BOOK REVIEWS

Tulip

Liz Dobbs
Consultant Cees Breed
Distributed by Reed
$NZ49.95

TULIPS are the mainstay of the spring garden, and are more popular today than ever before. With a huge range of varieties and vibrant colours covering the whole spectrum, they never fail to make an impact in containers or in garden beds.

Tulip brings together beautiful portraits of more than 70 tulips from a private collection in Holland and advises how to buy, cultivate and care for these elegant bulbs.

It also delves into their history, such as the crazy profiteering days of tulipomania - a time when fortunes were won and lost (and stolen and squandered) as the European elite sought to own and trade the rarest varieties.

Most of this book is taken up with single flower photos, but there are some truly stunning combinations to try in home gardens too.

Weekend Gardener, Issue 102, July 18-August 7, 2002, Page 28

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH