Bulbs in the Basement, Geraniums on the Windowsill

By Alice McGowan and Brian McGowan

Book Overview

Cooler-zone gardeners are discovering that with a little wintertime care, plants that have long been considered "annuals" can thrive for years. These plants -- including geraniums, gladioli, dahlias, begonias, rosemary, lavender, snapdragons, and even impatiens -- aren't annuals at all. Rather, they are tender perennials. They aren't hardy enough to survive winter on their own, but they can be moved indoors during the cold months and then returned to the garden in spring. Many are even more beautiful in their second and third years! Bulbs in the Basement, Geraniums on the Windowsill is the first comprehensive resource on the care and maintenance of tender plants. In this zone-defying guide, you'll find simple techniques for overwintering, along with 160 detailed plant profiles that include individualized advice for overwintering and indoor care. With this practical guide, you can enjoy your favorite plants year after year, no matter where you live!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1603420428
• ISBN13: 9781603420426
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Storey Publishing
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.6" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

What a perfect idea for a book

What a great idea for a book. Thank YOU, Alice and Brian! I was lucky enough to visit their nursery in slightly western Mass. a number of times and really appreciate that a lot of what they had to share then is in easy reference book form now. (In fact, I have a scented geranium that's the great-great-grandson of a purchase from them still.) There are lots of books that cover perennials, tender and otherwise, but they never...

cheapskate's delight

Got this for Christmas, and I know I will use it a lot. Am already debating which tender perennials to try for 2009. Thunbergia alata? Moonflower? And who knew that Saliva guaranitica and mirabilis can be overwintered as tubers? This book is a godsend in an economy where dollars must be stretched.

Helpful and informative!

Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (12/08) "Bulbs in the Basement, Geraniums on the Windowsill" by Alice and Brian McGowan provides information on "how to grow and overwinter 165 tender plants." After a little bit of history about the authors and their beginnings, the book dives into an explanation as to just what a tender perennial is. Being new to gardening, I found this explanatory section helpful to establish...

Laypersons and Professionals alike will love this book!

This book answers the many questions that gardeners have who wish to carry over their tender plants from one year to another. Why throw away those lovely geraniums and dahlias and tender bulbs when they can be grown and flowered over and over. Look at it as a very environmentally friendly practice that doesn't require recycling your hard-earned dollars. And these suggestions are not gotten from other sources like many books...