently: “Flowers give a prolonged delight to all, both in the garden and out of it; and though one can buy cut flowers, one cannot buy the happiness which they give us as they grow.”

Flowers growing around us supply us with a sublime happiness. That is why Floratopia focuses on relatively fast-growing herbaceous flowering plants. The term herbaceous means a plant that has soft green stems. I do not cover flowers that grow on woody shrubs or trees like roses, lilacs, and hydrangeas in this book. However, there is so much to discuss when it comes to herbaceous flowers.

ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK

Floratopia is a book of individual illustrated tips and suggestions meant to stimulate your interest in flower gardening. There are six chapters and a total of 110 numbered tips. I aim to entice you to try some of these plants and ideas in your outdoor space, no matter the size. I answer questions like, “I like purple and silver, so what should I grow?” or “What are some varieties of Baptisia to try?” or “Which hardy perennials are deer resistant?” Floratopia is not a detailed growing manual, so if you are interested in growing any of the plants profiled here or trying ideas that I suggest, I hope you will research their specific growing requirements further.

The first chapter, Flowers in Pots & Planters, centers on the trend of growing plants in containers. We all love pots overflowing with flowers, and it is easy to begin your foray into gardening with planters. The popularity of container gardening is due to its ease and versatility—you can place containers anywhere. This section highlights flowers that work well in containers and gives tips on growing them in planters.

Here I am at work—don’t go on your knees when you plant out flowers. Kneeling compacts the soil and prevents you from moving easily; instead, straddle the bed or stand beside it and bend, if you can.

A cacophony of tulips greets spring in a most colorful way. A client, and dear friend, planted this mass of colorful tulip bulbs in the fall. What a way to start out the gardening year!

The second chapter, Flower Garden Planting Tips, addresses the hands-on aspect of flower gardening. I share pointers for preparing flower beds and growing flowers successfully. I explain USDA Plant Hardiness Zones (pages 76–77), tools to use, and more. These are general techniques that I use when out in the field. The tips can help make gardening tasks more enjoyable.

The third chapter, Flower Garden Design Tips & Green Thoughts, addresses what many gardeners love to discuss—the design and use of flowers in a garden. I refer to color, texture, and height, and suggest flower combinations to try as well. I also share a few of my musings about the benefits of flowers and gardening in our lives. I call those my “green thoughts.”

The fourth chapter, Themes for Flower Gardens, is for people who love concept gardens that celebrate a color, an insect, a natural condition, a historic period, and more. Flower gardens let you do that in such a beautiful way. I hope the themes I suggest get your creative juices flowing! I am sure there are many other themes that I have not thought of, so this chapter is just a starting point.

The fifth chapter, A Few Choice Perennial Flowers to Try, spotlights some easy-care perennial plants that I especially like. These popular flowering plants bloom during a certain season, go dormant in winter, and return the following year. Their reliable emergence from the ground every spring makes them the most desirable type of flowers to many gardeners. I feature a few select perennials that I have found to be great performers, attract pollinators, and are easy to grow. I also suggest companion plants.

The sixth and last chapter, A Selection of Favorite Annual Flowers, highlights some great performing annuals. Annuals are flowers that bloom consistently all season but do not come back the next year. I love annual flowers and have planted them in all kinds of landscapes—among perennials, ferns, rocks, and more. In this section, I share just a few special favorites. I discuss new varieties to try and ideas for combining them with other flowers.

This book has been a labor of love for me. Most of the photographs are mine and are of gardens and flowers I have planted through the years while working as a designer/horticulturist. I focus on flowers that grow in cooler areas rather than in southern or subtropical hardiness zones. Many that I discuss are suitable to a wide range of hardiness zones.

I hope that Floratopia inspires you to try your hand at growing flowers. I think you will find that they elevate the atmosphere, help our pollinators, and add a bit of joy to your outdoor space, wherever it may be. As botanist Luther Burbank said, “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul.”