Cool Flowers

Everyone longs for fragrant early spring blossoms - Snapdragons, Bells of Ireland, Sweet Peas, Sweet Williams and other beauties. But few grow them successfully in their own gardens because they haven't learned the simple cool-weather techniques that make it possible. Expert flower grower Lisa Zeigler profiles 30 long-blooming stars of the spring garden, the "hardy annuals" that thrive when they are planted during cool conditions (instead of waiting until the warmth of spring and losing much of the season). Give them a cool start, plant them in the right spot at the right time, and stand back. In no time at all you'll have a low-maintenance, vibrant spring flower garden that keeps on blooming when the "tender annuals" are dead and gone. Beautifully photographed and filled with simple steps to success.