The Growth of Bulbs: Applied Aspects of the Physiology of Ornamental Bulbous Crop Plants presents an account of ornamental bulbs as plants and as crops, with emphasis on scientific aspects of bulb growing, bulb treatment, and bulb forcing. While the account is biased towards British bulb growing, it also introduces bulb growing in other parts of the world, especially in the Netherlands, the United States, Israel, and Japan. The book's opening chapter discusses the origins of bulbous plants, how they became important as crop plants, and how the various forms now widely grown had been developed. This is followed by separate chapters on bulb types, structure, morphology, development and periodicity; bulb growth and productivity; flower initiation and differentiation; and the storage of bulbs. Subsequent chapters cover bulb physiology and metabolism, bulb disorders, and bulb pests and diseases. The book concludes with reflections on the form of the plant of the future.