Who is Iris Bell?
Iris Bell is the editorial pen name of How To Grow Flowers, a small independent publisher writing for gardeners across the United States. Iris is not one person with a résumé: the name lets the site speak with one consistent voice, and we would rather say so plainly than invent a biography.
What we publish
Bloom-by-bloom, zone-by-zone guides to the world’s flowers for US gardens: tropical and Hawaiian favourites such as plumeria and hibiscus, flowering trees and shrubs, vines, perennials and bulbs, annuals, desert plants and succulents, and bonsai. Every guide is researched against university extension sources, botanic-garden and nursery data and grower reports, written for the USDA zone you actually live in, and reviewed before it goes out. Each one gives things you can act on: when to plant, how much light and water, when to expect blooms and what to do when the season turns. Where a plant will not thrive outdoors in your climate, we say so and point to the closest thing that will, or how to grow it in a pot and bring it in for winter.
What we don’t do
Nobody pays to appear in or change a guide, and we don’t sell plants. Read our editorial policy.