Buried Treasures

Finding and Growing the World's Choicest Bulbs
by Jānis Rukšāns

Take a few chapters from a John le Carré spy thriller, add a hefty dose of exotic travelogue, blend with one of the best books on bulb growing ever written, and you've got Buried Treasures. Since launching his first international mail-order catalog in 1991, Latvian nurseryman Jānis Rukšāns has gained a reputation as one of the world's foremost experts on rare and unusual bulbs: exotic Juno irises; gem-like corydalis; dusky, brooding fritillaries. For decades, Rukšāns has been scouring remote and dangerous regions of Europe and Asia to bring back seed of the botanical treasures that he offers through his nursery, often contending with corrupt government agents, armed rebels, drunken drivers, and even (before the fall of the Soviet Union) the KGB.

Although adventure abounds in this gloriously illustrated book, there's a great deal more for the gardener seeking trustworthy information. Rukšāns is a grower of bulbs second to none, and he generously shares his professional knowledge about the care and cultivation of every major and minor genus of bulb-forming plant.

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