Jermyn writes for sophisticated gardeners who long to grow great drifts of rare blue poppies, and those discriminating green thumbs known to yearn for unusual premolars. Jermyn's combined expertise and fascination with the subject of cultivating species indigenous to the Himalayas result in a manual filled with highly specific advice and instructive growing tips. Determined gardeners are provided with horticultural practices and procedures aimed at achieving successful results when they embark upon cultivating coveted alpine specimens. Focusing on alpines that thrive in woodland and rock garden situations, Jermyn explains exactly how gardeners living at low altitudes can create appropriate habitats for a range of flora customarily found at high altitudes. Replete with color photographs, this effective resource may intensify the trend toward growing newly introduced and more familiar Himalayan plants.

In this unique resource, Jim Jermyn offers not the usual botanical travelogue but instead a horticultural handbook that allows gardeners at far-lower-than-Himalayan elevations to successfully grow those plants that are native to the high Himalaya mountains. The highlights include species of Euphorbia, Gentiana, Meconopsis, Primula, Rhododendron, and more. Interest in the plants of this region is at a peak. These plants are guaranteed to add an exotic touch to any garden in which they are successfully grown, and with Jermyn's expert instructions and tips, they can be easily maintained. Whether documenting a well-known garden plant or an uncommon species, Jermyn supplies tried-and-true instructions on garden site preferences and care based on his own extensive experience. Excellent photographs round out an introduction to the plants, and the book includes a comprehensive list of recommended sources from which to purchase specimens both in Europe and the United States.