But as a series of weather-related crop disasters put Brown and his wife, Shelly, in desperate financial straits, they started making bold changes to their farm. Brown--in an effort to simply survive--began experimenting with new practices he'd learned about from reading and talking with innovative researchers and ranchers. As he and his family struggled to keep the farm viable, they found themselves on an amazing journey into a new type of farming: regenerative agriculture.

    It promises a challenging but exciting mix of satisfying work, a more meaningful way of living and hope for the next generation.RetroSuburbia is divided into three main sections: the Built, the Biological and the Behavioural along with the introductory section ‘Setting the scene’.

     This handbook covers: selecting the perfect chicken breed, feeding your hens, healthy egg laying, chicken behavior (including bullying) and how-to treat common chicken health issues. The handbook is suited to both first time keepers and veterans by providing varying degrees of detail to keep both readers engaged. Full color photos and illustrations throughout provide specific examples of chicken anatomy, health and behavior.

    With her lively “Like this? Then try this!” approach, Jabbour encourages you to start with what you know and expand your repertoire to try related plants, many of which are delicacies in other cultures. Jabbour presents detailed growing information for each plant, along with fun facts and plant history. Be prepared to have your mind expanded and catch Jabbour’s contagious enthusiasm for experimentation and fun in the garden.

    Today, it is a thriving visitor attraction; but tucked within is a walled garden bursting with nectar-rich, jazzy-toned flowers and hen houses of rare-breed chickens. In this beautiful book, the site’s gardener, florist and poultry keeper Arthur Parkinson descriptively and visually shares his work. Inspired by his friend and idol, gardener and florist Sarah Raven, and childhood hen-keeping pen pal the late Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, Parkinson’s creation is one of resplendent flowers, platoon feather-legged hens, handwritten blackboards, flower arranging and wasteland foliage foraging carried out in one of the most unlikely places a garden could happen to exist: a working pottery. With seasonal tips on container planting in your own garden, plant profiles and helpful guides to keeping fowl and arranging home-grown flowers, The Pottery Gardener is sure to delight gardeners, hen fanciers and Bridgewater fans alike.

    Vegetables Love Flowers will walk you through the ins and outs of companion planting, from how it works to which plants go together and how to grow the best garden for your climate.  With the right information and some careful planning, you can help your plants thrive--and beautify your garden in the process.

    In Essential Succulents, budding succulent enthusiasts will gain the know-how needed to begin growing, decorating with, and enjoying these amazing plants.From simple houseplants and drought-friendly landscaping to decorative wreaths and trendy mason jar terrariums, Essential Succulents is the ultimate guide to learning which succulents are best for beginners, along with a basic understanding of how to care for and creatively design with them.Accompanied by beautiful photography of the succulents and projects presented, Essential Succulents includes: 50 easy-to-grow succulents that can grow in a variety of environments, as well as a care guide and arrangement tips for each. 8 easy DIY projects that include step-by-step instructions and are listed in order from easiest to more challenging. Guidance for growing indoor and container succulents, including what they need to thrive—such as the right light, soil, and irrigation. Instructions for creating outdoor succulent gardens that require minimal maintenance and saves money on water. Whether you’ve never cared for succulents before, or are interested in deepening your understanding of them, Essential Succulents will give you the confidence you need to explore your succulent-growing passion.

    She documents the unbuttoning of the earth and the rebirth of the garden, the rewilding of a tiny urban space. On her own she unscrews, saws, and hammers the decking away, she clears the builders' rubble and rubbish beneath it, and she digs and enriches the soil, gradually planting it up with plants she knows will attract wildlife. She erects bird boxes and bee hotels, hangs feeders and grows nectar- and pollen-rich plants, and slowly brings life back to the garden.But while she's doing this her neighbors continue to pave and deck their gardens. The wildlife she tries to save is further threatened, and she feels she's fighting an uphill battle. Is there any point in gardening for wildlife when everyone else is drowning the land in poison and cement?Throughout her story, Kate draws on an eclectic and eccentric cast of friends and colleagues, who donate plants and a greenhouse, tolerate her gawping at butterflies at Gay Pride, and accompany her on trips to visit rare bumblebees and nightingales.

    More than 200 varieties of vegetables and herbs from the 50 most popular groups are featured in hands-on profiles that tell you how, where, and why to grow each one. Take artichokes for example: They are far from the most common edibles home growers choose, but when and if you choose to grow artichokes, you'll be fortunate to find more than one seed option, even at the better nurseries. In truth, there are nearly a dozen varieties of artichoke that are suitable for home growing in just about any climate, and each has its own unique benefits and characteristics. In Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening, you will find 10 types of artichoke described in through, loving detail—along with helpful tips on where and how to acquire seeds for each. And artichokes are just one item in this field-tested garden basket. Other popular and fascinating vegetables include: celtuce, Asian greens, cowpeas, carrots and parsnips, potatoes, parsley, and of course the tomato—you'll find over two dozen varieties discussed. If you are one of the more than 800,000 folks per year who has begun growing vegetables at home, Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening is the reference you need to pursue this rewarding activity to a whole new level of excellence, satisfaction, and success.

    Two hundred plant profiles provide information and care instructions for a wide variety of plants, including ferns, orchids, and succulents, while a dozen step-by-step photographic projects offer exciting ideas for using plants to decorate your home or greenhouse--from eye-catching terrariums to a living succulent wall to a floating kokedama "string garden." With information on plant care, propagation, pests and diseases, pruning, and problem-solving, The Practical Houseplant Book is the essential guide for indoor gardeners.

    Cut one bloom, and ten more appear on the plant. Blooming late summer to the first frost of autumn, this native of Mexico provides explosions of color in home gardens. The author's commentary unearths the dahlia from its Aztec origins and imparts practical, hands-on knowledge for growing and overwintering these tropical plants in wintry climes.Including classics like Cafe au Lait and lesser-known varieties like Voodoo and Honka, readers will discover a stunning range of specimens from tiny pompoms to heavy-headed dinner plates, to those that resemble daisies, sea anemones, and even fireworks!Naomi Slade is a well-known journalist and photographer specializing in gardening, environment, and lifestyle. A biologist by training, naturalist by inclination, and with a lifelong love of plants, she contributes regularly to a range of British publications including The English Garden and House and Garden, and appears on TV and radio.Georgianna Lane is a leading floral, garden and travel photographer whose work has been widely published. Her work has featured in BBC Gardens Illustrated, Gardener's World, Romantic Homes and Victoria. Visit her blog at georgiannalane.com chronicles her styled floral photo shoots and more.

    She and her husband, Paul Mellon, one of the wealthiest men in America, maintained homes in New York, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Antigua, and Upperville, Virginia, and she designed the gardens at all of them. She also designed gardens for some of her dearest friends, including the Rose Garden and the East Garden at the White House, at the request of President Kennedy, and the gardens at both the Paris home and the château of couturier Hubert de Givenchy. All of these gardens are featured in The Gardens of Bunny Mellon, illustrated with Mellon’s own garden plans, sketches, and watercolors, as well as with archival photographs and specially commissioned photographs of Oak Spring, the Mellon estate in Upperville. Author Linda Holden’s text is based on extensive interviews with Mellon before her death in 2014.

    Explore nearby parks, fields, and forests, then make all sorts of tasty and useful things for your family and friends! “A real gem…a perfect beginners’ book no matter your age.” —Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist and author Start with a delicious homemade soda, flower petal pancakes, or a soothing balm for cuts and scrapes. Sip herbal tea that's fit for the fairies, craft syrup to quiet your cough, and assemble supplies for your own rough-and-tumble herbal first aid kit. You can also skip the foraging and dive into making the recipes with purchased, dried herbs.Herbal Adventures includes recipes and instructions for making:Elderberry syrupHerbal chaiDandelion honeyHerbal first aid balmChickweed pestoHerbal cough syrupPine needle teaSore throat sootherSplinter and sting salvePlus dozens more herbal teas, snacks, oils, and balms! Pack up your own foraging kit, and get crafty making seed bombs, flower crowns, and your own homemade plant press. What are you waiting for? All this and more awaits you on your next herbal adventure!

    Dreamscapes includes gardens designed by well-known designers such as Brandon Tyson, Paul Bangay, and Spanish designer Fernando Martos among others, with photographed locations including Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, Europe and Asia. This book will astound and delight you with the diversity and creativity of the gardens featured, all portrayed at that rare moment when they are at their most stunning.Iconic gardens included are the stunning Welsh garden Dyffryn Fernant; Australia's Cloudehill; Martha Stewart's private garden, Skylands; the beautiful Edwardian idyll of Bryan's Ground in Herefordshire; the former home of Vita Sackville-West, Long Barn in Kent; the naturalistic French garden of Le Jardin Plume in Normandy; Piet Oudolf's Hummelo in the Netherlands; Hermannshof in Germany at the forefront of planting design; and Kenrokuen one of Japan's most beautiful public gardens.

      Creating dinner from food you’ve grown provides a fantastic sense of accomplishment. Now, imagine the pleasure of starting plants from seeds, tending them, planting them in your garden, harvesting their fruits, and enjoying a delicious meal or bouquet. But that's not the end of the journey. Now you can turn around and save the best seeds for next year’s garden. Suddenly, you’re self-sufficient; you’ve grown your own garden from seed to seed.   In this book, you'll find the tools you need to become a seed starting and saving champion. Author and gardening expert Julie Thompson-Adolf walks you through every step of the journey, making the entire process a joy. You’ll find hints to encourage stubborn seeds to germinate, lists of varieties to add to your garden, charts for quick growing reference, and simple DIY projects to aid your seed starting and saving adventure. (Learn how to make seed bombs and an indoor seed-starting station.) The extensive plant entries inside cover all the most popular vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. Get started with tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and melons, or chamomile, cosmos, sweet peas, and poppies—accompanied by beautiful photography from Libby Williams.   Whether you’re an experienced gardener new to seed starting and saving or a brand-new grower, you’ll soon have healthy, productive, beautiful plants for your garden.

    Organized by season, the book includes how-tos for 40 arrangements, including: - A lush green display for spring - An astonishing black bouquet for summer - A striking magenta design for fall - An unexpected, oh-so-pretty pink arrangement for winterFeaturing hundreds of eye-catching images and easy-to-follow tips throughout, such as suggestions for substituting flowers and options for both the beginner and advanced designer – this book is as useful as it is gorgeous. The ultimate resource, Color Me Floral has an extraordinary arrangement to enhance every occasion.

    For beginners or seasoned experts, Successful Gardening is sure to provide insight into growing plants in the cold climate and alkaline soils of the northern prairie.

    Heirloom flowers have stood the test of time. Prized for their beauty, scent, hardiness, or other star qualities, these vintage varieties continue to capture our imaginations and decorate our gardens long after they first came to be. These flowers have experience, and now you can enjoy the experience of growing them. In Growing Heirloom Flowers, author Chris McLaughlin takes you on a tour of these alluring blooms, covering the benefits, challenges, growing requirements, and everything else you need to know about more than forty heirloom flowers. Along the way, she offers tips, tricks, and creative projects for making the most of your heirloom garden, from arranging and preserving to dyes, drinks, and more. With a wealth of information and stunning full-color photography, this book is the perfect guide to adding heirloom beauty to your life.

    From learning how to incorporate herbs and essential oils around your home, to learning how to enhance your family's health and well-being, this book is the go-to resource for those wishing to live a more natural homesteading lifestyle. This book takes readers through the basics of herbalism, including the different types of herbs and their uses. It also breaks down how herbs are used in tinctures, salves, essential oils, and infused oils. You'll learn how to efficiently incorporate herbs into your lifestyle, creating your own herbal remedy cabinet for yourself and for your livestock as well. And through encouragement and evidence-based information, you'll be confident using herbs, cooking with herbs, and sharing your herbal products with your friends and family. With an array of beautiful photos and easy to read terminology, just about any homesteader, new or seasoned, can learn from The Homesteader's Herbal Companion, and finally feel comfortable incorporating the many wonderful qualities of herbs around their homes and homesteads.

    In recent years, the shrinking of green spaces has endangered the honeybee. Now Planting for Honeybees shows you how you can help these delightful pollinators to flourish by creating a garden as habitat for them. No matter how small or large your space – from a window ledge in the city to a country garden – Sarah Wyndham Lewis offers practical advice on which plants to grow and when and where to plant them. Charmingly illustrated with delicate drawings, this a jewel of a guide to treasure.

    But what about taking the time to truly enjoy the garden in every sense and season? In The Garden in Every Sense and Season, Tovah Martin does just that. Beginning with the heady blooms of spring and closing with putting the garden to bed in winter, Martin mindfully explores her garden through sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste. She sees the bright yellow of forsythia of spring, smells summer’s pungent roses, hears the crows in autumn, and tastes winter’s juicy citrus. Throughout her lyrical essays, she shares sage garden advice and intimate reflections on her own garden. This compelling narrative is beautifully supported by photography by Kindra Clineff. The Garden in Every Sense and Season is a must-have book from one of the greatest garden writers of our time that urges gardeners to listen up, look over, inhale, savor, and become more attuned with their gardens.

    With commentary on each bloom, easy-to-follow growing advice, and glorious photography, Peonies will appeal to anyone who appreciates the romance of the majestic peony.Journalist Jane Eastoe is author of Vintage Roses (Gibbs Smith, 2016) plus gardening and outdoor books published by National Trust Books (UK).Georgianna Lane, author of Paris in Bloom, is a leading floral photographer whose work also appeared in Vintage Roses.

    If you want to attract the widest range of birds to your home, you need to plant a diversity of native plants. Why go green? Native plants live longer; they are drought resistant, take less water and fertilizer, they cost less, are less work and easier to maintain. And a big plus--they are good for the environment. In 2007, Douglas Tallamy published the groundbreaking book, Bringing Nature Home, on going native to protect wildlife. Since then Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the National Wildlife Federation, and National Audubon have all endorsed and encouraged gardening with native plants. Planting Native to Attract Birds to Your Yard is the first book to cover planting native to specifically attract birds. The book recommends plants for all types of backyards, no matter how large or small--from large plots to container gardens. Sorenson gives state-specific recommendations for 31 Eastern U.S. states--including and east of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana to the East Coast, and from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast--for native plants that support birds during the four seasons. The book covers the full gamut of native plants--nearly 200 species of trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and perennials--and gives details on why specific plants are bird friendly and how to choose plants that work successfully in attractive home landscapes. It also includes dramatic color photos of nearly 70 bird species. Birders, gardeners, and landscapers--all who love birds and beautiful gardens--will find this book a must.

     Fiddle leaf fig plants can be a beautiful addition to your home, but it’s no secret they require ongoing care to thrive. This book will provide you with all the tools you need to care for your green friend. Covering important topics from the secret to proper watering and how to fertilize your plant to proper drainage and pruning techniques, The Fiddle Leaf Fig Expert was written for experienced growers and first-time plant parents alike. This book includes actionable information to improve the health of your plant including: 1. The Benefits of Your Plant 2. The History of Fiddle Leaf Figs 3. Fiddle Leaf Fig Care 101 4. The Secret to Proper Watering 5. The Best Fertilizer to Use 6. Soil and Drainage 7. Pruning and Cleaning 8. Propagation The guide was written for fiddle leaf fig lovers who want to understand what their plant needs to thrive and provide ideal growing conditions. It will help both novice and experienced growers to build a stronger relationship with their fiddle leaf fig. About the Author Claire Akin runs Indigo Marketing Agency, a full-service marketing firm. She is an author, speaker, and expert in content marketing and social media. Claire holds her MBA in Marketing from the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego as well as a BA in Economics from UC Davis and teaches marketing courses through UCLA Extension. Also known for her green thumb, Claire specializes in growing a variety of houseplants including fiddle leaf fig plants. She is the creator of The Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Resource Center (fiddleleaffigplant.com) and the author of The Fiddle Leaf Fig Expert book. Claire resides in San Diego with her toxicologist husband (Josh), their dog (Wally), and their two American Paint Horses (Harley and Brandy). She has climbed Mt. Whitney three times and won a blue ribbon at the Del Mar Fair for her "Happy Hiker" trail mix.

    Vermicast--a biologically active, nutrient-rich mix of earthworm castings and decomposed organic matter--sells for $400 or more per cubic yard. Compare that to regular compost, sold at about $30 a cubic yard, and you'll see why vermicomposting has taken root in most countries and on every continent but Antarctica.Vermicomposting is also one of the best sustainable solutions for organic waste management. Vermicomposting manure and crop wastes on farms improves crop yields while reducing demand for off-farm inputs. Vermicast has higher nutrient levels and lower soluble salt content than regular compost, and it improves soil aeration, porosity, and water retention. Plus, vermicast suppresses plant diseases and insect attacks. Municipalities, businesses, community gardens, schools, and universities can set up vermicomposting operations to process food residuals and other waste materials.The Worm Farmer's Handbook details the ins and outs of vermicomposting for mid- to large-scale operations, including how to recycle organic materials ranging from food wastes and yard trimmings to manure and shredded office paper. Vermicomposting expert Rhonda Sherman shares what she has learned over twenty-five years working with commercial worm growers and researchers around the world. Her profiles of successful worm growers across the United States and from New Zealand to the Middle East and Europe describe their proven methods and systems.This book digs into all the details, including:Choosing the right production systemRegulatory issues and developing a business and marketing planFinding and managing feedstocksPre-composting: why and how to do itMonitoring an active worm bedHarvesting, screening, testing, packaging, and storing vermicastMarkets for earthworms and vermicastFood security: how vermicast benefits soils and plantsKeys to success: avoiding common pitfallsFrom livestock farms and restaurants to colleges, military bases, and prisons, Sherman details why and how commercial-scale vermicomposting is a fast-growing, sustainable solution for organic waste management. The Worm Farmer's Handbook is the first and only authoritative how-to guide that goes beyond small-scale operations and demystifies the science and logistics of the fascinating process that is vermicomposting.

    

    

    With his vibrant photographs and lively writing, Matt Ritter takes the reader on a journey through the Golden State's iconic landscapes and abundant plant life. This definitive guide features more than 500 species, along with detailed descriptions, fascinating natural history stories, and handy tree and wildflower color identification charts.

    It covers a wide range of topics including guidance on organic health remedies and disease prevention, pest management, organic nutrition, the best breeds for specific needs, and the simplest and most effective options for daily maintenance and feeding. Readers will also learn how to introduce new chickens to a flock, how to manage aggressive birds, how to deal with a mature flock, and much more. The New Rules of the Roost distills the Litt’s twenty-five years of personal and professional experience keeping chickens and is a must-have guide for anyone looking for deeper information on keeping a healthy and happy flock.

    This book, which has been carefully planted, cultivated and harvested from early spring to winter with more than 175 different varieties of flowers and materials, faithfully covers the beautiful journey to become a wonderful centerpiece, iframe

    This new title in Pavilion’s series of stylish floral gardening guides celebrates the beauty and versatility of the peony flower.Peonies have always been a favourite with gardeners and cut-flower fans alike, but in 2016 their popularity went beyond bridal bouquets as the blooms took over social media – their gramming power was so huge this year that by May, Elle UK had already crowned the flowers as ‘The New Avocado’.First outlining the history of the peony, Peonies is then split into chapters Pure, Dramatic, Romantic and Fragrant, and includes over 50 beautiful varieties as well as detailing when they bloom, their size, and, of course, what they’ll look like. From Shawnee Chief to Sarah Bernhardt, you’ll discover an eclectic selection of specimens from those that have the best visual appearance to those with the most fragrant perfume. The final section, Growing and Care, outlines those varieties which are easiest to grow and which produce the best flowers for cutting. With contemporary commentary on each bloom, easy-to-follow advice and glorious photography, this book will appeal to everyone who appreciates the beauty of the majestic peony.

    a celebration of the history and enduring romance of Islamic gardens' Washington Post As seen on the highly acclaimed BBC2 series Monty Don's Paradise Gardens, a glorious celebration of the richness of Islamic culture through some of the most beautiful gardens on earth. In the Islamic tradition, a garden with its central elements of water, the scent of fruit trees, and places for rest and reflection, celebrate heaven on earth. Paradise gardens play a central role in everyday life in the Islamic world, yet little is known about them. Monty Don and acclaimed photographer, Derry Moore, set off on a journey to find out more about the principles and immersive delights of paradise gardens and how a very different culture and climate has influenced garden design round the world. Their journey covers twenty-nine gardens from the Real Alcazar and the Alhambra in Spain, and Le Jardin Majorelle in Morocco, to Highgrove and a Mughal garden in Bradford in England. There are some spectacular and rarely seen examples such as Pasargadae and the Maidan in Isfahan, Iran, the birthplace of paradise gardens, as well as the more renowned examples such as Turkey's Topkapi Palace and the Amber Palace and Taj Mahal in India. 'A garden, green and filled with water is heaven on earth - it is paradise.' Monty Don ALSO BY MONTY DON & DERRY MOORE JAPANESE GARDENS: A JOURNEY An exploration of the exquisite beauty and fascinating history of the most beautiful and famous gardens across Japan, from Kenrok-en to the Zen gardens of Tokyo. 'A fabulous, bonsai-filled book' Daily Mail

    Aquaponic farming is a sustainable and commercially profitable way of organic farming. The waste of the fish will get converted by bacteria to nitrates, which the plants will feed on. It’s a closed loop system. In the beginning you need to test your water frequently but after a few weeks, it doesn’t need much maintenance anymore. The fish waste will almost create all the nutrients except a few which you will have to add yourself. In this 170-page book full of wisdom, I’m going to reveal these items: • Why you should consider using aquaponics • Benefits of aquaponics over hydroponics • Which type of aquaponics system is the best for you • The items you need for an aquaponics build • I teach you how to calculate BSA • I explain the different filters you can use • I will teach you how to calculate fish stocking density • Is mineralization necessary? • Step by step guide on creating your own aquaponics system from scratch • The best fish and plants for your system • Natural pest control explained • Tips to get you started • Frequently made mistakes from beginners • Advanced aquaponics techniques • Several aquaponics design plans • My recommended resources This sums it up and is all you will need to get started in aquaponics or even do commercial aquaponics. Starting with an aquaponics DIY system from home is the preferred way to start. After you have some experience the sky is the limit! If you are interested in this amazing hobby, you should read this best-selling book! Become an aquaponics insider and grab this bargain now while it still lasts.

    No soil? No sunlight? No problem. A hydroponic growing system gives you the power to grow plants anywhere. Even if you live in an area where water is scarce, a hydroponic system is the answer you’ve been looking for. Hydroponic systems are sealed and do not allow evaporation, making water loss virtually nonexistent. Simply suspend your essential nutrients in a water-based solution and circulate them to the plant roots in a contained network of vessels and tubes. This accessible guide provides the solid information you need for hydroponic gardening success. Farmer Tyler shows you, with detailed step-by-step photos, precisely how to create these systems, and how to plant and maintain them. All the information you need to get started with your home hydroponic system is included:Recipes for nutrient solutionsLight and ventilation sourcesComprehensive equipment guideGrowing and maintenance instructions12+ hydroponic system buildsComplete crop selection chartsDIY Hydroponic Gardens is the best resource available for getting started in hydroponics.

    When a couple and their children leave the suburbs to move to the Texas countryside and start a family farm, they don't expect just how messy - or how muddy - life will become. With her I.T.-guy-turned-farmer husband getting in over his head with big ideas, a rambunctious toddler playing tag with chickens, a special needs child riding "therapy donkeys", and a love for the culture of the South Texas countryside, Fournier spins a funny, enthralling tale of the misadventures, absurdities and joy of life as novice farmers. This book will leave you laughing and yearning to pack your bags and move to the country. Author's note: This book is a memoir, however the names and details of the people and some of the places within have been changed to protect people's privacy.

    A book for people who want to learn how to grow things, but haven't got a clue where to start.With the average person now spending an enormous 8 hours and 41 minutes in front of a screen every day, gardening is an easy way to escape for half an hour. Whether on a rented balcony or a sunny kitchen windowsill, it turns out growing something with your own two hands can make you feel better. Which is where HOW TO GROW comes in. Irreverent and inspiring, this book will equip you with all the know-how and confidence you need to take your first steps into a lifelong gardening love affair - trowel in one hand, drink in the other.From growing your first wonky courgette to completely transforming a shady patio garden, in HOW TO GROW, self-taught gardener Hollie Newton divulges all the secrets she's discovered over the past few years as she's journeyed from gardening novice to vegetable-grower-extraordinaire - all from her pint-sized London garden. With chapters on easy-to-grow veg, fruit, herbs, salad and flowers (along with plenty of tried-and-tested guidance to keeping those plants alive, and delicious recipes to make the most of your haul), you'll also learn everything from the basics of planning your garden to stylish design ideas.Focusing on small and urban spaces and including beautiful photography throughout, this is practical advice for a whole new generation of gardeners.

    Author Sonya Patel Ellis covers the evolution of the plant kingdom, the history of horticulture, basic botany, and more. Readers will learn not only how to garden and forage in six major climate zones but also how to make the most of their harvest through a series of recipes for savory dishes, sweets, and drinks. Ellis demonstrates how to use botanicals for beauty and health, with instructions for making essential oils, herbal remedies, floral scents, and natural cosmetics—and even explores the world of botanical artistry and crafts. Gorgeously illustrated throughout, and packed with information and hands-on projects, The Botanical Bible is the ultimate guide for aspiring gardeners, botanists, homesteaders, and anyone seeking a more meaningful relationship with nature.

    You’ll learn the basics of photosynthesis, the science of light, how to accurately measure how much light a plant needs, and details about the most up-to-date tools and gear available. Also included are tips and techniques for helping ornamental plants (like orchids, succulents, bonsai, and more) and edible plants (arugula, cannabis, oregano, tomatoes, and more) thrive indoors. Whether you are a vegetable gardener who wants to extend the growing season, a balcony gardener short on outdoor space, or a specialty plant collector, Gardening Under Lights is a must-have.

     Packed with a wealth of information specific to the Pacific Northwest, this complete guide emphasizes low-maintenance methods, covers problems related to common pests and climate concerns, includes a monthly garden schedule for year-round planting and harvesting, and features plant profiles for everything from apples to zucchini.Perfect for novice and experienced gardeners alike, Backyard Bounty shows how even the smallest garden can produce a surprising amount of food twelve months of the year.

    Aimed at complete beginners, it de-mystifies the gardening process with sound practical and seasonal advice, lots of hints and tips for successful growing, delicious recipes, and fun weekend projects to help you make the most of your outdoor area, however small. This completely new kind of gardening book is ideal for first-timers who have busy working lives but still want to grow their own produce--without spending all weekend digging.

    The Garden Tourist features 120 botanical gardens, historic estates, and destination nurseries in New England, Hudson River Valley in New York, eastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The books is richly illustrated with 665 color photos. Plan your trips with regional maps, contact information, suggested itineraries and at-a-glance symbols that illustrate garden amenities.

    In this engaging and accessible guide, lavishly illustrated with more than two hundred color photographs and maps, accomplished butterfly gardener Jane Hurwitz presents essential information on how to choose and cultivate plants that will attract a range of butterflies to your garden and help sustain all the stages of their life cycles. An indispensable resource for aspiring and experienced butterfly gardeners alike, Butterfly Gardening is the most gardener-friendly source on the subject, covering all the practical details needed to create a vibrant garden habitat that fosters butterflies. It tells you which plants support which butterflies, depending on where you live; it describes what different butterflies require in the garden over the course of their lives; and it shows you how to become a butterfly watcher as well as a butterfly gardener.While predominantly recommending regionally native plants, the book includes information on non-native plants. It also features informative interviews with experienced butterfly gardeners from across the United States. These gardeners share a wealth of information on plants and practices to draw butterflies to all kinds of gardens--from small suburban gardens to community plots and larger expanses.Whether you are a gardener who wants to see more butterflies in your garden, a butterfly enthusiast who wants to bring that passion to the garden, or someone who simply wants to make their garden or yard friendlier to Monarchs or other butterflies, this is a must-have guide. An essential guide for aspiring and experienced butterfly gardeners Encourages readers to rethink gardening choices to support butterflies and other pollinators in their gardens and communities Introduces gardeners to butterfly watching Includes regional lists of plant species that are time-proven to help sustain butterflies and their caterpillars Features informative interviews with expert butterfly gardeners from across the United States

    Inexpensive to purchase, easy to care for and a statement in any space they inhabit, growing these plants is virtually foolproof. The Little Book of House Plants and Other Greenery is a source of green inspiration for small-space gardening, featuring a directory of 60 of the most popular varieties of foliage to own. From dramatic palms and tropical leafy wonders to beautiful ferns and flowering potted plants – this book covers everything you need to know about nurturing and growing your own. Each of the 60 plants is accompanied by luscious photography and an easy-to-follow breakdown of all the essential requirements for that variety. This includes details on size, growth and flowering, along with any extra tips on caring for that specific plant.

    Claire profiles Australian gardens, gardeners and garden designers who are drawing on the international movement towards a more naturalistic approach to planting design. Similar to the New Perennial movement and Prairie-style, these gardens take into consideration how plants grow in the wild and have created highly textural, visually pleasing gardens that appeal not only to our love of beauty, but that sit gently in their surrounding landscapes, giving a strong sense of place.Across 15 chapters and 22 gardens, Claire's stunning photography is accompanied by essays written by the garden owners or designers. The chapters detail the journey to establishing the gardens, their motivation, and the struggles and rewards the gardens bring day in, day out. Beautifully presented, Australian Dreamscapes is a stunning journey through the diversity of gardens in Australia.

    

    

    Tankard surveys the inspirations, characteristics, and development of garden design during this iconic movement. Tankard presents a selection of houses and gardens of the era from Great Britain and North America. With almost 300 illustrations and photographs, and an emphasis on the diversity of designers who helped forge the movement, Gardens of the Arts and Crafts Movement is an essential resource for this truly distinct approach to garden design.

    In only 144 illustrated pages, High Times editor, Danny Danko, covers the basics of successful pot cultivation. This book is a primer that covers: The basics of setting up a grow room Genetics and seeds Germination Sexing Cloning Building buds Harvesting Pest, fungi, molds, and deficiencies Concentrates, edibles, tinctures, and topicals This is the novice marijuana grower’s handbook that guides readers through the absolute essentials of cannabis horticulture to produce the most potent buds. From where to buy seeds to sowing, nurturing, and maintaining a crop, this handy “Pot Bible” is essential for the perfect harvest.

    It will completely demystify how to grow these plants, and is written in a language that EVERYONE can understand! Even if you know nothing about houseplants or have a black thumb, you can read this book in about an hour and have a newfound confidence in easily growing Phalaenopsis orchids! Please note that this is NOT a picture book. There are links however to the author's blog site at www.ohiotropics.com that illustrate many concepts visually and provide further reference. The author stands behind this book so much that you can contact Raffaele at any time after you read the book and he will answer all of your questions. Raffaele firmly believes that anyone can learn how to easily grow these plants after reading this easy to understand eBook. As the creator of www.ohiotropics.com, and founder and curator of the wildly popular @ohiotropics account on Instagram, Raffaele has taught houseplant care to tens of thousands of people. Take a look at some testimonials: “I have never been able to rebloom an orchid by simply following the tag on my store purchased orchids. A friend recommended Raffaele, and I immediately began scanning his blog for info on orchids. I now realize why my orchids were not reblooming. I ditched the ice cube watering system that is somehow still all over the web and began following Raffaele’s instructions. Within weeks, I had a new flower spike! My plants are thriving, and I am a happy camper. Thank you, Ohio Tropics!” Jackie in Winchester, Virginia “Not only do I have a black thumb but I travel frequently and have a cat. I didn’t think it was possible to grow anything in my house. Raffaele helped me to understand that orchids are not intimidating. In fact, they are quite robust and require very little attention. I would highly recommend his advice and this eBook. If I can get an orchid to re-bloom you can too!” Meredith in Cleveland, Ohio “As a Horticulturalist, I am truly inspired and impressed with Raffaele’s remarkable plant blog at www.ohiotropics.com. Ohio Tropics has enriched the plant community through factual information, knowledge, and understanding of plant care, as well as providing a place they can go to learn something new.” Marisa Reyes in Wisconsin “Ohio Tropics changed the way I water all of my plants, and they’re happier for it! He’s so helpful, positive, and fun to follow!” Bethany in Michigan

    Focusing on simple ideas, techniques and design solutions that anyone can achieve, Nick's guidance will instil the reader with the confidence to tackle restoring any space. His advice will include all the vital steps, beginning with assessing and understanding your site and progressing through the pruning and layering of existing planting, and the shaping of your space, to what to plant in specific areas and how to wow with unusual choices. Nick will also give advice on what to do and when to do it, with seasonal guidance on the best times to undertake basic tasks, so that reviving your garden becomes both satisfying and rewarding.

    Yet rainfall, even in arid climates, can make up a sizable portion of any home, acreage, or farm's water requirements if harvested and utilized with care. The key is appropriate planning and high-quality site- and climate-specific design.Essential Rainwater Harvesting is a comprehensive manual for designing, building, and maintaining water harvesting systems for the warm and cold climates of the world. Presenting design considerations and approaches for the most common household rainwater supply scenarios - primary, supplemental, and off-grid supply - this step-by-step approach covers:Considerations for full-property water securityDemand planning and conservation strategies Supply calculations and design implications for extreme rainfall and drought Materials selection and water quality System and site assessment Sizing and design of gutters, conveyance, tanks, and pumps Pre-filtration, filtration, and disinfection options System maintenance and upkeep This practical resource provides DIYers, trades, and rainwater practitioners with the essential tools, methods, and technical know-how to design, build, and maintain rainwater harvesting systems anywhere. Rob Avis, P.Eng and Michelle Avis, P.Eng own and operate Adaptive Habitat, a leading edge property design firm for resilient homes, acreages, and farms and Verge Permaculture, a globally recognized award-winning education business. They have over 20 years of combined experience in project management, ecological design, and sustainable technologies, which they share at vergepermaculture.ca from their suburban house and yard that they've transformed into a model of cold climate urban permaculture in Calgary, Alberta.

    In the past decade, raised bed gardening has been wildly popular, but it requires buying wood or another material to build the raised beds, which quickly becomes expensive and labor intense. A raised row garden uses just soil and mulch, such as shredded leaves, to create raised growing rows and walking rows. This method is more budget-friendly, natural and just as effective to control weeds and see an impressive harvest your first year. Jim and Mary Competti, founders of the blog Old World Garden Farms, are the leaders of this gardening revolution. They’ve perfected and streamlined their method over several years. They spend only a few minutes per day maintaining a large garden that provides their family with food for the whole year. In this book, they share their secrets so anyone can do it too.Raised rows utilize straw mulch, compost and cover crops to enrich the soil you have and keep down weeds naturally. This way, no backbreaking overturning of the beds is required, as it is for traditional row gardening. Now, readers can work less and enjoy the fruits of their gardens more!

    In Straw Bale Solutions, you will find over two dozen stories of Straw Bale Gardens that inspire as much as they educate. You will recognize in them many of the challenges any gardener faces, and you will see how you can use the experiences of others to write your own Straw Bale Gardening success story. In backyards and all across the world, Straw Bale Gardening (SPG) is making an impact. Since he created Straw Bale Gardening in his home in the Midwestern US, author Joel Karsten has talked to thousands of gardeners and traveled to dozens of countries to spread the SBG word. Here, in Joel’s own words, is a collection of fascinating illustrated stories that you can enjoy and learn from. For example:Cambodian SBGs grow food during Monsoon season—for the first timeSBGs sprout fresh veggies in the rocky Swiss AlpsA community garden in New Jersey turns an EPA site into a food havenAn SBG in the lowlands of the Netherlands rises above constant floodsAnd many more stories of SBG success that have lessons just for you

    Exquisite illustrations of leaves, fruits and branches accompany a lyrical text by conservation expert Steve Marsh that describes the features of 52 varieties of tree.Press-out sections enable you to reveal the outline of each shape and transform your book into a work of art.

    Exquisite botanical illustrations accompany a lyrical text by nature writer and botanist Michael Scott.Press-out sections enable you to reveal the outlines of the flowers and transform your book into a work of art.

    Andrea Afra, from the popular succulent care and advice platform 'Sucs for You,' has helped thousands of succulent lovers become confident about understanding their plants' needs based on their growing location. From these exchanges and shared experiences, The Succulent Manual was born. This book explores topics on succulents' care requirements, their various propagation techniques, troubleshooting problems, regional advice, identification methods, and more. The Succulent Manual is thorough, easy to navigate, and will be the perfect companion to your succulent collection, whether you're just starting out with them or ready to advance your knowledge. The Succulent Manual contains detailed chapters and sections on the most important topics: Basic Tips: First, you'll learn about the basic care tips and growing cycles so you have a solid understanding of how to keep succulents alive and happy. This is vital to being able to troubleshoot any problems you may run into along the way. Make More Sucs: There are many varieties of succulents that can provide a lifetime supply of plants for you and others from just one plant! You'll learn about propagation by leaves, division, cuttings, and seeds. Succulent SOS: Stretched plants, leaf-drop, pests...the 'Symptoms' section will help you identify problems with your succulents, while the following section 'Take Action' provides solutions and repair advice. Regional Tips: Your climate and location have a major influence on the obstacles you may run into. This chapter covers the various regional and seasonal challenges. The Succulent Manual also includes care tips and instructions on building a garden bed for in-ground succulents, a buying guide for plants and supplies, information on grow lights, a Knowledge Bank, glossary, and other useful advice.

    Murphy writes in a way that makes it personal and joyous... Instead of focusing on inches, weeks, and weeding, the book is about cultivating a connection to the earth, the outdoors, and food... This book is for anyone who's interested in gardening, no matter how small or large the garden, or how limited the reader's experience." -- Publishers WeeklyGrow What You Love is a simple guide to growing vegetables, herbs and more that will add flavor and variety to the fresh produce readers can access throughout the year. Aimed at novice and experienced gardeners alike, Grow What You Love is an image-driven, how-to adventure from an expert organic gardener with an enthusiasm for an authentic life.Lavishly illustrated with more than 250 photographs, the book begins with an exploration of Emily's approach to gardening and how it can fit into modern life with little time and effort. She gives advice on how best to choose food plants that readers love (or will grow to love), and follows with simple methods for garden-to-table growing, including a selection of her favorite seasonal recipes. The result for readers will be a garden-fresh bounty for any time of the year.Complete with workshops that cover topics like composting, transplanting, pruning, and how to combine plants in the garden, and with online resources and hardiness zone maps, Grow What You Love is packed with goodness for every gardener.

    Through profiles of 100 of the most influential gardens, Linda Chisholm explores how social, political, and economic influences shaped garden design principles. The book is organized chronologically and by theme, starting with the medieval garden Alhambra and ending with the modern naturalism of the Lurie Garden. Sumptuously illustrated, The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens is a comprehensive resource for garden designers and landscape architects, design students, and garden history enthusiasts.

     Gardening is just a hobby for most – but for some, it’s a matter of life and death. Who keeps killing soil scientists and agriculture industry executives around the world? If you dare to ask, you may end up as the next corpse to disappear into the Earth as compost. When gardener Jack Broccoli and his boss are targeted by a radical farming cult, Jack’s entire life is turned upside-down as he’s forced into a terrifying world of international agro-industrial intrigue. TURNED EARTH is a frighteningly funny novel by master gardener David The Good and the first in the Jack Broccoli series of gardening thrillers.

    Native host plants—wildflowers, trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and sedges—not only provide a site for the butterfly to lay its eggs, they also provide a ready food source for the emerging caterpillar. Think of these plants as the nurseries of the garden. This user-friendly, heavily illustrated field guide describes 101 native larval host plants in Texas. Each species account includes descriptive information on each plant, a distribution map, and photos of both the caterpillars and adult butterflies who frequent those plants. An adult butterfly may nectar on a wide variety of flowers, but caterpillars are much more restricted in their food sources. Some feed on only a limited number of plant species, so female butterflies seek out these specific plants to lay their eggs. For example, the host plants for Monarch caterpillars are various species of milkweed. Often, these plants are not the same as the ones the adult butterfly will later use for nectar. Learning more about the plants caterpillars need is crucial for butterfly conservation. Butterflies’ dependency on specific caterpillar host plants is one of the key factors restricting their range and distribution. Armed with this knowledge, readers can also hone their ability to find specific species of breeding butterflies in nature. This is a handy guide whether you are in the field searching for butterflies or on the hunt for butterfly-friendly options at your local plant sale.

    For the most complete, up-to-date information on starting plants from seed, turn to The New Seed-Starter's Handbook. Written by a gardener with 30 years of experience, this updated, easy-to-use reference explains everything you need to know to start seeds and raise healthy seedlings successfully. You'll find:- The latest research in seed starting- The best growing media- The newest gardening materials- Solutions to seed-starting problems- Source lists for seeds and hard-to-find gardening suppliesThe robust encyclopedia section lists more than 200 plants—including vegetables and fruits, garden flowers, wildflowers, herbs, trees, and shrubs—with details on how to start each from seed.

    They want to reduce their carbon footprints; save time, water, and money; and attract birds and butterflies. But where to begin? This illustrated guide will help you create new outdoor spaces that are both sustainable and beautiful.Taking the common ⅓-acre lot as an example, Ginny Stibolt and Marjorie Shropshire provide a sample layout for a basic native plant landscape. They use a grid system that allows gardeners to work on their yards in small sections instead of trying to revamp the entire landscape at once. The grid system can also be reduced or expanded for yards of varying size. By breaking down the process into individual steps, creating a Florida garden is achievable for beginners and experts alike.The first step is assessing your property and choosing which plants to keep and which to remove. Then, design your landscape to soak up more stormwater through the use of rain barrels, rain gardens, or ponds. The next steps involve planting trees, understory plants, and installing butterfly gardens. There are additional instructions for building wild areas into your landscape to provide habitat for birds and pollinators; creating a flexible outdoor room perfect for your family's needs today and into the future; and using plants to cool the air, provide screening for privacy, buffer incoming winds, and reduce noise.By following these methods, anyone can convert all or part of their yard into a more natural area without using pesticides or artificial fertilizers, which will save money, reduce pollution, and help support wildlife. Complete with detailed diagrams, a timeline for growth and maintenance, and lists of suggested plants for each step, this guide will help readers set up an environmentally friendly habitat and give them the time and peace of mind to enjoy it.

    Learn how to turn a single sweet potato into a pot full of them. Grow a salad from the end bit of lettuce and a lemon tree from a single seed. Several of these projects require nothing more than a jar, a windowsill, and a few pieces of food that would otherwise end up in the trash or compost. Step-by-step drawings and photographs make it easy to follow along, and fun recipes will help you enjoy the fruits of your labor.-- "Journal"

    Packed with exciting stuff to do, make and discover, the activities are arranged in themed sections, from the garden, the woods, and the shore, through to rainy days, sunny days and night-time. This book is guaranteed to turn any stay-at-home kid (and their family) into an enthusiastic and accomplished outdoor adventurer!

    Learn from the lessons of previous systems. This book is already being used to build inspired systems around the world. Makers: Find the DIY details ready to be adapted to your local and global projects. See how other makers solved their problems. Teachers: Use this in your Middle School, High School, and University courses. Provides context for education and practical experience to back up math, science, and social curriculum. Includes problem-sets to reinforce the knowledge in the book. Students: Rejoice in strong practical reasons to be learning. The real stories bring the math and technical details to life. The custom diagrams and pictures deepen the learning. Homesteaders: Size your system so that you have the water you need, when you need it. International development workers: Be ready with appropriate systems and examples.  Preppers: Build systems to be water secure. Have the book around in case you need it! Practivistas: Expand the resilience and impact of the idea that, instead of telling people what not to do, we can build better systems that people want to do. People looking for inspiration and follow-through. To Catch the Rain includes project details and images from dozens of Appropedia contributors. The Appropedia Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to "sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives."  Up-to-date resource pages on Appropedia support each of the projects and resources in the book for long term follow-up. Some of the projects have been updated periodically online for over a decade! Thanks to a special arrangement with the publisher, Humboldt State Press, all of the net proceeds from sales will go back into the book and to the Appropedia Foundation. In addition, the content is licensed open source, as Creative Commons, so you can share it however you like!

    Mushrooms are healthy, packed with vitamins and antioxidants; rich with flavor, an excellent source of the fifth flavor know as umami; and can be used medicinally in teas and tinctures. By growing your own, you can enjoy these benefits while also enriching your soil, speeding up your composting, and even suppressing weeds—though the biggest draw may be the magic of watching this unique form of life grow. Understanding how mushrooms grow is crucial to successfully cultivating them, and Mushroom Cultivation offers photo-illustrated instruction both on how mushrooms grow and how you can cultivate them yourself, with a focus on six types of mushroom—shiitake, oyster, wine cap, hericium, blewit, and agaricus. You’ll learn how to:Grow mushrooms, step by step, in a variety of different mediums: logs, straw, wood chips and sawdust, and compostTroubleshoot problems, including identification, underwatering, overwatering, and insectsStore, dry, and freeze your mushroom harvestCook with mushrooms, including variety-specific cooking tips and 8 tasty recipesFind supplies and more information with the resources listed at the back of the bookAfter reading Mushroom Cultivation, you’ll discover that growing a mushroom is really no more difficult than growing a tomato. You just need a slightly different set of skills.Picking your own fresh mushrooms at the peak of their flavor and nutrition is within your reach with this comprehensive, step-by-step guide.

    Choose from fruiting vegetables such as orange eggplants and hyacinth beans, salad greens such as fiddlehead ferns and sushi hostas, grains such as quinoa and chia, and luscious fruits such as honeyberries and white strawberries. All plants can be started indoors and transplanted, grown outdoors in the garden, or kept as houseplants. With versatile gardening advice for growing in a variety of spaces and situations, plus cooking suggestions and preserving options, a weird and wonderful harvest is guaranteed.

    Now for the first time she shares her life story, from her small-town Missouri childhood to her New York fashion career that began with Oscar de la Renta, to her role as an author and tastemaker. There are the influential figures from her past, including: her grandmother, who sewed beautifully and ran a successful shop; her mother, who taught her that women need clothes to suit the many roles they have to play; her mentor, Oscar de la Renta, from whom she learned the fashion business. Roehm tells the story of launching, running, and ultimately closing her own fashion line, and her subsequent reinvention through books, gardening, entertaining, and d�cor. Through it all she shows how the constant threads of character and creativity, and a passion for nature, color, quality, and classicism can inform your work, style, and life.

    This book from the National Trust looks at walled gardens throughout England and Wales and explores their history, innovative design, and cultural heritage. Walled gardens are a feature of British gardening history. In the late 18th century, gardens became status symbols, with aristocrats vying to grow ever more exotic fruits—ushering in innovations such as glasshouses and even heated walls. With the First and Second World Wars many of these gardens fell into disrepair, but renovated ones feature at many key National Trust properties and remain a source of pride and fascination today.

    A mix of cement, perlite, peat, and water, they are simple and affordable to make at home. In Hypertufa Containers, Lori Chips details everything you need to know to make your own troughs and successfully garden in them. This hardworking book includes step-by-step instructions and color photography for making hypertufa containers in a variety of shapes and sizes. Plant portraits include growing and cultivation information, along with potting tips.

    Engaging and accessible, Pacific Northwest Insects features detailed species accounts, each with a vivid photograph of a living adult, along with information for distinguishing similar species, allowing the reader to identify more than 3,000 species found from southern British Columbia to northern California and as far east as Montana. The book features most of the commonly encountered insects, spiders, scorpions, millipedes, centipedes, and kin in the Pacific Northwest, as well as representatives of an amazing variety of unusual and interesting insects living in the area. After more than a decade of research, reviewing hundreds of thousands of museum specimens and scouring the technical entomological literature, Merrill Peterson has brought together for the first time in a single volume a wealth of information on the region's insect life.Detailed identifying information on over 3,000 speciesComplete description of 1,200 speciesOrganized by insect group for easy identificationUp-to-date taxonomy1,725 color photos, 50 line drawings, and 2 maps

    Use this journal throughout the seasons, from building catalog wish lists early in the year, to noting the first signs of spring, to recording what vegetable crops you planted and their yield, to organizing yourself for bulb planting in fall, to, finally, putting the garden to bed for the winter. A five year grid at the beginning of each month offers space to note annual garden cycles over time, and journal entry pages are lined for notes or graphed for diagramming plantings. Whether you tend a window box, a cutting garden, or many raised vegetable beds, this is the perfect write-in companion to your gardening.This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: ·Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil ·Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds ·Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when ·Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening ·Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting ·Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.

    Native Plants for New England Gardens culls the expertise of the New England Wild Flower Society to help anyone create lovely, hardy gardens that will tolerate drought, resist disease and encourage biodiversity. This handy guide to 100 great native flowers, ground covers, shrubs, ferns, and grasses that will thrive in New England gardens features practical information accompanied by beautiful color photography. Find and nurture the native plants that your garden is missing--the planet will thank you.

    

    

    Inside, eight of North America’s top gardening experts—and Cool Springs Press authors—present 19 subjects of critical interest to anyone who wants to learn or broaden gardening skills. Whether your main interest is in designing landscapes and gardens, ornamental gardening to make your yard more attractive, or gardening to provide nutritious edibles for the family table, this book will become your definitive source of information. It is intended for serious beginning to intermediate gardeners, but even veteran gardeners will be intrigued by what these experts have to say about core gardening skills and common horticultural subjects.  Gardening Complete is a practical book that demonstrates how to accomplish the routine activities of gardening, including: planning and planting your garden, essential care for the garden during the growing season, dealing with pests and diseases, and harvesting fruits and vegetables. While many gardening books focus on regional plant species or devote large sections to some form of plant catalog, this book is different. Gardening Complete serves not only as a self-contained manual for gardening skills and information in all regions, but also as a sampler that may help you determine where to focus your gardening hobby in the future or even help you identify authors you’d like to explore further. Each of the eight authors has an impressively broad background in publishing and lecturing on gardening, and you may discover a new favorite writer in these pages. We haven’t just allowed these authorities to express their individual views—we’ve encouraged them to do so. As is true in a healthy garden, we’ve aimed at diversity for this book.   This book is not an organic gardening book per se, but if you have any previous familiarity with Cool Springs Press or any of these authors, you will know that we tend to take a low-impact approach to gardening. Thus, our authors generally offer advice that is gentle to the soil, to the environment, and to beneficial insects and animals.    Success in your yard and garden awaits you with the help of Gardening Complete. Our authros are among the most passionate gardeners you will ever meet, and they have helped thousands of home gardeners just like you.

    Food. Anywhere. is the must-have guide for anyone who has ever had a desire to grow their own food. Authors Mat and Dillon, of the Little Veggie Patch Co. provide a comprehensive and authoritative guide to gardening in any space, all in their own unique and entertaining style. Whether you've got a balcony, a tiny courtyard, or a patch of reclaimed dirt in a shared neighbourhood space, this book offers inspiration – and instruction – for growing good things to eat. The book has three sections: What plants need; an A-Z of Veggies; and an A-Z of Pests. These chapters cover everything from: why soil matters; composting; how to make a wicking garden; how to select the right growing style; what to plant and when; harvesting; troubleshooting; pruning; and more. Grow. Food. Anywhere. is presented with a combination of photographs, illustrations, and a playful, engaging design that very much mirrors the refreshing no-nonsense approach of the book's two accomplished and articulate young authors, and their thriving gardening business.

    Live outside the box and abandon boring, cookie-cutter landscaping. Liven up your home with flowers and plants that will flourish for more than just a season— with careful planning, these gardens will be a delight for years to come! full sun partial shade shade high elevation hungry wildlife

    This lavishly illustrated book shows how to grow plants from the "great garden triumvirate" and provides foolproof design techniques for any garden or landscape. An extensive section on using color in the garden provides guidance for the tricky process of plant placement and selection. Practical techniques are emphasized, too. Readers will learn how to care for soil, start plants from seeds, grow and care for plants in containers, and maintain plants and gardens. Sections on dividing plants, lifting bulbs, and saving seeds are also included.

    It allows us to find our way around nurseries; it sorts out confusions when two plants have the same English name; and it gives us all kinds of information about how big or small a plant will grow, what shape or colour it will develop, and what habitat it prefers.In his lively survey, Parker agues that Botanical Latin is not merely useful, but fun. The naming of plants draws upon geography, social and medical history, folklore, mythology, language, literature, the human body, the animal kingdom and all manner of ancient beliefs and superstitions.The book, beautifully illustrated with old woodcuts, explains how and why plants have been named, includes handy lists of identifying adjectives, and takes the reader down some of the stranger byways of human endeavour and eccentricity.

    Just as with here first collection, this book inspires the reader to get out there and start gardening, right this second! It's cute and inspiring; and reading it at this time of year (spring) makes me want to do even more in my yard. I can't wait to get my hand on the third book in this trilogy, if anything like the first two it's going to be amazing: )" - Erin Cataldi, Librarian

    Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Little Guide to Butterflies offers a modern reference to identifying these glorious insects.Featuring 40 of the most distinctive butterflies from around the world, this book is the perfect companion for anyone looking to reconnect with nature, whether that's when out walking or from the comfort of an armchair.Each butterfly has been exquisitely illustrated by printmaker Tom Frost and is accompanied by all-important information including their habitat, distribution and wingspan, plus an interesting fact or fable. There is also an interactive spotter's guide, where you can check off and note the date each time you spot a new butterfly.

    It's a fascinating story about passion—and power and politics too. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout and includes new photography of some of the most influential gardens in the world, including Sissinghurst. Drawn from the National Trust's extensive archives, The Story of the English Garden is the definitive guide to Europe's greatest collection of historic gardens—a rich celebration of World Heritage sites, rare and exotic plants and groundbreaking architectural design.

    There is something special about the English country house garden: from its quiet verdant lawns to its high yew hedges, this is a style much-desired and copied around the world. The English country house is most often conceived as a private, intimate place, a getaway from working life. A pergola, a sundial, a croquet lawn, a herbaceous border of soft planting; here is a space to wander and relax, to share secrets, and above all to enjoy afternoon tea. But even the most peaceful of gardens also take passion and hard work to create. This new book takes a fresh look at the English country house garden, starting with the owners and the stories behind the making of the gardens. Glorious photographs capture the gardens at their finest moments through the seasons, and a sparkling and erudite text presents twenty-five gardens - some grand, some personal, some celebrated, some never-before-photographed - to explore why this garden style has been so very enduring and influential. From the Victorian grandeur of Tyntesfield and Cragside, to the Arts & Crafts simplicity of Rodmarton Manor and Charleston; from Scampston, in the same family since the 17th century, to new gardens by Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart-Smith; and with favourites such as Hidcote and Great Dixter alongside new discoveries, this book will be a delicious treat for garden-lovers.

    Passers-by often stop to admire her beautiful flowers. But one day Hedgehog wakes to find her pretty garden ruined! Who has eaten all her plants? Hedgehog blames each of her friends, but it wasn’t any of them. Then Hedgehog has an idea. After working all day tidying and replanting her garden, she sets a trap to catch the culprit.... This endearing story about hard work, forgiveness and compromise also celebrates the beauty of an unexpected friendship. Beautifully illustrated, QEB’s Storytime series introduces young children to the pleasures of reading and sharing stories. Featuring charming animal and human characters, the books explore important social and emotional themes like friendship, gratitude, perseverance, and overcoming fears. A Next Steps page at the back provides guidance for parents and teachers.

    Her world shines in sharp contrast to the volatile and emotionally stifled environment she grew up in. Defying the odds, she has succeeded in breaking the cycle of abuse and divorce.Her father's sudden and tragic death changes everything. Estranged from her mother she seeks comfort in the revival of her relationship with her two brothers. As the three grieve their loss, memories from their turbulent and siloed childhood resurface. AJ finds herself increasingly preoccupied with the freshly resurrected images from her past. Doubts about the life she has so carefully architected begin to worm their way into her subconscious.In the months following her father's funeral, AJ's reminiscences compel her to see the world through a fresh lens. Concerns that her husband is leading a secret life turn from suspicion to fact as the void in their relationship widens, creating a troubling likeness between her own marriage and the dysfunctional relationships she witnessed as a child. She struggles with the decision to honor her intuition and end her failing marriage, but the consequences of divorce still loom ominously in her memory.This is the true story of one woman's journey to overcome the pain and silence of her childhood in order to see and face her own truth. Written in a novelistic style, her memoir traverses past and present, vividly contrasting the world she grew up in with the life she currently leads.

    From soil composition to fertilizers to planting and landscaping on your dream-acres or in small containers, this book is charmingly illustrated with thousands of illustrations and photographs. Packed with must-have information, including techniques for maintaining a garden year-round, harvesting herbs, designing by bloom season, turning garden refuse into garden rewards, building plant supports, and more. Chapters are organized into topics such as:Garden Techniques and TricksThe Flower GardenThe Edible GardenContainer GardeningGarden Design and LandscapingAttracting WildlifeAnd so much more! With nearly 1,000 pages of indispensable information, Garden Wisdom & Know-How is comprehensive guide for both the beginner and experienced gardener.This book is also a part of the Know-How series which includes other titles such as:Country Wisdom & Know-HowWoodworking Wisdom & Know-HowNatural Healing Wisdom & Know-HowCraft Wisdom & Know-HowSurvival Wisdom & Know-HowHome Repair Wisdom & Know-How

    Yet orchids retain an air of exotic mystery—and they remain remarkably misunderstood and underappreciated. The orchid family contains an astonishing array of colors, forms, and smells that captivate growers from all walks of life across the globe. Though undeniably elegant, the popular moth orchid—a grocery store standard—is a bland stand-in when compared with its thousands of more complex and fascinating brethren, such as the Demon Queller, which grows in dark forests where its lovely blooms are believed to chase evil forces away. There is the Fetid Sun-God, an orchid that lures female flies to lay their eggs on its flowers by emitting a scent of rancid cheese. Or the rare, delicate Lizard Orchid, which mimics the appearance of lizards but smells distinctly of goat. The Book of Orchids revels in the diversity and oddity of these beguiling plants. Six hundred of the world’s most intriguing orchids are displayed, along with life-size photographs that capture botanical detail, as well as information about distribution, peak flowering period, and each species’ unique attributes, both natural and cultural. With over 28,000 known species—and more being discovered each year—the orchid family is arguably the largest and most geographically widespread of the flowering plant families. Including the most up-to-date science and accessibly written by botanists Mark Chase, Maarten Christenhusz, and Tom Mirenda, each entry in The Book of Orchids will entice researchers and orchid enthusiasts alike. With stunning full-color images, The Book of Orchids is sure to become the go-to reference for these complex, alluring, and extraordinarily adaptable plants.

    They've also farmed people, their successful agritourism business winning state and national awards. But awards don't really mean anything, that's because the prize for many farmers is a life full of challenge, fulfilment and memories; a life connected to and infused by the power of nature.

    Gardenland chronicles the development of this genre across key moments in American literature and history, from nineteenth-century industrialization and urbanization to the twentieth-century rise of factory farming and environmental advocacy to contemporary debates about public space and social justice--even to the consideration of the future of humanity's place on earth.In exploring the hidden landscape of desire in American gardens, Gardenland examines literary fiction, horticultural publications, and environmental writing, including works by Charles Dudley Warner, Henry David Thoreau, Willa Cather, Jamaica Kincaid, John McPhee, and Leslie Marmon Silko. Ultimately, Gardenland asks what the past century and a half of garden writing might tell us about our current social and ecological moment, and it offers surprising insight into our changing views about the natural world, along with realms that may otherwise seem remote from the world of leeks and hollyhocks.

    In Grow, Cook, Nourish, bestselling author Darina Allen draws on more than 30 years of experience gardening at Ballymaloe to take you through an extensive list of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Each entry includes explanations of different varieties, practical information on cultivation, growing and maintenance, plus instructions for the best ways to cook produce as well as preserve and utilise a glut. With more than 500 recipes, including dishes for every ingredient, Darina shows how to use your harvest to its full potential. Vegetables range from annual crops such as chicory, radishes and kohlrabi to perennials like asparagus and spinach. Fruits cover apples, currants and peaches as well as the more unusual and interesting myrtle berries, loquats and medlars. Plus a comprehensive list of herbs, edible flowers and foraged foods such as samphire, wild garlic and blackberries.

    Chapters include:Hoophouse siting, size, style, frame construction, and tools Bed layout, soil, crop rotations, and extensive coverage of various crops for all seasons Organic solutions to pests and diseases Disaster preparation Tested resources for each chapter.The Year-Round Hoophouse is ideal for farmers who wish to move into protected growing, as well as beginning farmers in rural and urban spaces. It is an essential reference resource for professors and students of courses in sustainable agriculture, as well as interns and apprentices learning on the job.Growing in hoophouses - also known as high tunnels or polytunnels - reduces the impact of an increasingly unpredictable climate on crops, mitigates soil erosion, extends the growing season, keeps leafy greens alive through the winter, and enables growers to supply more regional food needs.

    With its simple tutorials that anyone can do to enhance their space, Easy Garden Projects appeals to a wide swath of gardeners. Whether it’s a homemade faux-stone planter filled with succulents or a potting bench made from reclaimed wood, each design features a finished-project photo and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your gardening path. The look and feel of the book reflects the breezy, rustic, and organic style of the Country Gardens brand. No matter where you live and garden, Easy Garden Projects features fun ways to spend a weekend or just a few hours making something beautiful. With chapters on: Plants & Planters: Find or create your own containers and fill them with flora.Hardscape: Build structures that serve and enhance your garden.Raised Beds, Cold Frames & Greenhouses: Lengthen the growing season and make gardening easier with these hardworking projects.Garden Accents & Decor: Beautify your outdoor space with these simple designs.Inviting Wildlife: Welcome birds, bees, and butterflies to your yard.Mini Gardens & Terrariums: Bring the garden indoors with these delightful small-scale projectsSample projects include: Craft a Country Birdfeeder from Rustic antiques Raise a Vegetable Garden Light Your Garden with Romantic Votive Displays Lay a Weathered Brick Patio Pot a Vertical Garden Plan a Bird-Lover’s Garden Create a Tiny Terrarium World Under Glass Plant a Succulent Wreath Set Up a Cucumber Tower Save the Monarchs and Host the Most Butterflies Learn Bonsai Basics Captivate the Senses with an Indoor Herb Garden

    Inside you'll find chapters on: Understanding plants Everyday garden care Problem solving Planting design Gardening through the year and much more. Hands-on guidance and step-by-step instructions explain topics such as pruning, pest and diseases, weed removal and caring for lawns. Expert gardeners explain the underlying principles in plain English, while clear diagrams and beautiful photographs inspire and inform.Become a better, smarter, more productive gardener with this complete guide to horticulture in one handy book.

    Author Dale Strickler introduces you to the same innovative systems he used to transform his own drought-stricken family farm in Kansas into a thriving, water-wise, and profitable enterprise, maximizing healthy cropland, pasture, and water supply. Ranging from simple, short-term projects such as installing rain-collection ollas to long-term land-management planning strategies, Strickler’s methods show how to get more water into the soil, keep it in the soil, and help plants and livestock access it.

    In Hanging Kokedama, Coraleigh's breath-taking moss ball creations, featuring ferns, succulents, herbs, orchids and even small trees, are suspended in mid-air and supported by nothing more than a series of strings or fishing lines, intricately wrapped around a root ball.  Decorating with indoor plants has never been more popular and hanging kokedama is the ultimate botanical trend as it offers everything through a single, versatile and inexpensive craft; you can turn any of your favourite plants into a kokedama on a (shoe)string in no time.

    

    Produced in association with Kew, this wonderful book is enhanced with botanical illustrations by the great orchid artists, 40 of which have been also been selected to include as prints and presented in a handsome collector's box.Captivating, beautiful, incredibly diverse and often elusive, orchids can be found in nearly all environments, ranging from sea level to an elevation of almost 5,000 metres. Victorian plant hunters scoured the globe for new species to bring back for botanical gardens and private collectors; "orchidmania" among gardeners was born and persists to this day. Enhanced with notes and letters held in Kew's archives and illustrations by artists such as John Day and Sarah Drake, this is an exceptionally beautiful book on an extraordinary plant.About the authors:Lauren Gardiner is Curator of the Cambridge University Herbarium and a member of the RHS Orchid Committee. She previously worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where she specialized in the conservation of Madagascan plants, including orchids and palms.Phillip Cribb is a leading specialist on the taxonomy and conservation of orchids. He was Deputy Keeper of the Herbarium and Curator of the Orchid Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, until his retirement in 2006.

    With the value of their honey and wax, and the work they do pollinating our crops, they've become an indelible part of our history and mythology, filling our lore and early religions with tales of little gods and devoted messengers.This book is a brief collection of some of these stories, and a celebration of our bees throughout history.

    Not only for our own enjoyment, but as a direct contribution to the health and sustainability of our local environment and wildlife. AB Bishop shows how to design, plant and maintain fauna-friendly landscapes, stressing the importance of understanding how all aspects of the backyard ecosystem are interlinked in order to create a truly authentic and effective habitat. This information-packed resource includes a detailed plant directory; information on what plants (native and exotic) suit what creatures and why; and advice on how to factor in the shelter, nesting, food and water requirements of different types of wildlife. A practical projects chapter features step-by-step instructions for soil testing; making compost tea; building and planting a frog pond; and constructing nesting boxes and insect hotels.