Every single human society that has relied on annual crops for staple foods has collapsed. Restoration Agriculture explains how we can have all of the benefits of natural, perennial ecosystems and create agricultural systems that imitate nature in form and function while still providing for our food, building, fuel and many other needs - in your own backyard, farm or ranch. This book, based on real-world practices, presents an alternative to the agriculture system of eradication and offers exciting hope for our future.

    With Planting, designers and home gardeners can recreate these plant-rich, beautiful gardens that support biodiversity and nourish the human spirit.An intimate knowledge of plants is essential to the success of modern landscape design, and Planting shares Oudolf’s considerable understanding of plant ecology, explaining how plants behave in different situations, what goes on underground, and which species make good neighbors. Extensive plant charts and planting plans will help you choose plants for their structure, color, and texture. A detailed directory shares details like each plant’s life expectancy, the persistence of its seedheads, and its propensity to self-seed.

    For easy navigation, the book is divided into thematic changes - covering everything from Plant Parts to Plant Pests - and further subdivided into useful headings, such as 'Seed Sowing' and 'Pruning'. In addition, feature spreads profile the remarkable individuals who have collected, studied and illustrated the plants that we grow today, and 'Botany in Action' boxes provide instantly accessible practical tips and advice.Aided by this book, every gardener - and every garden - will benefit from unlocking the wealth of information that lies within the intriguing world of botanical science.

    Fickle plants make seemingly spontaneous decisions to bloom or bust, seeds sprout magically in the blink of an eye, and deep-rooted mysteries unfold underground and out of sight. Understanding basic botany is like unlocking a horticultural code; fortunately learning a little science can reveal the secrets of the botanical universe and shed some light on what’s really going on in your garden.Practical Botany for Gardeners provides an elegant and accessible introduction to the world of botany. It presents the essentials that every gardener needs to know, connecting explanations of scientific facts with useful gardening tips. Flip to the roots section and you’ll not only learn how different types of roots support a plant but also find that adding fungi to soil aids growth. The pruning section both defines “lateral buds” and explains how far back on a shoot to cut in order to propagate them.The book breaks down key areas and terminology with easy-to-navigate chapters arranged by theme, such as plant types, plant parts, inner workings, and external factors. “Great Botanists” and “Botany in Action” boxes delve deeper into the fascinating byways of plant science. This multifaceted book also includes two hundred botanical illustrations and basic diagrams that hearken to the classic roots of botany.Part handbook, part reference, Practical Botany for Gardeners is a beautifully captivating read. It’s a must for garden lovers and backyard botanists who want to grow and nurture their own plant knowledge.

    Explains how 3 classes of wild plants--aromatics, bitters, and tonics--are uniquely adapted to work with our physiology because we co-evolved with them. Provides simple recipes to easily integrate these plants into meals as well as formulas for teas, spirits, and tinctures. Offers practical examples of plants in each of the 3 classes, from aromatic peppermint to bitter dandelion to tonic chocolate As people moved into cities and suburbs and embraced modern medicine and industrialized food, they lost their connection to nature, in particular to the plants with which humanity co-evolved. These plants are essential components of our physiologies--tangible reminders of cross-kingdom signaling--and key not only to vibrant physical health and prevention of illness but also to soothing and awakening the troubled spirit. Blending traditional herbal medicine with history, mythology, clinical practice, and recent findings in physiology and biochemistry, herbalist Guido Mase explores the three classes of plants necessary for the healthy functioning of our bodies and minds--aromatics, bitters, and tonics. He explains how bitter plants ignite digestion, balance blood sugar, buffer toxicity, and improve metabolism; how tonic plants normalize the functions of our cells and nourish the immune system; and how aromatic plants relax tense organs, nerves, and muscles and stimulate sluggish systems, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. He reveals how wild plants regulate our heart variability rate and adjust the way DNA is read by our cells, controlling the self-destructive tendencies that lead to chronic inflammation or cancer. Offering examples of ancient and modern uses of wild plants in each of the 3 classes--from aromatic peppermint to bitter dandelion to tonic chocolate--Mase provides easy recipes to integrate them into meals as seasonings and as central ingredients in soups, stocks, salads, and grain dishes as well as including formulas for teas, spirits, and tinctures. Providing a framework for safe and effective use as well as new insights to enrich the practice of advanced herbalists, he shows how healing wild plant deficiency syndrome --that is, adding wild plants back into our diets--is vital not only to our health but also to our spiritual development.

    It is a hands-on guide to learning about the natural environment of California. Subjects covered include California natural history and geology, native plants and animals, California's freshwater resources and ecosystems, forest and rangeland resources, conservation biology, and the effects of global warming on California's natural communities. The Handbook also discusses how to create and use a field notebook, natural resource interpretation, citizen science, and collaborative conservation and serves as the primary text for the California Naturalist Program.

     Yance’s holistic approach, called the Eclectic Triphasic Medical System (ETMS), is based on extensive scientific research, more than 25 years of clinical practice, and excellent results with thousands of patients. It centers on four interconnected groups of health tools: botanical formulations, nutritional supplements, diet, and lifestyle. Defining three categories for adaptogenic herbs, he explains how formulations should combine herbs from each category to create a synergistic effect. He provides more than 60 monographs on herbs and nutritional compounds as well as custom combinations to revitalize the immune system, build cardiovascular health, protect brain function, manage weight, and support cancer treatment. He explains the interplay of endocrine health, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, thyroid function, and stress in the aging process and reveals how adaptogenic treatment begins at the cellular level with the mitochondria--the microscopic energy producers present in every living cell. Emphasizing spirituality, exercise, and diet in addition to herbal treatments and nutritional supplements, Yance’s complete lifestyle program explores how to enhance energy production in the body and subdue the proinflammatory state that lays the groundwork for nearly every degenerative disease, taking you from merely surviving to thriving.

    With just this field guide, a hand lens, and a spray bottle--no microscopes necessary--readers will be able to identify and name many of the common species of mosses growing in the region's backyards, parks, forests, wetlands, and mountains. At the heart of this guide is an innovative, color-tabbed system that helps readers pick out small groups of similar species. Illustrated identification keys, colorful habitat and leaf photos, more than 600 detailed line drawings, and written descriptions help differentiate the species. This accessible book allows all nature enthusiasts to make accurate identifications and gain access to the enchanting world of mosses.200 species included More than 600 detailed line drawings More than 400 color photographs Innovative color-tabbed system for species identification Illustrated species identification keys Helpful tips for moss collecting

    With Principles of Ecological Landscape Design, Travis Beck gives professionals and students the first book to translate the science of ecology into design practice. This groundbreaking work explains key ecological concepts and their application to the design and management of sustainable landscapes. It covers topics from biogeography and plant selection to global change. Beck draws on real world cases where professionals have put ecological principles to use in the built landscape.For constructed landscapes to perform as we need them to, we must get their underlying ecology right. Principles of Ecological Landscape Design provides the tools to do just that.

    But when we really look closely at a flower, whole new worlds of beauty and intricacy emerge. Seeing Flowers is a visual feast that gloriously highlights 343 popular garden flowers. Using a unique photo process that includes stitching together large macro photographs, Robert Llewellyn reveals details that few have ever seen: the amazing architecture of stamens and pistils; the subtle shadings on a petal; the secret recesses of nectar tubes. Teri Dunn Chace’s lyrical and illuminating essays complement these images and offer insights on each flower, by exploring its distinguishing characteristics and sharing fascinating tidbits, tales, and lore. Together, Llewellyn and Chace give the reader a deeper appreciation of how and why flowers have become so deeply embedded in human culture. Whether you’re a nature lover, a gardener, a photography buff, or someone who simply responds to the timeless beauty and variety of the floral world, Seeing Flowers will be a source of enduring delight.

    Conifers survive within the West’s most spectacular environments—from the coastal temperate rainforests to the highest mountain summits.Educator, plant explorer, and author Michael Kauffmann introduces readers to the magic of the Pacific Slope's conifers through:-Color plates for identifying 65 species-Accurate and updated collection of range maps for all conifer along the Pacific Slope-Destinations for finding conifers in the field-Tantalizing photos from across the West-All conifer species found in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, southern British Columbia and northern Baja California

    to Good Housekeeping magazine. Just follow the gorgeous step-by-step photos and simply cut, fold, and crumple to create extraordinary blossoms, which feature a variety of papers. Pretty and modern, these easy-to-do projects make great centerpieces, garlands, card decorations, and more.

    Noel Kingsbury tells the tale through engaging narrative history and plant portraits that highlight more than 200 varieties. Jo Whitworth's revealing photography reveals a side of the daffodil rarely seen. Plant lovers will relish the stories and gardeners will cherish the cultivation notes, plant descriptions, and recommendations. Daffodil offers a year-round opportunity to enjoy the beauty of a spring garden and is a must-have gift book for gardeners.

    As the seasons turn, everyone has a part to play in making the garden flourish. From choosing and planting seeds in the spring to releasing butterflies in the summer to harvesting in the fall to protecting the beds for the winter. Even the wiggling worms have a job to do in the compost pile! On special afternoons and weekends, neighborhood folks gather to help out and savor the bounty (fresh toppings for homemade pizza, anyone?). Part celebration, part simple how-to, this close-up look at a vibrant garden and its enthusiastic gardeners is blooming with photos that will have readers ready to roll up their sleeves and dig in.

    If you are going to truly try and attain a little more self-sufficiency (and save some money at the same time), think about what you can store to get you through the leaner months. Alys takes you through all the different ways of preserving - bottling, drying, fermenting, freezing, pickling, using sugar - with delicious recipes that make the most of your produce. This book is a must for anyone that wants to store and preserve their garden bounty.

    With the help of gorgeous photography and in-depth instructions, author Melinda Myers will teach you how to plant, prune, water, control pests, and continually care for your personal outdoor oasis. A helpful icon key highlights each featured plant’s benefits, along with its particular sun and shade requirements. Featured plant categories discuss annuals, bulbs, edibles, ferns and groundcovers, ornamental grasses, perennials, roses, shrubs, trees, turfgrasses, and vines. Each plant is showcased with specific advice on how, when, and where to plant; growing tips, such as watering requirements; and descriptions of routine care. Alongside these “nitty-gritty” aspects of planting and growing, Myers shares her inspiration for garden design, the various ways you can beautifully incorporate plants into your landscape, and her favorite cultivars and species. Even better, she provides twelve full months of when-to advice for each plant category, allowing you to successfully enjoy this peaceful pastime all year round. With proven, practical instructions adapted specially for the Midwestern climate, Midwest Gardener’s Handbook is your ticket to successful planting in America’s Heartland.

    Most of it is an identification guide to 700 plant species selected as those which are common, conspicuous or useful ecological indicators; species which collectively make up most of the vegetation in Britain and Ireland. There is also a separate Habitats section describing the flora, ecology and management of habitats. With this combination of approaches Plants and Habitats aims to help people understand our vegetation at all scales, from individual plants to whole landscapes. The structure and plain English writing style are designed to help with species identification by non-specialists.Plants and Habitats is illustrated throughout with colour photos and some line drawings. For those working with habitat classifications, National Vegetation Classification (NVC) codes are incorporated throughout and there are summary tables cross-referencing various classifications. The book is written for a wide readership including those working or training in subjects connected with ecology, conservation, land management, and other environmental matters.

    Comprehensive to the core, this book is different from other gardening guidebooks because it's written exclusively for gardeners who live in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington, D.C. Subjects covered include plant selection and when-to gardening maintenance information. Planting and growing information for edibles is also included, along with plant selections for the most common plant categories.As an important component in the CSP Gardener's Handbook series, this an all-inclusive gardener's reference book offers plant information as well as the critical when-to-do-it information. Additionally, the book covers ornamental landscape and edible plants, as well as monthly when-to tips. It is the undisputed handbook for gardening in the Mid-Atlantic. Some chapters include:Introduction to GardeningAnnualsPerennials & Ornamental GrassesBulbs, Corms, Tubers and RhizomesHerbs & VegetablesGroundcoversLawn GrassesShrubsTreesVines

    Deb has taken her twenty-five-plus years as a professional medicinal plant gardener and her life-time love of the earth and the plant people, and come up with something very special.This is a must-have book for anyone interested in gardening or the plant people. I promise you this book will be well read, well worn, and well loved. --Karyn Sanders, Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine"Deb Soule is overflowing with the healing wisdom of the plant world distilled through many years of study, experience and observation. Her reverence and respect for nature and deep intuitive capacities are evident in every page of this book. What a gift! --Robert Karp, Director of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Assocoation"Way beyond food, flowers, or medicine .... here is gardening as the mindful rhythm in harmony with all living souls." --C.R. Lawn, FEDCO Seeds"Herbalist Deb Soule offers the reader a beautifully written, heart-centered gardening book that reads as much like a prayer as it does a practical guide for all gardeners, new and experienced; sure to awaken and inspire one to explore creative ways of tending the rich life held in a well-loved garden. The author shares wisdom gleaned through years of cultivating not only soil and plants, but also her research and work with the pollinators, biodynamic practices and favorite tools used in growing simple herbal remedies to nourish the gardener as they heal the Earth. Honoring traditions, ancestors and the sacredness of carrying on the work of the wise herbalists that came before us, Deb reminds us of the blessing of being called to this work!" --Kate Gilday, Herbalist, Woodland Essence"The reader will find this book endowed with glorious offerings of rich nectar. It makes me want to go out and turn the compost pile." --Richo Ceck, Horizon HerbsContentsA gardener's Notebook Biodynamics: Agriculture i Service of the Earth and Humanity Living in Harmony with the Seasons Energetic and Elemental Associations of Plant Parts Growing, Harvesting, and Using Medicinal Herbs

    For this book he has visited indigenous and traditional farmers in the Gobi Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara Desert, and Andalusia, as well as the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Painted deserts of North America, to learn firsthand their techniques and designs aimed at reducing heat and drought stress on orchards, fields, and dooryard gardens. This practical book also includes colorful "parables from the field" that exemplify how desert farmers think about increasing the carrying capacity and resilience of the lands and waters they steward. It is replete with detailed descriptions and diagrams of how to implement these desert-adapted practices in your own backyard, orchard, or farm.This unique book is useful not only for farmers and permaculturists in the arid reaches of the Southwest or other desert regions. Its techniques and prophetic vision for achieving food security in the face of climate change may well need to be implemented across most of North America over the next half-century, and are already applicable in most of the semiarid West, Great Plains, and the U.S. Southwest and adjacent regions of Mexico.

    It provides general guidelines for designers and other stakeholders in a variety of projects, as well as patient-specific guidelines covering twelve categories ranging from burn patients, psychiatric patients, to hospice and Alzheimer's patients, among others. Sections on participatory design and funding offer valuable guidance to the entire team, not just designers, while a planting and maintenance chapter gives critical information to ensure that safety, longevity, and budgetary concerns are addressed.

    

    Market Farming Success identifies the key areas that usually trip up beginners--and shows how to avoid those obstacles. This book will help the aspiring or beginning farmer advance quickly and confidently through the inevitable learning curve of starting a new business. Written by the editor of Growing for Market, a respected trade journal for market farmers, Market Farming Success condenses decades of growing experience from every part of the United States and Canada. It focuses on the factors that are common to market gardeners everywhere and offers professional advice that includes: - How much you'll need to spend to start a market farming business; - How much you can expect to earn; - Which crops bring in the most money--and whether you should grow them; - The essential tools and equipment you will need; - The best places to sell your products; - How to keep records to maximize profits and minimize taxes; - Tricks of the trade that will make you more efficient in the greenhouse, field, and market. This new Chelsea Green edition of a 2006 classic is greatly updated and expanded, and includes full-color photos, charts, and graphs, plus many inspiring and instructive profiles of successful market-farming pioneers.

    The authors stress the importance of smart garden design and combining the right plants to promote the natural symbiosis that occurs within plant communities. Native plants also play an important role in creating fire-resistant landscapes, and this new book has cutting-edge information on this crucial topic, refuting the myth that natives are more fire-prone than nonnatives. With its unique combination of proven techniques, environmental wisdom, and inspiring design advice, this is an essential resource for all California gardeners who want to create a beautiful, ecologically appropriate, and resource-conserving home landscape.

    It reflects modern best-practice gardening at the American Horticultural Society, the leading US gardening authority. All techniques are shown clearly and simply with step-by-step instructions for every gardener to follow. It contains more than 2,000 clear and concise color illustrations supported by over 1,000 beautiful color photos. This book includes steps for planning, pruning, propagating, feeding and watering; covers all plants including trees, flowers and shrubs, climbers, lawns, vegetables, fruit and herbs; shows how to create water features and patios and add lighting and includes organic techniques, recycling and how to treat pests and diseases. There are also chapters on container gardening, growing under glass, garden tools and equipment, and everyday garden maintenance, as well as on landscaping and construction work. The wealth of practical information makes this book an essential purchase for both professional and amateur gardener.

    Step-by-step projects, including a cake-stand centerpiece, special-occasion bouquets, a vertical garden, and a succulent topiary sphere, will inspire you to express your individual style.

    The park has a rich history of human and ecological stories that continue to unfold. When Yellowstone was established as the world’s first national park in 1872, it sparked an idea that influenced the creation of the National Park Service and the nearly 400 sites across the United States it protects today. Yellowstone National Park also forms the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. At 28,000 square miles, it is one of the largest intact temperate-zone ecosystems on Earth. The park continues to influence preservation and science, and we are pleased to share its stories with you.Many people have dedicated their lives and careers to studying Yellowstone and the park has a long history of study and public interest. This compendium is intended to help you understand the important concepts about its many resources and contains information about the park’s history, natural and cultural resources, and issues. Each chapter is edited and carefully reviewed for accuracy and relevance.

    Will honestly and openly allows us to witness how his work with these modalities transforms his perspective on existence in a very real and pragmatic way. In this book he poetically and skillfully elucidates how he could see reflected the patterns of conditioning that had him identified with a limited existence, to the point that he came to question his very own separate sense of existence as he was brought to non-dual inquiry, with the questioning ‘Who am I?' This inquiry as to his true nature—the grace of Spirit—led to an awakening into the freedom of ‘no-self.’

    It's the perfect pocket guide for beginners but also a handy reference for the more seasoned flower enthusiast. Featuring over 150 common flowers from around the UK and Europe, flower type overviews show you what to look for where and similar flowers are shown side by side for quick comparison and identification.

    Explores global traditions surrounding the arrival of a new year, including food, parties, finding good luck, and making resolutions.

    But like any other kind of gardening, growing edibles is not a one-size-fits-all pursuit: in order to be successful, you’ll need to know not only which plants grow well in your state or region, but also how to grow them with careful methods and a schedule that caters specifically to your local microclimate. Fortunately for you, Midwest Fruit & Vegetable Gardening is written exclusively for gardeners who want to grow edibles in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. Author Katie Elzer-Peters, the master gardener responsible for our bestselling Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening (2012), equips you with all the information you need to design your edible garden, tend the soil, maintain your plants throughout their life cycles, and—most importantly—harvest the delicious foods they produce. So whether you live in the Badlands, the Dells, the Quad Cities, or anywhere else in the Midwestern United States, you’ll discover the best fruit and vegetable plants for your garden in this beautiful step-by-step how-to guide . . . and they’ll be on your table before you know it.