The quick recommendation
Choose Floral Design if the flower is the point. Choose Glorious Gardens if you want the setting around the flowers to matter too.
Sources were checked on August 26, 2026. Dover product pages support the identity and format facts used here. Coloring Book Hub has not physically evaluated these books, so this is a reader-fit comparison rather than a hands-on review.
| Decision point | Floral Design Color by Number | Glorious Gardens Color by Number |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Dover Publications | Dover Publications |
| Series context | Creative Haven adult coloring | Creative Haven adult coloring |
| Creator named by Dover product data | Jessica Mazurkiewicz | George Toufexis |
| Publisher-stated image count | 46 images | 46 scenes |
| Number/key structure | Numbers correspond to a coloring key | Lightly printed numbers correspond to a simple color key |
| Page format | Perforated and printed on one side | Perforated and printed on one side |
| Best reader | Floral close-up and arrangement fans | Garden-scene and outdoor-setting fans |
Choose Floral Design for flower-first coloring
Publisher-verified facts: Dover describes Creative Haven Floral Design Color by Number as a floral book with dogwood blossoms, pansies, tulips, daffodils, roses, bleeding hearts, lilies, and other flowers. Dover also states that each of its 46 images has numbers corresponding to a coloring key and that pages are perforated and printed on one side.
Editorial interpretation: Floral Design is the better pick if you want petals, stems, color families, and repeated botanical motifs without needing every page to feel like a full landscape. It should pair well with a broad colored-pencil set because flower keys often need several pinks, reds, yellows, purples, and greens.
Who it is for:
- Adults who want a flower-forward numbered book.
- Colorists who like clear subject boundaries.
- Readers building confidence with botanical palettes.
- People who want many opportunities to practice petal color transitions.
Who should skip it:
- Readers who prefer full outdoor scenes.
- Colorists who want architecture, travel, animals, or scenic depth.
- Anyone who dislikes floral repetition.
Hands-on observation: none recorded.
Choose Glorious Gardens for scene variety
Publisher-verified facts: Dover describes Creative Haven Glorious Gardens Color by Number as a book of 46 flower-filled landscapes that include roses, tulips, sunflowers, succulents, dozing cats, mountains, waterfalls, and an occasional garden gnome. Dover also says the book uses lightly printed numbers, a simple color key, and perforated one-sided pages.
Editorial interpretation: Glorious Gardens is the better pick when a reader wants flowers plus setting. The pages should feel less like isolated floral arrangements and more like garden moments, outdoor corners, and small scenic stories.
Who it is for:
- Garden-scene fans.
- Adults who like flowers but want variety.
- Colorists who enjoy backgrounds and supporting details.
- Readers who want cats, landscape features, and decorative garden objects mixed in.
Who should skip it:
- Readers who want only floral close-ups.
- Colorists who find background spaces tiring.
- People who prefer symmetrical mandalas or pure pattern books.
Hands-on observation: none recorded.
Which is easier for beginners?
Floral Design is likely the simpler first choice for most color-by-number beginners because flower arrangements can be colored one petal, one leaf, and one bloom at a time. Glorious Gardens may ask for more scene decisions around sky, water, ground, foliage, and background objects.
That is editorial interpretation. Dover positions both as Creative Haven adult coloring books, and both use color keys. A beginner who enjoys garden scenes may stay more engaged with Glorious Gardens even if it includes more varied subject matter.
Which one needs more pencil colors?
Both benefit from a broad pencil set. Floral Design needs enough close botanical colors: several greens, reds, pinks, yellows, purples, creams, and browns. Glorious Gardens needs those plus landscape colors such as sky blues, water blues, grays, earth tones, bark colors, and shadow colors.
If you own a smaller pencil set, start by matching values rather than exact names. A light green, middle green, and dark green can carry many leaf sections even when the printed key is more specific.
What about removing pages?
Dover says both books have perforated pages printed on one side. That supports removal and display as a publisher-verified format fact. It does not prove that a particular marker, pen, or wet medium will behave safely on the paper. Test tools before using them on a finished page.
Bottom line
Floral Design Color by Number is the tighter floral choice. Glorious Gardens Color by Number is the broader garden-scene choice. Both are source-backed Creative Haven color-by-number options with 46 numbered images or scenes and one-sided perforated pages, but neither should be described as hands-on tested until physical evaluation notes exist.
Sources
- Dover Publications, "Creative Haven Floral Design Color by Number Coloring Book," checked August 26, 2026: store.doverpublications.com
- Dover Publications, "Creative Haven Glorious Gardens Color by Number Coloring Book," checked August 26, 2026: store.doverpublications.com
- Crayola, "Colored Pencils, 120 Count," checked August 26, 2026: crayola.com
- Coloring Book Hub prior article archive, checked August 26, 2026: content/articles/