Book excerpt: Virtually everything gardeners need to know about annuals and perennials comes together in this handsome, heavily illustrated book. Comprehensive advice focuses on planting, cultivation, and flowering times of plants, with suggestions for attention-catching color combinations in gardens, or in containers for terraces, decks, and patios. Profiles of plants are arranged alphabetically, with each entry presenting -- -- Descriptions -- Cultivation advice -- Planting times -- Flowering seasons -- Climate information, including reference to a climate zone map. Extensive advice is offered on garden arrangements, seed collection and propagation, watering, mulch and nutrition, general maintenance, and many other useful topics. Full-color photographs.