100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names

The gardening writer and author of Lives of the Trees explores the fascinating stories behind the names of one hundred flowers in this beautifully illustrated book.

Since the Garden of Eden, people have found pleasure and purpose in giving names to plant life. And our relationship to flowers, as food, medicine, magic, adornment, and decoration, goes back long before recorded history.

From Baby Blue Eyes to Silver Bell, from Abelia to Zinnia, every flower tells a story. Gardening writer Diana Wells knows them all. Here she presents one hundred well-known garden favorites and the not-so-well-known stories behind their names. Not for gardeners only, this is a book for anyone interested not just in the blossoms, but in the roots, too.

With illustrations by Ippy Patterson.