Arranged in seasonal order to help in planning a planting programme for all-year-round display, this is a guide to choosing and cultivating over a thousand garden plants that can be grown in the temperate regions of the world. Information is provided on bulbs and corms, annuals, biennials and perennials, ornamental grasses, alpines, and water plants. 300 of them are described in detail, and practical and botanical information is given in data-panels, to provide concise summaries of identification details, cultivation, after-care and garden use. The author is a horticultural consultant and Chelsea Gold Medal winner whose other books include "The Gardener's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs" and "The Complete Guide to Garden Plants".