(Part 2) Best holticulture by climate books according to redditors
We found 105 Reddit comments discussing the best holticulture by climate books. We ranked the 34 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Sure. I got a wild hair to grow cut flowers to sell a little over a year ago. So I joined an excellent FB group of professional florists and flower farmers, took a post harvest physiology class, and started reading everything I could about cut flower growing, harvest, and marketing.
I already had a pretty large home garden, about 35' x 35', so I switched over a portion of it to growing cut flower rather than vegetables.
I made a list of cut flowers that grow well in my climate and divided them into categories based on bloom season, purpose, and form. Other For example, zinnias bloom in summer, are a main flower in a bouquet, and have a disk shape. I'd also have something for foliage and maybe a spiky type of flower. With those three things, you can build a decent looking bouquet. Then I selected flowers to grow so I had as many niches filled at any given time through the season.
I picked up the book, Cool Flowers and learned about growing winter hardy flowers for early spring harvest. I seriously can't recommend that book highly enough. It's amazing for anyone who wants to grow flowers, regardless of your purpose.
Then I started using instagram to market myself. I found the attention of an event florist who likes purchasing locally, so I hook her up when she needs anything. I also market on Craigslist and Nextdoor, but those really don't provide much opportunity. Without question, marketing is the most difficult aspect of this. And I say that after getting up before 5am this morning to cut and arrange those bouquets you saw. I also have a very difficult time with pricing. I'm naturally pretty frugal, and it's hard to price these buckets and bouquets so that I make much of a profit. I tend to overprice quite a bit, but I'm working on that.
One other thing I should mention is it's very easy to underestimate how long it takes to cut and process a couple buckets of flowers. It is easily 2 hours of work to cut a couple buckets. Then you have to make time to arrange, etc.
If I were to recommend a few books, they would be:
Sure thing. We're just setting it up for the winter, as most of her plants do very well outside (Detroit). Are you looking at a year-round terrarium setup, or a place to maintain them across a cold/wet season?
She went through and sorted everything by light/temp/water needs and figured out that her cephalotus/sarracenia (potted pitchers), drosera(sundews), and most of her pinguicula (butterworts) will be ok with a similar temp range - so they are all going into the same tank. I've been voluntold that I'm building risers this weekend to make sure each one gets the right amount of light - from a 4' x 4 tube T5 light setup that rests on top of the tank, just like an aquarium. There is a waterproof heating pad under the tank, and a thermometer inside to keep tabs on temp.
The top easily comes off and a couple pieces of plexi keep humidity constant. Since they won't be naturally hunting inside the tank plants can be dropper feed a thinned out 16/16/16 (maybe 18/18/18 - I don't know these things) solution, or you can apparently get wingless fruit flies or freeze dried mealworms.
Her nephentes (hanging/tropical pitchers) are getting cycled between window rods and the big shelving unit for succulents/orchids.
These books are definitely worth checking out:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607744104/ (great wide overview)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1505891604/
TLDR:
Hope this helps. If you have any questions, PM me and I'll direct you to the expert. All of my knowledge comes from whatever I need to order online or construct to support the habit.
Buy a house with a large flat lot. Build mounds for your plantings, leaving wide paths for your dog. The paths can be grass if you don't mind mowing and edging.
http://www.sierraazul.com/mounds.html
Beth Chatto has a drought resistant garden with smaller beds. You could always scale it up to fit your property.
[Drought Resistant Gardening] (https://www.amazon.com/Drought-Resistant-Planting-Beth-Chatto/dp/0711214255/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0711214255&pd_rd_r=eb23cf40-afc9-11e8-b9b0-b9c4745829eb&pd_rd_w=Dc1kt&pd_rd_wg=il7bj&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=7HTKZGC0MA7XYVXQRYM2&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=7HTKZGC0MA7XYVXQRYM2)
In short, burry it in the yard before the ground freezes. I recommend this book- Growing Roses in Cold Climates: Revised and Updated Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0816675937/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nSJMDbZS2MBHS
This book might help you pick out plants, this book by Dirr might help you understand the plants in the book of lists a little better. You will still need to learn how to make a plant schedule and what size plants to pick out, theres some interesting information here. In general, small plants for civil jobs will be specified as 3 gallon or 5 gallon bucket sizes. 7 gal if you want it to be larger, and 15 gal if they need to be big fast, but i have never put anything bigger than a 5 gallon on my civil jobs.
Try this one- primarily for horticulture students and commercial growers, but home growers can use it as well or this one- intended for home growers.
It's definitely a challenge gardening in the desert and it's what I do for a living! Lots of trial and error still to this day and I've lived in the desert for 10 years now.
Here are some books that I have found very helpful:
Perennials for the Southwest
Native Plants for Southwest Landscapes
Arid Plants for Dry Regions
I used to work in a desert botanic garden nursery and these 3 books were our go to books for reference. Bear in mind that your area can get much colder than the low desert but all these books have plant temperature requirements.
But most importantly have fun getting to know the desert and after time you'll see what a magical place it is. If you have the time I recommend exploring the natural areas by hiking, camping or just doing a bit of road tripping. You'll get lots of inspiration and come to an understanding of how unique all the animals and plants are that have had to adapt to such harsh conditions. Winter is great time to explore. No bugs and all the snakes are sleeping! =)
If you want to garden now and into the cold weather, and all winter, no matter how cold, read Caleb Warnock's book about cold weather vegetable gardening.
https://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Winter-Gardening-Vegetables-Electricity/dp/1462110940/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=caleb+warnock&qid=1566920503&s=gateway&sr=8-2
Hey, I just saw your post. Welcome. Pulelehua covered things pretty well. If you're looking for books, i have a couple Hawaii specific ones.
This first one is a book only on native Hawaiian plants. It's very comprehensive, but also hard to find. I bought this year's ago, so I'm not sure where to find it anymore.
Growing Hawaii's Native Plants: A Simple Step-by-Step Approach for Every Species
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1566477166/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XpFmybZRH1JNC
This second book has info for vegetable gardening specifically in Hawaii. I haven't looked at it in a long while because my grandma has it (I gave it to her to borrow, but I think she thought it was a gift. I'd ask for it back, but it keeps her occupied, so I'd feel bad) so I don't remember exactly what was in it, but it's very good if you are just starting to garden because it covers growing conditions, pests, fertilizing, and seasons. There's an accompanying fruit book that's not as available. I might try find the fruit book soon.
Growing Vegetables in Hawai'i: A How-to Guide for the Gardener
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1573060801/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.sFmybTHRRZNP
You could rake the gravel into a shape, edge with stones, and have beds around the edges, like this patio:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/ATsgjTETkb8eKLsk_4jtxrX6XFLt6Lij8hJx_fFbQy1yJlX0fWfzEoo/
or this:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/474918723191920379/
Or just leave it where it is and plant right in it. Beth Chatto wrote a good book about it- "The Gravel Garden":
https://www.amazon.com/Drought-Resistant-Planting-Lessons-Chattos-Gravel/dp/0711238111/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1491165754&sr=8-5&keywords=the+gravel+garden
This is probably the book you are looking for:
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Medicinal-Plants-Peterson-Guides/dp/0395838061
Here are some more good ones for your area:
http://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Desert-Gary-Paul-Nabhan/dp/0816510148/
http://www.amazon.com/Going-Seed-Identifying-Preparing-Southwest/dp/1580960065
http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Native-Plants-Rocky-Mountains/dp/0826303439
I am not an expert but have been growing here for several years and can try to answer questions. But check out gardenweb, it's a great resource.
Gardening here is different than the rest of the country so you might want to pick up a book to learn about the unique soil. This one is old but it's what I've used.
According to [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Floridas-Best-Fruiting-Plants-Native/dp/1561643726) book, 9a is kinda pushing the northern limits. The book ranks it as 2/5 stars for cold tolerance (subjective, I know, but it's a system used consistently throughout the book). It further states,
> ...prefers a dry, frost-free climate. Brief temperature drops to 29degF do not inflict significant harm. However the plant will show stem blistering and other damage at 27defF. At low temperatures, the stems liquify and the plant may be killed to the ground.
As you suggested, a south-facing wall may provide that micro-climate & heat sink. Good luck!