Rules for Flower Garden

Family: Flower Garden
Categories: Unusual
Variants:
Also Known As: Bouquet, Garden, The Garden

This interesting game features a reserve of sixteen cards called the bouquet, from which any card can be plucked and moved to adorn the garden (the tableaus), or sent to the foundations. Flower Garden varies in difficulty, with some games unwinding easily to a win while others may require considerable ingenuity to win. A determined and skilled player can win more than one third of all games.

Layout

Begin by laying out six tableaus of six cards each, face-up and fanned down. The remaining 16 cards are fanned horizontally; this is the bouquet. The four foundations start the game empty.

Play

Top cards of tableaus are available for play on the foundations, which build up in suit from the Ace. Tableaus build down regardless of color or suit. Empty tableaus may be filled with any available card.

The cards in the bouquet are all available for play on tableaus or foundations: any one of them can be removed at any time.

Goal

The goal is to move all the cards onto the foundations.

Tips

Empty piles are crucial for moving cards within the tableau, because you can put any card into an empty tableau pile. Bring down cards from the bouquet to help you clear a tableau pile by moving its cards to other tableaus. Then use the empty pile to help you reorganize your tableaus and reach cards that can go to the foundations.

Be especially aware of Kings, because they can’t move anywhere except to an empty tableau, or (usually at the end of the game) to the foundations. You’ll need empty piles to move Kings and reach the cards that were under the Kings.

Cards in the bouquet that can go straight to the foundations can be moved immediately.