Key features include:- use of compatible perennials;- non-invasive planting techniques;- emphasis on biodiversity;- specifically adaptable to local climate, landscape, and soil conditions;- highly productive output of edibles.Now, picture your backyard as one incredibly lush garden, filled with edible flowers, bursting with fruit and berries, and carpeted with scented herbs and tangy salad greens. The visual impact is of Monet's palette, a wash of color, texture, and hue. But this is no still life. The flowers nurture endangered pollinators. Bright-featured songbirds feed on abundant berries and gather twigs for their nests.The plants themselves are grouped in natural communities, where each species plays a role in building soil, deterring pests, storing nutrients, and luring beneficial insects. And finally, you—good ol' homo sapiens—are an integral part of the scene. Your garden tools are resting against a nearby tree, and have a slight patina of rust, because this garden requires so little maintenance. You recline into a hammock to admire your work. You have created a garden paradise.This is no dream, but rather an ecological garden, which takes the principles of permaculture and applies them on a home-scale. There is nothing technical, intrusive, secretive, or expensive about this form of gardening. All that is required is some botanical knowledge (which is in this book) and a mindset that defines a backyard paradise as something other than a carpet of grass fed by MiracleGro.

    Perfect for gardeners, herbalists, and cooks alike, this is the most comprehensive illustrated encyclopedia of herbs.

    Octavo, , PP.381, #1 New York Times Bestselling Authors With Stories About Gardening To Remember

    This gardening grimoire also includes easy techniques for making beauty treatments, culinary delights, pest control solutions, and housecleaning supplies.

    This book will make gardening easier by providing helpful guidelines and realistic advice, so you can plan out your time efficiently and effectively.Packed with beautiful photo galleries that showcase each month's "Star Plant", you'll be inspired to have your own garden blooming throughout the year! Explore more than 350 different varieties in the A-Z illustrated plant directory. Discover top tips to guide you with clear, easy-to-follow gardening advice and illustrated step-by-step projects and gardening ideas. This fully updated edition includes brand-new visual galleries that showcase a garden throughout the year, with inspirational ideas for achieving colour schemes, your favourite scent, or striking foliage in your garden.Discover How to Keep Your Garden Beautiful from January to DecemberWhatever your level of skills in the garden, expert advice from the well-known gardener, Ian Spence, will help you keep your garden thriving all year round. RHS Gardening Through The Years is a must-have for anyone who has a green thumb! Inside the pages of this easy-to-follow gardening guide, you'll find:- Essential gardening advice.- Month-by-month chapters and handy to-do lists so you can keep on top of your garden tasks.- Photo galleries that showcase each month's best plants and flowers.- Illustrated plant directory with over 350 different varieties for you to explore.Happy gardening!

    Filled with updated illustrations, photographs, and examples, this completely updated guide is designed to help readers understand and implement the appropriate pruning practices that are vital to developing sustainable structure in the first 25 years of a tree's life. Coverage includes a variety of information about the challenges associated with pruning such as disease prevention, root pruning, mature tree pruning, and restoration following storms. With its simple tables, lists, and strategies, this book is an appealing resource for horticulture, landscape and tree associations and industries and is a natural addition for botanic garden and arboreta bookstores.

    The garden seamlessly combines elements from the best gardening traditions with the original and the unexpected into a splendid composition that is nevertheless perfectly compatible with its natural surroundings. The Greater Perfection illustrates the delights, diversions, and surprises that await a visitor to these extraordinary gardens. The book chronicles the family origins of Les Quatre Vents as well as the story of its expansion during the last twenty-five years. Author Francis Cabot's account of the challenges of developing and enlarging Les Quatre Vents reveals the fascinating process behind the creation of a world-class garden that has become a mecca for horticultural enthusiasts from around the globe. Featuring photographs by five of today's leading garden photographers, this is one of the most beautiful books on gardens to appear in years. 382 color photographs, 25 black-and-white photographs.

    Learn about 93 Minnesota trees, organized in the book by leaf type and attachment. Fact-filled information contains the particulars that you want to know, while full-page photos provide the visual detail needed for accurate identification. Trees are fascinating and wonderful, and this is the perfect introduction to them.

    Twenty years on, he has transformed the land adjoining the house into several exquisite gardens which embody his gardening ideals and organic principles. With the help of some of Britain's finest designers, including the Marchioness of Salisbury, Rosemary Verey, Miriam Rothschild and Sir Roy Strong, the Prince of Wales has created individual gardens which have now, with his own ideas, reached maturity. Here, he describes the thinking behind each garden, the mistakes and the triumphs, and his plans for the future.

    From annuals to vegetables, lawns, trees, and perennials, simply look up any given month and you'll find a complete gardening guide for every plant category, with advice for planning, planting, care, watering, fertilizing, and overcoming problems typically encountered by Florida gardeners during that time of year. Fully illustrated with gorgeously colored step-by-step method and plant photography, this is the ideal how-to guide for Florida gardeners. Whether you're growing milkweed in Tallahassee, planting a Simpson's stopper in Orlando, or simply wondering where (or when) to start, Florida Month-by-Month Gardening helps you take your first steps toward mastering the Florida gardening landscape. Companion books Florida Getting Started Garden Guide and Florida Fruit & Vegetable Gardening are two more excellent additions to your Floridian garden library. Discover: The best lawn care tips for southern landscapesHow to maintain plantings through the dry seasonTips for growing vegetables in Florida's unique climateAdvice on managing common Florida garden pestsCare and planting techniques for shrub and flower gardensOther titles in our popular Month-By-Month Gardening series include: Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest, Carolinas, Rocky Mountains, Deep South, New England, and many more.

    The first real book to be published on growing food in tropical climates.

    Written when the native plant movement was just getting started, it helped convert a generation of gardeners to the practical and aesthetic values of using drought-tolerant plants in southwestern landscapes.In this new edition, Jill Nokes has extensively rewritten every section to include the latest information on the production, cultivation, and landscape use of native plants. She has added over 75 new species and updated the propagation and care information for the original 350 species of trees, shrubs, and woody vines. In addition to the individual plant descriptions, she also devotes whole chapters to gathering and storing seeds, seed germination, planting, vegetative propagation, and transplanting. With this wealth of clearly presented, easy-to-reference information, How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest will remain the last word on this subject.

    Features include easy-to-use red bar phenograms, a phenology flight chart, habitat guide and binocular buying guide. The innovative format makes field identification a snap!

    The plant encyclopedia lists more than 6,000 varieties, and the plant selection guide will help solve any garden challenge. This book is destined to become a best seller among Eastern gardeners.

    I'd miss any one of them too much if I asked someone else to do them for me. I may work by myself, but I'm not alone. I'm in the company of stone." Daniel Snow is a waller, an artisan who builds walls, terraces, caverns, and the occasional sphere or pool out of dry stone. It's an ancient skill--building with only what the earth provides. No mortar, no nails, nothing to hold his creations together except gravity, an invisible glue he can sense in the stones' "conversations" of squeaks and rumbles. A hollow sound means a void needs to be filled; a solid fit is secured with the sound of a bolt being thrown. Snow's evocative prose and Peter Mauss's richly textured photographs of Snow's work reveal the nuance and beauty of walling--and of one man's relationship with nature. The result is by turns poetic and practical.

    Healing herbs have always been used as remedies for both series and transient illnesses, but never more so than today. The use of herbs is paramount in the kitchen for the enhancement of the flavor and aroma of many recipes. Fragrance in perfumes and ingredients in cosmetics, as well as the essential oils used in aromatherapy, issue from the plant power of herbs. More than that, herbs are easy to grow and provide pleasure in the garden. Inspired by the extensive herb grounds of the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, herbalist, author and photographer Deni Bown has collected in this modern Herbal 150 essential herbs for contemporary living.

    This new, greatly expanded edition of Annette McFarlane's gardening classic offers gardeners an authoritative and comprehensive guide to growing an extensive range of organic vegetables.

    

    Attracting Butterflies & Hummingbirds to Your Backyard reveals the secrets for creating irresistible gardens and a welcoming landscape, and will help lure these amazing creatures up close and personal for your enjoyment and wonder. Author Sally Roth knows the best plants, feeders, and water features that appeal to butterflies and hummingbirds, plus she offers an entertaining and insightful guide to butterfly and hummingbird behavior.

    Homeowners are realizing the health benefits derived from gardening, and the resulting increase in their home's property value. The Gardener's Guide series provides credible information on the plants that perform best in specific states. Gardeners will find information they can trust and use successfully in their own gardens.

    There are a multitude of ideas, tips and suggestions for the novice, and a complete reference for those well-acquainted with plants.The plants themselves include the most well-known and popular plants, to exotic flowers, modern hybrids and rare specimens. The extensive plant encyclopedia is central to the value of the book: its 250-odd pages describe more than 1,000 plants, alphabetically by their internationally recognized botanical names, and each is illustrated by at least one photograph. There is a description for every plant and a detailed care plan. In addition, the book provides care plans for less familiar species, new varieties that have not yet established themselves, "old" plants that are making a comeback, botanical rarities and curiosities, as well as useful plants from the tropics. Finally, an extensive list of sources for plants and tools helps the reader and researcher order by mail.Sections include:Placement and purchase (location, terrariums, support, plants with special needs) Care and propagation (light levels, watering, special planting media, nutrients, repotting, pruning, overwintering, pests and diseases, cutting and seed propagation) Decorating with plants (furniture, containers, accessories, plant windows and mini-gardens, balcony plantings) The most beautiful plants A-Z (250 pages of solid information, in full color, including rarities) Addresses of reader services and suppliers. The House Plant Encyclopedia will be every plant lover's complete reference.

    This handy resource covers every flowering plant you can imagine and shows how to get the most from plants¾whether you want to create stunningly attractive individual features or to complement existing planting schemes. Gardeners are increasingly looking for more unusual planting ideas and The Complete Garden Flower Book explores the immense range of plants that are available today. The book looks at long-established favorites, providing a guide to growing both traditional plants such as honeysuckle and more unusual varieties such as Cymbidium orchid. Each section opens with an introduction to planting, followed by in-depth plant profiles. Each plant profile offers detailed at-a-glance information with a month-by-month reminder on how, when, and where to grow each plant. Easy-to-follow growing advice is included throughout on over 600 plants and the book also explores what can go wrong and how to protect different species. A comprehensive guide for both the novice and expert, The Complete Garden Flower Book includes everything you need to know to create a beautiful and harmonious flowering garden. Inspirational opening sections offer exciting ideas and useful tips, which will help you to choose the right plants for your garden.

    Filled with practical advice and detailed information, this indispensable guide to prairie gardening shows readers how to choose space, plan a garden, select plants and flowers, and much more.

    He also addresses the phenomenon of art critiques as a microcosm for teaching art as a whole and dissects real-life critiques, highlighting presuppositions and dynamics that make them confusing and suggesting ways to make them more helpful.Elkins's no-nonsense approach clears away the assumptions about art instruction that are not borne out by classroom practice. For example, he notes that despite much talk about instilling visual acuity and teaching technique, in practice neither teachers nor students behave as if those were their principal goals. He addresses the absurdity of pretending that sexual issues are absent from life-drawing classes and questions the practice of holding up great masters and masterpieces as models for students capable of producing only mediocre art. He also discusses types of art -- including art that takes time to complete and art that isn't serious -- that cannot be learned in studio art classes.Elkins's incisive commentary illuminates the experience of learning art for those involved in it, while opening an intriguing window for those outside the discipline.

    Gardening is a journey, not a destination. The day-by-day gardening experiences - planting a few onion sets in the first warm afternoon of spring… the surprises - a purple crocus before the snow has even gone … the satisfaction - fresh green beans on the dinner table, or tomatoes, bright and red, safely in quart jars … these are the things that keep the gardener coming back year after year. Month-by-Month Gardening in Louisiana is packed with information that explains what needs to be done and when it needs to be done in the Louisiana garden. Topics include: The most effective planting techniques. How and when to prune. The best season for fertilizing your lawn. The differences between bare-root, container, and balled-and-burlapped plants. Eleven plant categories, including Annuals, Bulbs, Herbs, Vegetables, Houseplants, Lawns, Perennials, Roses, Shrubs, and Trees. Twelve monthly calendars for each plant category - 132 calendars in all! - that make is easy to find the proper gardening advice. Whatever your gardening interests or the time of year, you can take the guesswork and mystery out of gardening. You will become a more satisfied gardener … and your garden will show it!

    This fieldbook contains descriptions of the physical characteristics and habits of each, as well as detailed comments on their songs and calls. He includes musical scores of at least two songs for each species.

    Homeowners are realizing the health benefits derived from gardening and the increase in their home's property value. This book contains easy-to-use advice on the top landscape plant choices.It also recommends specific varieties, and provides advice on how to plant, how to grow and how to care for the best plants.

    Here he presents a radical alternative to conventional woodland management that creates biodiverse, healthy environments, yields a great variety of value-added products, provides a secure livelihood for woodland workers and farmers, and benefits the local community. The author views the separation of agriculture from silviculture as unnecessarily limiting and argues for a new approach to planning that will encourage the creation of sustainably managed woodlands for the benefit of people, the local environment, and the global climate. Although specific to Britain, the principles of The Woodland Way will be understood by foresters worldwide. This brilliant book covers every aspect of woodland stewardship from both a practical and philosophical standpoint. Ben Law writes from the heart after long years of struggle with a whole host of naysayers who tried to convince him by fair means and foul to give up his vision for a renaissance in the countryside.

    James Duke, and others. Now you can explore these beautiful surroundings without ever leaving your armchair! In THE HERBALIST'S GARDEN Shatoiya and Richard de la Tour lead you inside the garden gates of ten of North America's most enchanting herb gardens. And they invite you to share a personal "chat" with the gardeners who tend and love these remarkable healing and healthful plants. Come take a close look at the gardens through the beautiful images taken by award-winning photographer Saxon Holt. You'll hear these celebrated gardeners and herbalists describe the dreams that inspired their green thumb, the greatest joys they find in herb gardening, the challenges they've experienced in the garden, and what their most beloved plants are. The gardeners featured in this book offer their own personal recipes for healthful foods and healing remedies, tips on how to care for particular plants, and ideas for designing a garden of your own. Their deep commitment to their gardens will leave you with fresh energy and a renewed passion for gardening, whether you have a few acres, a few clay pots, or simply a penchant for dreaming.

    Even more frustrating for some has been the absence of a single comprehensive reference with which to identify the numerous cultivars. This new volume, written by distinguished clematis experts and backed by the authority of the British Clematis Society, is the first picture encyclopedia on the genus to encompass the garden-worthy species and hybrids.This long-awaited book is separated into two sections: the first is devoted to the care and cultivation of clematis, while the second provides an A–Z directory of more than 550 plants, from the acclaimed large-flowered forms to the less-familiar shrubby, subshrubby, and herbaceous forms that are beginning to be available. Using everyday language, the authors provide plant descriptions that include information on synonyms, origin, plant habit and height, flowers, pruning group, flowering period, cultural requirements, recommended uses in the garden, and hardiness zones. The text is accompanied by more than 650 magnificent color photos, making this encyclopedia an indispensable reference and guide.

    Homeowners are realizing the health benefits derived from gardening and the increase in their home's property value. This book contains easy-to-use advice on the top landscape plant choices. It also recommends specific varieties, and provides advice on how to plant, how to grow and how to care for the best plants.

    The author of the award-winning "Earth on Her Hands" takes another colorful trip down the garden path, introducing two dozen talented and engaging gardeners and capturing their innovative gardens in 300 full-color photos.

    Whether in the form of retaining walls or benches, terraces or walkways, as bold standing stones or as boulders at the edge of a small stream or pond, stone lends a garden focus, providing the perfect foil to plants.

    1 go organic!2 essential tools3 key ingredients4 helpful decomposers5 building a pile6 troubleshooting7 enriching the soil8 commercial compost

    Also includes gardening tips!

    Although it is to all appearances a land bereft of useful plants, fully one-fifth of the desert's flora are edible.This volume presents information on nearly 540 edible plants used by people of more than fifty traditional cultures of the Sonoran Desert and peripheral areas. Drawing on thirty years of research, Wendy Hodgson has synthesized the widely scattered literature and added her own experiences to create an exhaustive catalog of desert plants and their many and varied uses.Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert includes not only plants such as gourds and legumes but also unexpected food sources such as palms, lilies, and cattails, all of which provided nutrition to desert peoples. Each species entry lists recorded names and describes indigenous uses, which often include nonfood therapeutic and commodity applications. The agave, for example, is cited for its use as food and for alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, syrup, fiber, cordage, clothing, sandals, nets, blankets, lances, fire hearths, musical instruments, hedgerows, soap, and medicine, and for ceremonial purposes. The agave entry includes information on harvesting, roasting, and consumption—and on distinguishing between edible and inedible varieties.No other source provides such a vast amount of information on traditional plant uses for this region. Written to be easily accessible to general readers, the book is an invaluable compendium for anyone interested in the desert's hidden bounty.

    Become a "pocket-carrying" expert, too--with compact versions of the full-size manuals that give you on-the-spot information.* At the nursery and trying to decide what flower, shrub, or tree to buy? Just pull the book from your pocket or purse, and see in an instant which ones suit your soil, climate, current layout--and lifestyle too.* In the park or public garden and want to identify a specimen that's caught your eye? The "encyclopedia"'s right there so you can look it up. * Working in the backyard and concerned your favorite plant might have a disease or pest? Wonder if what's sprouting is a bothersome weed? Don't wait: you can take care of those troubles ASAP when you have the facts in a flash.Every one is in full color, with easy-to-use directories. You won't want to go anywhere without them!

    Compiles vital information for gardeners in the unique climates of New York and the mid-Atlantic area, including Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and southern New York and Long Island.

    

    

    Become a "pocket-carrying" expert, too--with compact versions of the full-size manuals that give you on-the-spot information.* At the nursery and trying to decide what flower, shrub, or tree to buy? Just pull the book from your pocket or purse, and see in an instant which ones suit your soil, climate, current layout--and lifestyle too.* In the park or public garden and want to identify a specimen that's caught your eye? The "encyclopedia"'s right there so you can look it up. * Working in the backyard and concerned your favorite plant might have a disease or pest? Wonder if what's sprouting is a bothersome weed? Don't wait: you can take care of those troubles ASAP when you have the facts in a flash.Every one is in full color, with easy-to-use directories. You won't want to go anywhere without them!

    Let the editors from Rodale Organic Gardening-- the world's leading authority on organic techniques-- show you how to prevent pest problems in the first place, identify and fight bad bugs, and keep out four-footed foes for productive and beautiful gardens without chemicals.1 Go organic!2 Essential supplies3 Preventing problems4 Good bugs5 Bad bugs6 Four-footed foes7 Pesky birds8 Pest imposters

    Let "Natural Gardening for Birds" show you how to lay out the welcome mat for birds by providing for all their needs, including year-round water, food, and shelter. Create a bird haven right outside your backdoor!

    The focus is on beautiful plant material and gardens that require little water and simple care. Perennials that provide constant color are also featured. Garden design chapters cover small gardens, shade gardens, sun gardens, and garden style. With 371 great color photos, the book is designed to simplify and beautify south Florida gardens. From the Author When I moved to Florida, I had a hard time finding plants that did really well in my garden. I also had difficulty finding information about how to care for my plants. After becoming a landscape designer, I began testing plants to see which ones were the easiest for south Florida and how to care for them. This book is the result of those trials. It is my hope that gardeners benefit from the information, and avoid killing as many plants as I did! Gardens can be both beautiful and easy in south Florida.

    Stunning color photographs show conifers used in a variety of environments, from small gardens to magnificent estates.Gardening with Conifers reveals the unexpected magic that conifers can bring to every garden and the many roles they can play in creating structure and balance for year-round visual interest and color. Comprehensive in scope and lavishly illustrated, the book includes a directory of more than 600 conifers and offers expert advice on:Size and growth rates Site and soil preferences Planting, maintenance and propagation Pruning, pests and diseases Dwarf conifers and ground covers Conifers in containers, and more. Gardeners everywhere will find this to be a valuable and inspiring reference.

    But there is a way you can delight in the fragrance and beauty of flowers after dark: Plant a night-blooming garden! Also known as moon gardens, night-blooming gardens are expressly designed for evening enjoyment. While attractive during the day, they take on a whole new look and feel at dusk, casting a magical spell. Pale-colored flowers reflect light from the setting sun and the rising moon, shining luminously and giving the garden an almost mystical glow. Fragrances seem more alluring. Silvery foliage shimmers tremulously as the evening breezes dance by. An aromatic, night-blooming garden offers a peaceful and tranquil spot to rest and relax at the end of the day. It is the perfect place for a casual summer party, an evening reception, a romantic tryst, or a quiet retreat to reflect and rejuvenate the senses.

    Specific edition for colder climates tells you everything you need to know about landscaping. Features more than 500 photographs and illustrations.

    The book has sections allocated to each of the authors' specialities�Alan talks about plant choice and general care; Charlie deals with containers, ponds, and fountains; and Tommy looks after fences, furniture, and hard surfaces.

    Andrew Chevallier brings his knowledge and practical expertise in herbal medicine to ordinary people looking for safe, effective treatments for common ailments. Enhancing health and well-being. Today, herbal medicine is widely acknowledged as a successful therapy for many chronic conditions that diminish the quality of life, such as digestive problems, skin disorders, and difficulties arising form menopause. In this book, Dr. Chevallier explains how herbal remedies work to stimulate the body's defenses against illness and its natural ability to heal itself. Treating yourself. In common with other holistic therapies, herbal medicine focuses equally on the underlying causes of illness and on its signs and symptoms. Herbal Remedies Handbook gives as much weight to the steps needed for individuals to correctly diagnose and treat themselves as to the 66 key remedies described, and their therapeutic uses. For ease of reference, the self-help section is arranged by ailments grouped according to the part of the person to be treated.

    The pictures are accompanied by brief text.

    Season by season, through lush watercolors and photos, you’ll see how the grounds and the projects evolve. Live the country life, by making a myrtle topiary, wrapping autumn gift preserves, stitching Christmas angel-shoe decorations, and learning how tocollect country classic pieces.

    Compiled for gardeners just like you by the editors and readers of Organic Gardening magazine, you'll find month-by-month activities, timesaving gadgets, and wheelbarrow loads of garden-tested advice, such as how to: * Increase yields by rounding the surface of flat garden beds* Build a compost and soil sifter to fit on top of your garden cart or wheelbarrow* Diagnose soil trouble by identifying which weeds are in your garden* Turn leaves into fabulous fertilizer using a three-pronged approach* Get your apples off to a strong start when planting rootstocks in five easy steps* Use a small fan to help your seedlings develop sturdier stems and minimize the chance of fungal diseases Gardener to GardenerBest-Ever Seed TapeIt's difficult to space tiny seeds like those of carrots in the garden, so I make homemade seed tapes by prespacing the dark seeds over a white surface. Here's how to do it: 1. Unroll a strip of toilet paper on a table, mist it with a sprayer, and place the seeds along the center of the paper. (Alternate carrot seeds with radish seeds because when the radishes sprout, they help to mark the row and break the ground.) 2. Starting along the strip's long edge, fold a third of the paper over the seeds, then fold the other third over. Tamp the paper, misting it again to secure the seeds. Make as many of these strips as you need. Then fold the strips up and carefully carry them to the garden. 3. Make shallow furrows in the prepared soil, lay the strips down, and cover them. In a jiffy, your carrots will be planted and perfectly spaced. Doris Ekblad Prairie Farm, Wisconsin

    15,000 first printing.

    Gardening is a journey, not a destination. The day-by-day gardening experiences - planting a few onion sets in the first warm afternoon of spring… the surprises - a purple crocus before the snow has even gone … the satisfaction - fresh green beans on the dinner table, or tomatoes, bright and red, safely in quart jars … these are the things that keep the gardener coming back year after year. Month-by-Month Gardening in Georgia is packed with information that explains what needs to be done and when it needs to be done in the Georgia garden. Topics include: The most effective planting techniques. How and when to prune. The best season for fertilizing your lawn. The differences between bare-root, container, and balled-and-burlapped plants. Eleven plant categories, including Annuals, Bulbs, Herbs, Vegetables, Houseplants, Lawns, Perennials, Roses, Shrubs, and Trees. Twelve monthly calendars for each plant category - 132 calendars in all! - that make is easy to find the proper gardening advice. Whatever your gardening interests or the time of year, you can take the guesswork and mystery out of gardening. You will become a more satisfied gardener … and your garden will show it!

    Homeowners are realizing the health benefits derived from gardening and the increase in their home's property value.Book retailers are well aware that the trend in gardening books is to regional titles that provide credible information on the plants that perform well in specific regions.Contains easy to use advice on the top landscape plant selections (more than 170 entries) for Alabama. Recommends specific varieties and provides advice on how to plant, how to grow and how to care for Alabama's best plants.

    

    Learn how to make the most of a short growing season including: picking the best location for planting, providing wind protection and cold air drainage, building raised beds, using season extenders, seeding indoors and outdoors, hardening off and transplanting, and mulching.

    In truth, these elegant grasses, encompassing both woody and herbaceous forms, can achieve dramatic yet restrained effects in a range of climates. Their uses include both the ornamental, offering striking foliage and culms, and the practical, such as for screening or erosion control, not to mention the culinary treat of bamboo shoots and the structural qualities of the culm wood. Tropical and subtropical bamboos present many possibilities for landscapes in warmer climates, while the hardier species can be grown as far north as Minnesota in the United States and in the cooler climes of England and continental Europe. Bamboo culture has a long and distinguished legacy in East Asia, but much remains to be explored by Western gardeners and landscapers. Bamboo expert Ted Jordan Meredith provides a thorough and multifaceted treatment of these ancient grasses, covering origins and history, structure and form, cultivation and propagation, landscaping, and taxonomy and identification. He offers insight into selecting the right plant for the right situation, and presents useful advice on the best methods for containing or eradicating potentially invasive forms. The bulk of the book is an encyclopedia of bamboo genera, species, and cultivars. More than 300 bamboos from 40 different genera are described in detail, including information on size, lighting and temperature requirements, native range, physical characteristics, and landscape and other uses. Meredith's excellent color photos and clear line drawings effectively illustrate both the details and broader effects of these exquisite plants.

    No longer confined to monotone bedding plants, dozens of "unusual" annuals are now available at garden centers in colors and forms far removed from the classic annual bed of pink petunias or red geraniums. In the tradition of his classic Herbaceous Perennial Plants, Allan M. Armitage has compiled descriptions and assessments of 245 genera of true annuals as well as plants that behave like annuals in USDA zones 1–7. Focusing on identifying the plants, successful culture, and their primary garden attributes, Armitage discusses 279 species in detail and summarizes the distinguishing features of hundreds of cultivars, many of which he has tested himself. Classics like begonias and pelargoniums are juxtaposed with newcomers from Australia, and all are subject to Armitage's critical eye. Color photos and line drawings illustrate the text, and he suggests additional reading in books, articles, and Web sites for many of the covered genera. Armitage bases his descriptions on extensive personal experience. His frank and conversational style keeps potentially dry details fresh, and each entry is liberally sprinkled with strong and sometimes amusing opinions. Useful lists in the appendix are further evidence of his expertise, as he compiles biennials, half-hardy perennials, winter annuals, shade-tolerant plants, fragrant plants, climbing plants, and everlastings. These lists extend the volume's application beyond a necessary tool for horticulturists and nurserymen to a practical guide for the dedicated home gardener.

    "North Carolina Gardener's Guide" offers state-specific information on the what, where, when, why and how of North Carolina gardening rather than generic regional information other publications contain.

    It is not for people who want merely to smell the flowers. In Guerrilla Gardening Barbara Pallenberg has given us a field manual for the resuscitation and nurture of neglected, damaged, and orphaned flora, and a way to use those castaways to create a beautiful garden. Most books on gardening provide you with safe, conventional, boring directions on transplanting overnurtured hothouse plants from nurseries and planting clean, lucky seeds from the catalog houses. Guerrilla Gardening takes the gloves off and tells you how to work with tough, scrappy plant survivors. And it will help you create a garden in which every leafy, blossoming, creeping thing has a history with you.This useful, practical field manual does not encourage theft. It is, however, written for the grower on the fringes of the garden-club circuit, the antihero / superhero of the flowerbed. Pallenberg shows you how to reconnoiter castaways, rescue cuttings, and ravage dumpsters, and then deploy those forces in arrangements exactly right for your climate and soil. She'll even give you lists and illustrations of the tools you'll need to take action in the field.In short, Pallenberg explains how to grow plants effectively from cuttings, leaves, dead bouquets, compost heaps, and more. This book is small enough to fit in the glove compartment or backpack of any free spirit. But with its photos, line drawings, garden plans, climate maps, and range of possibilities and new ideas, it is as big as all outdoors.This book will appeal to young people trying to make their gardens grow on meager resources as well as seniors maintaining their gardens on fixed incomes. It will surely catch theattention of any gardener with a sense of adventure and a true love of nature.

    Whether it is the shimmering beauty of a mosaic fountain glimpsed through the trees or the textures of a wall frieze of pebbles and shells, mosaic has powerful appeal. In Outdoor Mosaic, each chapter explores a different application, such as Tables, Wall Mosaics, or Mosaic and Water. There is also information on where to see great historical examples as well as photos of some of the highest quality mosaic work being done today. Following the examples are the projects. In Paths and Pavements, for example, you learn how to create tiles for paving, make a path, and set glass and gold mosaic into an existing concrete floor. Inspiring, instructive, and drawing richly from the authors extensive experience as mosaicists, this stunning book is a must for outdoor decorators.

    Homeowners are realizing the health benefits derived from gardening and the increase in their home's property value.Book retailers are well aware that the trend in gardening books is to regional titles that provide credible information on the plants that perform well in specific regions.Written by gardening experts Walter Reeves and Erica Glasener, this book offers advice on the diverse landscape of Georgia.Contains easy to use advice on the top landscape plant choices (more than 160 entries) for Georgia.Recommends specific varieties and provides advice on how to plant, how to grow and how to care for Georgia's best plants.

    In Gardening in the Humid South, they combine all of these traits to provide a practical and entertaining guide to gardening in the region they know best, the humid subtropics of the lower South.In chapters with titles like "Bulbs and Things That Act Like Bulbs" and "Weeds: Telling Good Guys from Bad Guys," Ed and Leon offer friendly how-to advice on a broad array of issues, including choosing and preparing a cultivation site, raising fruit, growing in containers, using fertilizer, and preparing for cold weather.Regardless of your gardening style, Ed and Leon can help. Are you a weekend warrior who enjoys leisurely Saturday mornings in the yard? Ed and Leon will show you ways to improve your garden while cutting back on your total effort. Is your yard large enough to keep you busy all day, every day? Ed and Leon know some short cuts that you probably haven't tried. Are you an apartment gardener with only a window sill and a few old pots to cultivate? Ed and Leon have some tips just for you. Even armchair gardeners will delight in living vicariously through the agricultural antics of these witty and wise old hands.In Gardening in the Humid South, two old friends share their contagious enthusiasm for their avocation and show that despite the hard work, gardening is, above all, fun.

    Using a handy "flip format", this gardener's guide lets you explore millions of color combinations to find the plants you really want.

    Homeowners are realizing the health benefits derived from gardening and the increase in their home's property value. The "Illinois Gardener's Guide: Revised Edition" is written by the popular gardening expert James Fizzell. It contains easy-to-use advice on the top landscape plant choices (more than 190 entries) for Illinois. It also recommends specific varieties, and provides advice on how to plant, how to grow and how to care for Illinois' best plants.It is a must read for every Illinois gardener.

    . . . And so it is that Seminole medicine men and women call upon people who have a special knowledge of certain plants, roots, barks, and other items that need to be collected for the medicine they make. . . . Alice Snow belongs to the very special small group of people who have this knowledge. It is with honor that I have known and worked with Alice for many years, and have seen how her endeavor to pass her knowledge to others will continue through the generations."-- James E. Billie, chairman, Seminole Tribe of Florida"Seminole elder Alice Micco Snow and anthropologist Susan Enns Stans capture the essence of Seminole ethnomedicine and ethnobotany, providing a glimpse of a fascinating past, as well as a view of the vibrancy these traditions continue to have in contemporary Seminole communities."-- Cynthia R. Kasee, University of South FloridaThe first published record of Florida Seminole herbal medicine and ancient healing practices, Healing Plants is a colorfully illustrated compendium of knowledge and practices passed down orally to Alice Snow from generations of her Native American ancestors.The authors’ overview of Seminole history, native medicine, and the life of Snow, a Seminole herbalist (illustrated with personal photographs) places the healing practices in their cultural context and describes actual treatments. Charts with plant names in Creek, Mikasuki, and English and lists of plant properties with their common and botanical names offer easy reference. Col Color photographs provide clear illustrations of many of the plants.Herbal treatments include those intended for babies, for people who have had a hysterectomy, a stroke, blackouts or shortness of breath, "monkey sickness," alligator bites, or a speeding heart, people who have pain or have been ill for a long time, who like to sleep all the time or can’t sleep because of worry or bad dreams, who are pregnant or "on the wagon" or have lost wives or husbands.Alice Snow is both a traditional Seminole and a cultural innovator who combines old and new methods of preserving and teaching "Indian medicine." Her record of medicinal plants and remedies is her contribution toward helping the Seminoles to hold onto their past while living in the present and moving toward the future. Though the book does not reveal the tribal doctors’ secret healing songs, believed to empower the plants, it provides Seminoles with a reference handbook of plants; it also offers medical professionals, herbalists, and the general public an understanding of the world of Seminole medicine.

    Homeowners are realizing the health benefits derived from gardening and the increase in their home's property value. This book contains easy-to-use advice on the top landscape plant  choices.   It also recommends specific varieties, and provides advice on how to plant, how to grow and how to care for the best plants.

    Let the editors from Rodale Organic Gardening-- the world's leading authority on organic techniques-- show you how to choose the right perennials for your site, use perennials to accent your gardens and landscapes, fight pests, and provide the best care to create beautiful flowerbeds without using chemicals.

    - Everything you need to know to design and construct a successful rock and water feature.- Full-scale case studies of established rock and water gardens, including a Cobble Fountain, A Dried River Bed and a Shady Raised Pool.- Guidance on planting schemes and techniques, propagating plants and dealing with pests and diseases, as well as on buying and introducing fish.- A Calendar of Care explaining key maintenance tasks throughout the year.- Over 600 lavish garden shots, practical sequences and plant portraits.

    

    Get advice about adding or remodelling a deck or patio from landscaping and design experts; Explore all the options by viewing dozens of real-life examples.; Use the cost, material and planning information to create an enjoyable, relaxing outdoor living space; Learn the pros and cons of using different materials; Gain an understanding of the siting and building concerns of any outdoor living space.

    Here, David Joyce analyzes the characteristics of leaves, shows why foliage is so valuable ornamentally and looks at the way they are carried on the plant and discusses their contribution to the overall effect of the garden. The book also features a special selection of outstanding foliage plants, cross-referenced with earlier chapters.

    They are, however, related to true geraniums, which we also call cranesbills or wild geraniums. Despite their very different attributes, geraniums and pelargoniums belong to the same botanical family, Geraniaceae, and are among the world's most popular garden plants.Garden expert John Feltwell discusses both members of this wide-ranging family, providing all the information gardeners need to choose, grow, propagate, and design with geraniums and pelargoniums.More than 250 full color photographs illustrate their beauty and charm, and the extensive A-Z plant directory describes 328 plants in detail. The book also contains:descriptions of foliage and flowers for all varieties, such as wood and dusky cranesbills, zonals, ivies, Highfields, Stellars, Butes, Regals and many more tips on how to choose the right place for the right plant instruction on growing and propagating how to deal with pests and diseases mail-order sources.

    The template includes botanical and common names, pronunciation, family name and related flowers, colors and availability, and the unique properties of each flower. This valuable guide includes information from such sources as the Holland Flower Council, California Cut Flower Commission, and the Society of American Florists. This complete guide is an invaluable resource for anyone who uses flowers as a medium for design.

    These versatile low-maintenance plants come in an array of shapes other than the ubiquitous pyramid and in umpteen colors - yellows, blues, grays and maroons. This essential guide will help you select the conifers that will set your garden's stage - every day of the year.

    In this inspiring book, he shows how to consider size and scale, materials, shape, color and texture, and, crucially, he offers invaluable advice on placing ornament in the garden to best effect.Ornament can provide an accent, create a surprise, enhance or disguise an existing feature, alter a perspective, evoke or complement a mood or feeling. It transforms the mundane and ordinary into something different and special, and makes a statement that reflects the gardener's taste and personality. Choosing from the huge range of available ornament, however, or creating your own individual piece, can seem daunting.Superbly illustrated and including in-depth studies of 12 small gardens where ornament is used with particular success, and often with daring originality, Ornament in the Small Garden breaks free from convention and demonstrates the inspirational decorative possibilities.

    

    Homeowners are realizing the health benefits derived from gardening and the increase in their home's property value. This book contains easy-to-use advice on the top landscape plant choices.It also recommends specific varieties, and provides advice on how to plant, how to grow and how to care for the best plants.

    Specific edition for warmer climates tells gardeners everything they need to know about landscaping.

    In its deliciously entertaining text and through its beautiful photographs, A TIME TO BLOSSOM captures the essence of childhood. Whether she is climbing an apple tree, squirming through a proper tea-party visit with an elderly neighbor, dashing to hang a May basket on a friend's door, or sitting crowded and cranky on a Sunday ride with the family, Tovah Martin's childhood memories will captivate the reader. With Richard Brown's glorious photography, A TIME TO BLOSSOM reminds us of the authors' earlier book, TASHA TUDOR'S GARDEN. The text is frank, impish, nostalgic, but never cloying or sentimental. It is a recollection of childhood with all the mischief, the mystery, and the innocence intact. And for readers who want to enjoy their own mother and daughter flower projects, A TIME TO BLOSSOM is filled with practical instructions: How to make a hollyhock doll; weave a garland; press pansies, bake a scented geranium cake, force bulbs, dry flowers, make rose potpourri, grow a giant amaryllis, and much much more.

    Uncover the identity of each garden mystery you meet, them learn exactly what-- if anything-- to do about it. From banishing pests and diseases to wiping out weeds to creating a haven for garden good guys, you'll find safe, sensible, all-organic recommendations to help you make the best choices for our garden.

    Expert, up-to-date information on orchid biology, ecology, distribution, destruction, and conservation of these threatened treasures of the plant kingdom.

    Filled with ideas and practical suggestions, this profusely illustrated guide offers all the knowledge needed to incorporate any water feature, large or small, into any garden.