Best of
Plants

1985

Natural Way of Farming: The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy


Masanobu Fukuoka - 1985
    Rare Book

Gathering the Desert


Gary Paul Nabhan - 1985
    Gary Paul Nabhan has combed the desert in search of plants forgotten by all but a handful of American Indians and Mexican Americans. In Gathering the Desert readers will discover that the bounty of the desert is much more than meets the eye—whether found in the luscious fruit of the stately organpipe cactus or in the lowly tepary bean. Nabhan has chosen a dozen of the more than 425 edible wild species found in the Sonoran Desert to demonstrate just how bountiful the land can be. From the red-hot chiltepines of Mexico to the palms of Palm Springs, each plant exemplifies a symbolic or ecological relationship which people of this region have had with plants through history. Each chapter focuses on a particular plant and is accompanied by an original drawing by artist Paul Mirocha. Word and picture together create a total impression of plants and people as the book traces the turn of seasons in the desert.

Classic Roses


Peter Beales - 1985
    It identifies and describes all the species, cultivars and varieties that have stood the test of time, including the ancient Chinese teas, the York and Lancaster roses, the Provence and Bourbon roses, and the humble and hardy rugosas.This definitive work is a grower's guide to the buying, propagation, feeding and pruning of old roses and importat hybrids, shrub roses and climbers. Special contributions from US rose experts include: William Grant on the phenomenon of rose-rustling in California and the southern states of America; Malcolm M. Manners on mosaic virus; and Malcolm Lowe on North American pests.

Wetlands (Audubon Society Nature Guides)


William A. Niering - 1985
    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, fishes, insects, birds, and other natural wonders of North America's rivers, lakes, and swamps.

Jam: A True Story


Margaret Mahy - 1985
    Castle works as an atomic scientist, Mr. Castle takes care of the house and children so efficiently that he soon finds himself with nothing to do until the backyard plum tree gives him an idea.

Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants


Tom Brown Jr. - 1985
    In these fascinating, wide-ranging, wonderfully informative stories, Tom Brown--director of the world-famous Tracking, Nature, and Wilderness Survival School--tells all about the uncommon benefits of the common trees, shrubs, flowers, and other plants we find all around us. This indispensible guide includes information on:How to use every part of the plant--leaves, flowers, bark, bulbs, and rootsWhere to find useful plants, and the best time of the year and stages of growth to harvest themHow to prepare delicious food dishes, soups, breads and teas from the riches of the great outdoorsAn incredible range of experience-proven medicinal uses to treat headaches, burns, digestive disorders, skin problems, and a host of other maladies

National Audubon Society Regional Guide to Grasslands (Audubon Society Nature Guides)


Lauren Brown - 1985
    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, grasses, insects, birds, and other natural wonders of North America's prairies, fields, and meadows.

Herbs: Gardens, Decorations and Recipes


Emelie Tolley - 1985
    More than 450 full-color illustrations and 25 black-and-white illustrations.

Sweet Herbs and Sundry Flowers: Medieval Gardens and the Gardens of the Cloisters


Tania Bayard - 1985
    Sweet Herbs and Sundry Flowers is an introduction to medieval plants and gardening practices by way of the gardens of The Cloisters. In her work as assistant horticulturist at The Cloisters, Tania Bayard has become aware of the many questions visitors ask about medieval gardening. Tania addresses those questions in this volume, providing a list of the plants in The Cloisters' gardens. In this book, Tania, who left a career in art history to become a horticulturist, shares her knowledge and experience with us.The gardens of The Cloisters bloom in a unique museum, a division of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, designed to suggest the layout of a medieval European monastery. Planted in reconstructed Romanesque and Gothic cloisters, the gardens resemble those that provided bodily sustenance and spiritual refreshment for monks of centuries ago.The delight in reading Sweet Herbs and Sundry Flowers is the realization that the modern gardener's experience is not unlike that of gardeners one thousand years ago. Then, as now, garden plots were selected for adequate light and water drainage, the soil was prepared in the spring, noxious weeds and stones were removed, the ground was tilled and rakes, and cow manure was added for fertilizer. Seeds and young plants were lovingly tended. When the plants were mature, roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits were harvested for food, medicines, and various household uses. Following the fall harvest, the ground was readied for winter, and thoughts of spring were always present. How wonderful it is that we share with the medieval gardener the same labors and joys, getting our hands dirty with soil as did the ninth-century monk, Walahfrid Strabo. [This book was originally published in 1985 and has gone out of print. This edition is a print-on-demand version of the original book.]

Eastern Forests (Audubon Society Nature Guide)


Ann Sutton - 1985
    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, insects, birds & other natural wonders of North America's eastern forests & woodlands, from Hudson Bay to Florida.

Landscaping with Native Texas Plants


Sally Wasowski - 1985
    

Western Forests (Audubon Society Nature Guides)


Stephen Whitney - 1985
    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, insects, birds, and other natural wonders of North America's western forests and woodlands, from Alaska to California and the Rockies.

Simon & Schuster's Guide to Cacti and Succulents: An Easy-to-Use Field Guide With More Than 350 Full-Color Photographs and Illustrations


Mariella Pizzetti - 1985
    A thorough introduction describes the history of "Cactaceae" (the largest of the many plant families known as succulents because they store water in their leaves, stems, and roots) and provides general guidelines for their cultivation. Then, each of the more than 300 detailed entries describes an individual species, including its place of origin and ideal conditions for its growth. Full-color photographs enable easy identification of the plants in the field. Whether for the casual gardener or the serious horticulturist, this beautiful and comprehensive guide will be an invaluable resource.