Ralph Ballinger has spent much of his life in the breeding, selection and testing of flowers, growing flower seed crops and for thirty years flowers commercially under glass. This is a practical book written for home gardeners and the common names have been used mainly for identification of plants. Nearly 200 flowers have been described covering mainly annuals and perennials used for bedding and herbaceous borders. The first section of the book covers the planning of the flower garden plus the raising and propagation of plants. There is a chapter on small glasshouses and special reference is given to growing flowers for the house and the drying of flowers. The second section is an alphabetical listing of these flowers with a description of the propagation of each. Photographs alongside the text assist in the identification of these flowers.

This is a practical book on growing vegetables under New Zealand conditions and is of special interest to home gardeners and students. All the most important vegetables are covered alphabetically giving details of sowing, cultivation, harvesting, storage, and pests and diseases that might be expected on these crops. In addition there is a simple and helpful reminder of jobs to be carried out month by month. Over 300 photographs clearly illustrate the growing of each crop from planting to harvesting and complement the text in bringing to the reader a clear and concise description of how to be successful in growing their own vegetables.