Kindle Price: $14.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Diana Wells
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names Kindle Edition

by Diana Wells (Author), Ippy Patterson (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 117 ratings
See all formats and editions
Illustrations by Ippy Patterson. From Baby Blue Eyes to Silver Bells, from Abelia to Zinnia, every flower tells a story. Gardening writer Diana Wells knows them all. Here she presents one hundred well-known garden favorites and the not-so-well-known stories behind their names. Not for gardeners only, this is a book for anyone interested not just in the blossoms, but in the roots, too.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Algonquin Books
  5. Publication date
    January 2, 1997
  6. File size
    5490 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The title of this book is somewhat misleading, as Wells (contributing editor of the gardening magazine Greenprints) does not focus strictly on the simple derivation of plant names. (Another recent book on plant names, Martha Barnette's A Garden of Words, Times Bks., 1992, provides much more etymological detail.) Wells instead describes the mythology and history behind 100 favorite garden plants, emphasizing the exploits of botanists and plant explorers who brought them out of their native habitats. Their exploits make for engrossing reading, though it is sobering to learn how many of them suffered from disease and assault, lost their hard-earned collections, or were killed outright just trying to bring back plants for our gardens. Not an essential purchase but definitely worth a place in most horticultural or botanical collections.?Beth Clewis Crim, Prince William P.L., Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

From abelia to zinnia, here is a short history--and illustrations--of 100 common flowers. Take the poppy, for example; the botanical name Papaver is from the Latin, possibly going back to pap, a milky food that could have associations with the opium poppy's milky juice. The field or corn poppy, Papaver rhoeas, takes its botanical name from the Greek rhoeas, possibly from the root rho, meaning red. Wells, who keeps a six-acre garden on a farm near Philadelphia, reminds us that corn poppies thrive in soil that has been freshly turned, because the seeds need light to germinate; and this is the sad reason they flourished in the battlefields of France during World War I--the ground had been churned up by guns and soldiers. This is a delightful book for browsing when it's too cold to be out in the garden. George Cohen

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002K0IEEC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Algonquin Books; This Is the Sixth ed. edition (January 2, 1997)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 2, 1997
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5490 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 117 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Diana Wells

Diana Wells

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Diana Wells is the author of 100 flowers and How They Got Their Names and contributing editor to the journal Greenprints. Born in Jerusalem, she has lived in England and Italy and holds an honors degree in history from Oxford University. She now lives with her husband, an artist, on a farm in Pennsylvania.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
117 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Harold Wolf
5.0 out of 5 stars AS BEAUTIFUL TO READ AS THE BLOOM ARE TO SEE
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is a delight for flower gardeners, and especially those who like to sit outside and read among the flowers. Now, without a lot of over-the-head scientific language, you can get the fun of flowers, and enjoy the reading and the flowers together. It's not the definitive book for the scientifically serious grower, but one of the best for the backyard gardener. You'll find the book as fun as your flowers. Reading about flowers is better than weeding them.

I found this book AFTER reading Diana Wells newer book, "Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History". That book does to trees that 100 Flowers does to blooms. Each chapter (go ahead look at the list inside on this listing) offers information, a drawing and fun facts about the flower while not bogging the reader down with more than 2 or 3 pages. If you need more, there are other book. This book offers a FUN first look at what kinds of flowers may be growing in your backyard, and what you might want to add. The same treatment exists in Wells' book about trees and a third one, "100 Birds and How They Got Their Name." I give them all 5-stars for FUN reading. Take them outside in nature, the perfect place to read them.

These books are perfect for homeschool students and others doing basic research on trees, flowers, and birds. I'm sorry I passed age 60 before I found them, but they would be a delight to other retired nature lovers. Simple, fun reading that can be taken in in short bursts. I gained new bits of knowledge with every chapter, in every one of the 3 books.

I'm glad I ordered them all. I'd suggest the same for you.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
suzanbylsma
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative!
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
If you want to know everything about a flower this definitely tell you!
Helpful
 Report
G. C. Picchetti
4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect gift
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2006
Verified Purchase
100 Flowers is more of a small coffee table book than a garden guide. It's sweet and interesting. It would be a perfect gift for mother's day, the lady who babysits the cat, your nicest neighbor. I would be interested in other things the author has done or seeing her on Martha.
Helpful
 Report
Ss
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
Lots of fun learning where or how tge names of flowers came to be.
Nice table book.
Helpful
 Report
MaddalenaC
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Little Book
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
I am reading this lovely book a little at a time to make it last and am enjoying the gorgeous illustrations. I have always been interested in the names of things. This book is very informative.
It arrived in almost new condition with the jacket and only the name of the gift giver inscribed inside.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
TK
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history for flower gardeners
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2019
Verified Purchase
All the titles in this "How 100 . . . Got Their Names" series are fascinating. This one provided fascinating details of the origin of many common flowers. Those who enjoy the beauty of blossoms will find much to savor here.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
I read to relax
5.0 out of 5 stars Great little book
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a gem of a book. You can pick it up and read a chapter here and there. The text is delightful to read and the history is intriguing. Kudos. I have purchased second copies to give as gifts I enjoyed this so much!
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Michele Kelly
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
The cover is colorful but the inside has disappointing black and white drawings. Booooo!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Carol Banser
5.0 out of 5 stars 100 Flowers
Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a great book. Especially if you love history. It is a very easy book to read and gives a lot more information than just where the flower or plant got its name.I believe anyone who loves flowers will really enjoy this book.
Report
2nimm
4.0 out of 5 stars ouvrage intéressant mais incomplet et pauvrement illustré
Reviewed in France on January 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
livre anglophone relié rigide petit format ancien (1997)consacré à l'étymologie des noms de fleurs; après une courte introduction (5 pages), l'auteur dédie à chacune des 100 plantes abordées (par ordre alphabétique) un article de deux à trois pages illustré par une gravure n&b sur fond vert; bibliographie et index à la fin; ce petit livre de bibliothèque original bien que très incomplet ravira les amateurs de plantes et les jardiniers; il pourra néanmoins décevoir les botanistes et naturalistes scientifiques qui aurait préféré un dictionnaire un peu plus exhaustif
Report
Barbara Bolte
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect
Reviewed in Canada on March 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
No problems, great to do business with you.
Report
maria brousalis
4.0 out of 5 stars Gift
Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
This was a gift for someone else and I have not had had their feedback as yet.I did look through the book before I gifted it and found it to be pretty much what I expected.
Report
Karen S.
4.0 out of 5 stars good book
Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
It's a good book, but I wish it had color pictures.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report