Wildflowers, (The New England Wild Flower Society)

Cultivating and appreciating native flora is a first step towards ecological gardening, a concept whose time has come. By choosing to grow the plants that thrive naturally in the conditions your garden offers, you are working with rather than against nature, resulting in easier maintenance and a reduced need of water and chemicals. A great many of the very loveliest flowers are available as natives, such as columbines, iris, trout lilies, violets, trillium, and even orchids. The delicacy of the native species, their simple forms and unadorned beauty, make many of the cultivars we see in the nursery appear overdone and blowzy, like a girl who has overdressed for a party. Horticulturists have worked for years to make new colors, double forms, and larger, brighter flowers, but these small natives have all the appeal of the original, plus they naturally thrive in appropriate conditions.

More than a thousand species of flowers are discussed and pictured, with thorough information on native habitat, cultural requirements, propagation, and design considerations. At the back of the book are lists of plants ideal for specific situations and with certain characteristics; look here to find what species have large leaves or attract butterflies, as well as which do best in dry shade, rocky areas, bogs, and, perhaps most useful of all, which wildflowers are deer-resistant. --Valerie Easton

Product Description
This most complete and authoritative guide to North American wildflowers offers clear and detailed information on growing and propagating 200 genera and 1,000 species of these precious plants. No matter what your level of interest -- whether it is to introduce a few plants into your garden or to learn how to propagate them for yourself or for sales, this book will inspire as well as inform you.
With Cullina's guidance, you'll learn in which parts of the continent the plants are found in the wild, and -- even more helpful -- where and how to succeed with them in your own garden wherever you live.
As open land disappears, so too do many of the native plants that once flourished on this continent. Gardeners may be their last resort. It is the author's philosophy that a garden is not just an extension of our houses but a habitat we share with plants and the animals that depend on them for food and shelter. He writes:
"There is value in preserving wilderness, but there is equal value in restoring the suburbs and cities where most of us live to something closer to balance -- for our children's sake and the sake of all the other species around us. Growing wildflowers is not only fun and easy, it fosters a genuine connection with the region you live in."
William Cullina is the nursery manager and propagator for the New England Wild Flower Society, the oldest and one of the most widely known plant conservation organizations in North America. In 2000, the Society celebrated its 100th birthday. In spite of its regional name, their commitment is to the study and protection of all temperate North American native flowers. The Garden in the Woods, in Framingham, Massachusetts, is the popular showcase for the NEWFS. It features naturalistic displays of native plants organized by habitat and includes woodland, bog, meadow, pine barren, western/alpine, and pond side plantings.

The only weakness is the limited and low quality photography (lots of depth of field problems) which, I gather is not the author's work, but came from a wildflower society. There really are far too few pictures considering the wide variety of plants. Don't plan on being able to tell which of the diverse Eupatoriums or Asters you want to plant by looking at their pictures.

HOWEVER, this book would be worth it without pictures, just for the information. Go buy the book and then write the pubisher a note saying the illustration is beneath the writing....just like I just did.


Cool book   August 7, 2002
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is the best reference I've found for native plants, and it's a worthy book for a coffee table. Accessible and extensive, it's pleasantly written, with care information about the species and then add'l info on specific plants in the species. The photographs are often quite nice, although I wish they more consistently showed the plant's habit in addition to flowers. There's also an appendix in the back on seed propagation.

If you get this, purchase the companion shrub&tree reference, too. It's just as good.


This is the propagation book I've been waiting for!!!   October 18, 2000
 11 out of 13 found this review helpful

I can't add much to Jeremy's marvelous comments; I can only reiterate the praise. This book has the complete, clear, concise and honest information lacking in so many wildflower guides, especially when it comes to propagation. It is apparent that most information comes from the personal experience of the author and I've enjoyed the comments about individual plants. My only suggestion for the next edition would be the addition of photos of the seeds on the plant, especially for species such as Pachysandra, where it is unclear exactly where to look.