Beautiful Bulbous Flowers

This book is a picturesque presentation providing information on bulbous flowering plants commonly grown for business or pleasure. It is a handy guide for flower lovers.

The author Dr. B.B. Sharma, a former Professor of Horticulture, IRAI, New Delhi, has authored many books on Horticulture and Home Gardening.

Man's fondness for flowers for their fragrance and beauty is well-known. Flowers are an essential part of a garden. Bulbous flowers exhibit an astonishing diversity in bewildering array of colour and charm and are extensively used to provide interest and colour before other plants have started to grow. They are particularly suitable to areas where a rich, colourful effect is needed perhaps for a short period.

In view of international co-operation, extensive exploration, collection, assessment and genetic improvement programmes, numerous new charming additions to the existing successful garden forms in bulbous flower crops have taken place in India and elsewhere. The range of easily available hybrids and varieties today far exceeds which were obtainable several years ago. Bulbous flower gardening has therefore been brought within the reach of anyone who has even a few yards of soil or pots. "The bulbous flower world" has become thus a dynamic market place with shifting production centres, new introductions, emerging markets and improved cultivation technologies. With the presence of temperate, sub-tropical and tropical climates, India has become the important source of supply for fresh cut flowers and planting material that can successfully meet specific market requirements.

The beginners, often do not know what to choose from the vast array of popular bulbous flowers. The difficulty lies in not knowing the correct botanical name by which to refer a plant, being unable to identify a specimen seen in a garden, flower show or publication or not having elementary information on a particular species.

Efforts have been made to collect basic information and photographs on selected bulbous flower species from numerous sources catalogues to keep knowledge up to date on flower characters, in particular in this publication in a simple elementary manner.

I am most grateful to Shrimati Surinder Kaur, Director (Publications Division) Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India for her interest and encouragement at every stage of this book's preparation.

It is my sincere wish that bulbous flower enthusiasts would find it useful.

**Contents and Sample Pages**