Sarah Raven Cut Flowers Books

Hello!

I am going to buy one of Sarah Raven's books on cut flowers. She has 2 on the subject and I've seen her on Gardeners' World so though it would be worth a go. She has "Grow your own cut flowers" and "The cutting garden: growing and arranging garen flowers". They seem to overlap quite a lot and I haven't found anything recommending one above the other or what sets them apart.

Unfortunately I don't have time to go into a bookshop and browse the 2 options for myself so I'm having to buy online. My girlfriend loves cut flowers and in our new garden on the Isle of Wight we're going to have a dedicated cutting garden for her. She's been away on her medical elective for 4 weeks and she's back in 2 weeks. It's been a tough time and she got her purse stolen (not the end of the world but it's made everything must more complicated as a result.)

So I'm going to get her this book as a gift so we have something to look forward to in the next few months and for years after. These books look like they cover growing and harvesting and arrangement of cut flowers so it will teach me and her about then and allow her to pick whatever she likes thought having to worry that she's causing damage in the process. She likes flowers, I like gardening.

My question to the group is - which one should I get? I could buy both but if they cover the same things it seems a bit over the top. Does anyone own these or know of anyone who uses them (or any others to be honest) My local libraries don't stock them and I live far away from a book shop big enough to stock them.

Many thanks in advance
Craig

 

Thankyou for the speedy reply Marley Farley, I took a look at the site earlier but couldn't quite grasp the differences in the books. Didn't see the questions bit so will check again. It does look like the 2nd one covers a wider range of plants but does it matter that it's over 10 years old now? I can't decide which one says more about collecting and arranging flowers. Don't want to get a present for her (well ... present for us) that's of more interest to me. It's like Homer Simpson buying Marge a bowling ball for himself and giving it to marge as a present! :-)

 

How very thoughtful of you Craig a pure Gent.

 

I thought I'd have to make a decision somewhere along the line - ah well. I would buy the offer on them all but just can't justify the expense at the mo - I think she'd prefer I was able to pay the mortgage than buying books. Although - cut flowers are expensive so we may save money this year. hmm, something to think about. :-)

will wait a sec and see if anyone has any absolute objections to either (not likely since everyone seems to like her)

 

Scotkat - not so much of a gent - just trying to do something to stop her going away for another 6 weeks in the future , the dog is missing her terribly.

 

Dear me, Craig, are you a Libran by any chance? Get "The Cuttings Garden".

I'm doing one myself and it's great fun, although I don't have any shrubs in it. It is mostly full of perennials (salvia, monarda, astrantia etc.), bulbs & corms (lilies, dahlias and gladioli), climbers (cobea scandens, convulvulus, sweetpeas) and also annuals (cosmos, cleome, nigella etc.). Plants in brackets are just examples - I have other too. In fact, I've run out of space, but it should look fantastic come summer.

 

Was that meant to be "Libran" or "Librarian"? :-) I am Capricorn so that explains my indecision (duplicitously looking both ways and all). I was leaning towards The Cutting Garden based on its description on play.com so this is good to hear.

I am creating a Cutting / Cottage garden. We have a lovely space out the front of the lounge window that I want to fill with tumbling flourishes of flowers so it can be enjoyed from inside and brought inside when the season allows. It's going to be the only shamelessly pretty bit of the garden where the rest with have more of a functional/edible aspect. Can't wait to move!

 

It was meant to be Libra, the scales, weighing up one possibility against the other! Anyway, have fun with your cuttings/cottage garden, and we will be expecting to see photos in the fullness of time, of course!!!