Taming Wildflowers: Bringing the Beauty and Splendor of Nature’s Blooms into Your Own Backyard

The Garden Writers Association has recognized Taming Wildflowers with a Silver Award of Achievement Wildflowers are the jewels of spring and summer everywhere. Families drive miles to witness their beauty in wild landscapes. Now, gardeners are discovering that they can easily and successfully cultivate these hardy native wonders right at home, for year-after-year enjoyment. Wildflower farmer and floral designer Miriam Goldberger believes that wildflowers belong as an essential part of North American gardens. Taming Wildflowers is the ultimate DIY book on wildflower gardening: part wildflower history ("How Wildflowers Changed the World"), part upbeat, informative how-to, and a little basic plant science, and an easy primer on designing with these wild and wondrous blooms. Her richly photographed book shows gardeners how wildflowers enhance the beauty and environmental health of their gardens by attracting birds, butterflies and other important pollinators; the simple steps in seed propagation ("Making Babies"); cutting garden must-haves (natives and non-natives); integrating wildflowers into the vegetable garden; harvesting fresh and everlasting wildflowers; drying; using floral design secrets to create long-lasting arrangements; and how to design a wildflower wedding. Features more than 60 of Miriam's favorite wildflowers and 300 full-color photos.

The author has been a full-time wildflower farmer for 25 years. She and her husband own the sustainable horticulture enterprise known as Wildflower Farm, outside of Toronto, Canada’s oldest and largest wildflower seed company. Boasting a multi-acre Native Botanical Garden and meadow demonstration areas, it produces wildflower and native grass seeds for private and public gardens and meadows throughout North America. Over 40,000 homeowners are growing Wildflower Farm seeds, with over 250,000 plants. The farm’s website http: //wildflowerfarm.com receives 224,000 unique visitors each year. The author is also a floral designer, teaching wildflower wedding workshops at the farm.