Best of
Plants

2014

Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time


Craig Lehoullier - 2014
    He also offers a comprehensive guide to the various pests and diseases of tomatoes and explains how best to avoid them. No other book offers such a detailed look at the specifics of growing tomatoes, with beautiful photographs and helpful tomato profiles throughout.

Grow a Little Fruit Tree: Simple Pruning Techniques for Small-Space, Easy-Harvest Fruit Trees


Ann Ralph - 2014
    These great little trees take up less space, require less care, offer easy harvest, and make a fruitful addition to any home landscape.

Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm: Beyond the Doors of Perception into the Dreaming of Earth


Stephen Harrod Buhner - 2014
    He shows that by consciously opening the doors of perception, we can reconnect with the living intelligences in Nature as kindred beings, become again wild scientists, nondomesticated explorers of a Gaian world just as Goethe, Barbara McClintock, James Lovelock, and others have done. For as Einstein commented, “We cannot solve the problems facing us by using the same kind of thinking that created them.” Buhner explains how to use analogical thinking and imaginal perception to directly experience the inherent meanings that flow through the world, that are expressed from each living form that surrounds us, and to directly initiate communication in return. He delves deeply into the ecological function of invasive plants, bacterial resistance to antibiotics, psychotropic plants and fungi, and, most importantly, the human species itself. He shows that human beings are not a plague on the planet, they have a specific ecological function as important to Gaia as that of plants and bacteria. Buhner shows that the capacity for depth connection and meaning-filled communication with the living world is inherent in every human being. It is as natural as breathing, as the beating of our own hearts, as our own desire for intimacy and love. We can change how we think and in so doing begin to address the difficulties of our times.

The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden


Rick Darke - 2014
    Sure, it’s a tall order, but The Living Landscape shows you how to do it. You’ll learn the strategies for making and maintaining a diverse, layered landscape—one that offers beauty on many levels, provides outdoor rooms and turf areas for children and pets, incorporates fragrance and edible plants, and provides cover, shelter, and sustenance for wildlife. Richly illustrated and informed by both a keen eye for design and an understanding of how healthy ecologies work, The Living Landscape will enable you to create a garden that fulfills both human needs and the needs of wildlife communities.

The New American Herbal


Stephen Orr - 2014
    Here are entries on hundreds of plants that are extraordinarily useful in cooking, homeopathy, and more; dozens of recipes and DIY projects; and beautifully styled photographs so you know just what you're growing.With more than 900 entries, each accompanied by brand new photography and helpful growing advice, The New American Herbal takes the study of herbs to an exciting new level. Orr covers the entire spectrum of herbaceous plants, from culinary to ornamental to aromatic and medicinal, presenting them in an easy to use A to Z format packed with recipes, DIY projects, and stunning examples of garden design highlighting herbal plantings. Learn about the herbs you've always wanted to grow (chervil, chamomile, and lovage), exotic herbs (such as Artemisia, the bitter herb used in Absinthe, or the anti-inflammatory Meadowsweet), and ornamental varieties (Monkshood and Perilla). For cooks there is indispensable guidance on planting and maintaining a bountiful kitchen garden and crafters will delight in dozens of exciting new uses for fresh, dried, and distilled herbs. Here, too, are 40 delicious recipes such as Ragu Bolognese with Fennel and Lemon Semolina Cake with Lavender, as well easy steps for projects such as a hanging herb garden and instructions on how to plant, dry, and preserve your garden’s bounty. Meticulously researched and exhaustive in its scope, The New American Herbal is an irresistible invitation to explore the versatility of herbs in all their beauty and variety.

Air Plants: The Curious World of Tillandsias


Zenaida Sengo - 2014
    Stunning photographs showcase creative ideas for using tillandsias mounted on walls and suspended from the ceiling. You’ll learn how to use the plants in living hair accessories and jewelry and in unique containers, like dishware, leather bowls, and baskets. Six step-by-step projects include a wood mount, a wall hook, lasso-and-hook wiring, a ceramic-frame garden, and three unique terrariums.

Northeast Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Beach Plums to Wineberries


Leda Meredith - 2014
    The plant profiles in Northeast Foraging include clear, color photographs, identification tips, guidance on how to ethically harvest, and suggestions for eating and preserving. A handy seasonal planner details which plants are available during every season. Thorough, comprehensive, and safe, this is a must-have for foragers in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

Trees Up Close: The Beauty of Their Bark, Leaves, Flowers, and Seeds


Nancy Ross Hugo - 2014
    With more than 200 dazzling photos, you will be amazed by the otherwordly beauty of the acorns from a sawtooth oak, enchanted by the immature fruits of a red maple, and dazzled by the delicate emerging flowers of the American elm.

Bonsai


Peter Warren - 2014
    Now DK brings this ancient practice into the 21st century, explaining how to grow and care for bonsai trees with a clear step-by-step approach.Offering easy-to-follow advice and simple photography, Bonsai demystifies the art of bonsai with sequences covering the traditional styles of Chokkan, Moyogi, Shakan, and Kengai, as well as deadwood bonsai styles such as Ishizuki, Yose Uye, and Sharimiki.For bonsai enthusiasts in search of fresh ideas, innovative techniques, and new ways to display their living art, Bonsai is the must-have book of the season.

Native Plants of the Southeast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden


Larry Mellichamp - 2014
    They attract beneficial wildlife and insects, they allow a gardener to create a garden that reflects the native beauty of the region, and they make a garden more sustainable. Because of all this, they are an increasingly popular plant choice for home and public gardens. Native Plants of the Southeast shows you how to choose the best native plants and how to use them in the garden. This complete guide is an invaluable resource, with plant profiles for over 460 species of trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses, and wildflowers. Each plant description includes information about cultivation and propagation, ranges, and hardiness. Comprehensive lists recommend particular plants for difficult situations, as well as plants for attracting butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. Native Plants of the Southeast will be the definitive reference on the region's native flora for years to come.

California Foraging: Easy-To-Find Wild Edibles from Coast Strawberries to Wild Spinach


Judith Larner Lowry - 2014
    Part of the Timber Press Regional Foraging book series, this is for foragers in the diverse climates of California.

Real Gardens Grow Natives: Design, Plant & Enjoy a Healthy Northwest Garden


Eileen M. Stark - 2014
    Aimed at beginning and veteran gardeners alike, Real Gardens Grow Natives is a stunningly photographed guide that helps readers plan, implement, and sustain a retreat at home that reflects the natural world. Gardening with native plants that naturally belong and thrive in the Pacific Northwest’s climate and soil not only nurtures biodiversity, but provides a quintessential Northwest character and beauty to yard and neighborhood! For gardeners and conservationists who lack the time to read through lengthy design books and plant lists or can’t afford a landscape designer, Real Gardens Grow Natives is accessible yet comprehensive and provides the inspiration and clear instruction needed to create and sustain beautiful, functional, and undemanding gardens. With expert knowledge from professional landscape designer Eileen M. Stark, Real Gardens Grow Natives includes: * Detailed profiles of 100 select native plants for the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades, plus related species, helping make plant choice and placement. * Straightfoward methods to enhance or restore habitat and increase biodiversity * Landscape design guidance for various-sized yards, including sample plans * Ways to integrate natives, edibles, and nonnative ornamentals within your garden * Specific planting procedures and secrets to healthy soil * Techniques for propagating your own native plants * Advice for easy, maintenance using organic methods

How the Earth Turned Green: A Brief 3.8-Billion-Year History of Plants


Joseph E. Armstrong - 2014
    Fossil and phylogenetic evidence suggests that chlorophyll, the green pigment responsible for coloring these organisms, has been in existence for some 85% of Earth’s long history—that is, for roughly 3.5 billion years. In How the Earth Turned Green, Joseph E. Armstrong traces the history of these verdant organisms, which many would call plants, from their ancient beginnings to the diversity of green life that inhabits the Earth today. Using an evolutionary framework, How the Earth Turned Green addresses questions such as: Should all green organisms be considered plants? Why do these organisms look the way they do? How are they related to one another and to other chlorophyll-free organisms? How do they reproduce? How have they changed and diversified over time? And how has the presence of green organisms changed the Earth’s ecosystems? More engaging than a traditional textbook and displaying an astonishing breadth, How the Earth Turned Green will both delight and enlighten embryonic botanists and any student interested in the evolutionary history of plants.

The Flower Farmer's Year: How to Grow Cut Flowers for Pleasure and Profit


Georgie Newbery - 2014
    Whether you want to grow for your own pleasure or start your own business, The Flower Farmer’s Year is the perfect guide.

Plant a Pocket of Prairie


Phyllis Root - 2014
    Now, in Plant a Pocket of Prairie, Root and Bowen take young readers on a trip to another of Minnesota’s important ecosystems: the prairie.Once covering almost 40 percent of the United States, native prairie is today one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Plant a Pocket of Prairie teaches children how changes in one part of the system affect every other part: when prairie plants are destroyed, the animals who eat those plants and live on or around them are harmed as well. Root shows what happens when we work to restore the prairies, encouraging readers to “plant a pocket of prairie” in their own backyards.By growing native prairie plants, children can help re-create food and habitat for the many birds, butterflies, and other animals that depend on them. “Plant cup plants,” Root suggests. “A thirsty chickadee might come to drink from a tiny leaf pool. Plant goldenrod. A Great Plains toad might flick its tongue at goldenrod soldier beetles.” An easy explanation of the history of the prairie, its endangered status, and how to go about growing prairie plants follows, as well as brief descriptions of all the plants and animals mentioned in the story.With Betsy Bowen’s beautiful, airy illustrations capturing the feel of an open prairie and all its inhabitants, readers of all ages will be inspired to start planting seeds and watching for the many fascinating animals their plants attract. What a marvelous transformation could take place if we all planted a pocket of prairie!

The Bonsai Bible: The definitive guide to choosing and growing bonsai


Peter Chan - 2014
    This compact and stylish guide will provide everything you need to know to grow bonsai successfully, including shaping with wires, watering, seasonal maintenance, tackling common ailments, choosing the right container, feeding and repotting. A directory of over 90 of the most popular species, illustrated with beautiful photographs, will enable you to find the tree that is right for you.

Miracle Tree


Monica G. Marcu - 2014
    Monica Marcu, Pharm.D., and Ph.D. as a result of her study of medicinal plants and her definitive research of one of our greatest trees, the Moringa oleifera. This book defines the hundreds of substances such as vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, fats, minerals, specific phytochemicals, each with clear importance and numerous applications in healing and nutrition.

Flora Illustrata: Great Works from the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden


Susan M. Fraser - 2014
    Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden counts among its holdings many of the most beautiful and pioneering botanical and horticultural works ever created. More than eight centuries of knowledge, from the twelfth century to the present, are represented in the library’s collection of over one million items. In this sumptuously illustrated volume, international experts introduce us to some of the library’s most fascinating works—exceedingly rare books, stunning botanical artworks, handwritten manuscripts, Renaissance herbals, nursery catalogs, explorers’ notebooks, and more. The contributors hold these treasures up for close inspection and offer surprising insights into their histories and importance.   The diverse materials showcased in the volume reflect the creative efforts of eminent explorers, scientists, artists, publishers, and print makers. From the rare, illuminated pages of Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis historia (1483), to the earliest book ever published on American insects (1797), to lovely etchings of the water gardens at Villa Pratolino in Florence (1600s), the Mertz Library holdings will inspire in readers a new appreciation for the extraordinary history of botany and its far-reaching connections to the worlds of science, books, art, and culture.

Foraging the Mountain West: Gourmet Edible Plants, Mushrooms, and Meat


Thomas J. Elpel - 2014
    maybe even in your own backyard. Foraging the Mountain West is a guide to harvesting and celebrating nature's abundance. Reach out and explore the world with your taste buds. Discover new delights you will never find at the store. Connect with nature on a deeper level by meeting, greeting, and eating the plants, fungi, and creatures that share the neighborhood. Become a little more self-sufficient, and a lot more aware. Foraging the Mountain West is a hands-on manual for identifying, harvesting, and preparing real food. It is written for the backpacker who would rather bring more knowledge and fewer provisions into the wilderness. It is intended for the happy homemaker who wants to eat well and spend less. It is ideal for the creative chef who wants to explore new ingredients and impress diners with novel dishes. The authors brought together years of experience and fun to show you, the prospective forager, what, when, where, why, and how to gather wild and feral plants, mushrooms, and neglected wayside crops. In addition, this is a guide for successful fishing without a pole, hunting without weapons, and shopping without money. This book will help you fill your freezer and satiate your appetite.Foraging the Mountain West will help you dream in winter, cleanse in spring, forage in summer, and gorge in fall. The book includes hundreds of vivid color photos detailing every essential aspect of foraging. This guide is not meant to sit on your coffee table. It is meant to start a revolution!

Power Plants: Simple Home Remedies You Can Grow


Frankie Flowers - 2014
    Evolving research-demonstrating alternatives to side-effect-ridden prescriptions and solutions that will amplify the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle-suggests that plants may have more power than we could ever have imagined. Now two of Canada's top authorities in their fields, gardening expert Frankie Flowers and alternative medicine expert Bryce Wylde, show readers how they can harness the powerful healing of plants simply and inexpensively by stepping into their garden. Power Plants introduces you to a carefully curated list of forty-nine plants that can be grown in almost any Canadian garden. Frankie's easy instructions lead readers from planting to harvest, where Bryce picks up with clear guidelines on how to put the plants to work fighting everything from constipation to heartburn, high blood sugar to bad breakouts. It even includes simple substitutions for those whose ailments include a thumb that is more black than green. Let Power Plants supercharge your health with a simple trip into your garden.

Florida's Edible Wild Plants: A Guide to Collecting and Cooking


Peggy Sias Lantz - 2014
    ”—Emily Ruff, director, Florida School of Holistic Living “Helps you learn to appreciate the bounty that Mother Nature serves up, from weeds to trees.”—Ginny Stibolt, coauthor of Organic Methods for Vegetable Gardening in Florida “An easy way to enjoy the common, healthful, and tasty edible plants growing around you.”—Richard Wunderlin, coauthor of Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida  Living off the land is a romantic idea, but in practice it can be confusing. So instead we buy nuts someone else picked for us, berries packaged hundreds of miles away, and greens that may or may not contain contaminants.Fully illustrated with photos and drawings to help with identification, Florida’s Edible Wild Plants demystifies the process of foraging to help you discover the wonder of finding and eating wild plants that may grow right in your own backyard. Peggy Lantz shares her fifty years’ experience gathering and preparing wild edibles and bringing them to her family’s table. Practical knowledge is interspersed with recipes, and Lantz shares her own anecdotes about searching for and finding new plants, as well as serving “weeds” to her curious friends. From acorns to wild sorrel, from duck potato soup to elderberry champagne, this easy-to-use guide provides general information about the most common wild edibles in Florida that are not only good for you but also delicious. And the tips for preparing them are indispensable. Lantz offers specific advice for locating and harvesting the different edible parts of each plant, whether it’s gathering walnuts in the Panhandle or making jelly from coco plums in the Keys.

A Year in the Secret Garden


Valarie Budayr - 2014
    This guide uses over two hundred full color illustrations and photos to bring the magical story to life, with fascinating historical information, monthly gardening activities, easy-to-make recipes, and step-by-step crafts, designed to enchant readers of all ages. Each month your family will unlock the mysteries of a Secret Garden character, as well as have fun together creating the original crafts and activities based on the book.

Keep Your Houseplants Alive: A No Nonsense Guide To Keeping 27 Awesome Indoor Plants Alive & Kickin'


Nell Foster - 2014
    The indoor plants in this book are simple to maintain & look great. Some of the plants included in this book are: Pothos, Agalonema, Spider Plant, Kentia Palm, a variety of Dracaenas, some succulents & many more. They're sure to be a welcome addition to your home for years to come. In some books, magazines or on the internet you're presented with an overwhelming number of plants that you either can't find, stay alive for only one to two months after buying them or you need to convert your home into the conservatory at Kew Gardens to keep them growing. Sometimes we're faced with too many choices so I'm narrowing down the field to ones you'll be able to keep alive if you follow this manual. This plant care guide is written as though it’s your first day as a plant maintenance technician & you’re being handed a manual. The chapter on the houseplants themselves is set up in outline form & presented in plain, simple terms which you can easily digest. And, you’ll see plenty of photos for identification making it easy to pick out your favorite new plant. Simply put, the plants in this book are the ones that had the best survival rates in commercial and residential spaces. You'll learn about choosing plants as well as what they like & what they don't like.Don't be afraid to bring the outdoors in. Plants soften our homes, clean the air around us & bring a smile to our faces. Think of them as living, breathing accessories. This book will ease your horticultural frustrations & keeping your houseplants thriving.

Under the Spell of Succulents: A Sampler of the Diversity of Succulents in Cultivation


Jeff Moore - 2014
    This book takes you on a journey into the world of succulents in cultivation, through the eyes of a hobbyist-turned-collector-turned-nursery owner. The major plant groups are shown in vivid color along with an insight into how enthusiasts engage with their succulent passion.

Charles Dowding's Veg Journal: Expert no-dig advice, month by month


Charles Dowding - 2014
    The information is taken from the author's successful Charles Dowding Vegetable Course and arranged in a useful monthly journal so that no activity is overlooked and readers can follow his mantra of "little and often." In this book, Charles Dowding proves the efficacy of no-dig gardening and, using step by step guidance with photos, shows how to plan a vegetable garden, construct a raised bed, sow seed indoors and outdoors in spring, protect plants from the weather and pests through the season until the joy of harvesting is celebrated. The information is organized monthly from January to December, with key crops, key activities and essential reminders so nothing is missed.

Farming with Native Beneficial Insects: Ecological Pest Control Solutions


The Xerces Society - 2014
    This comprehensive guide to farming with insects will have you building beetle banks and native plant field borders as you reap a bountiful and pesticide-free harvest. With strategies for identifying the insects you’re trying to attract paired with step-by-step instructions for a variety of habitat-building projects, you’ll soon learn how to employ your own biocontrol conservation tactics. Lay out the brush piles and plant the hedgerows because the insects are going to love it here!

California Bees & Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists


Gordon W Frankie - 2014
    In this absorbing guidebook, some of the state's preeminent bee and botany experts introduce us to this diverse population. California Bees and Blooms holds a magnifying glass up to the twenty-two most common genera (and six species of cuckoo bees), describing each one's distinctive behaviors, social structures, flight season, preferred flowers, and enemies. Enhancing these descriptions are photographs of bees so finely detailed they capture pollen scattered across gauzy wings and iridescent exoskeletons. Drawing from years of research at the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab, California Bees and Blooms presents an authoritative look at these creatures, emphasizing their vital relationship with flowers. In addition to opening our eyes to the beautiful array of wild bees in our midst, this book provides information on fifty-th

Botany: Plants, Cells and Photosynthesis


April Chloe Terrazas - 2014
    First, a microscopic view of the plant cell and associated organelles. This is followed by an outline of the process of photosynthesis, both the "ingredients" and products. Finally, the vascular part of the plant, the xylem and phloem. Reviews throughout the text reinforce the material learned while candy colored illustrations engage readers of all ages!

Ngunnawal Plant Use: a traditional Aboriginal plant use guide for the ACT region


ACT Government - 2014
    

Wonders of the Plant Kingdom: A Microcosm Revealed


Wolfgang Stuppy - 2014
    But that simplicity is deceptive: the plants around us are the result of millennia of incredible evolutionary adaptations that have allowed them to survive, and thrive, under wildly changing conditions and in remarkably specific ecological niches. Much of this innovation, however, is invisible to the naked eye.             With Wonders of the Plant Kingdom, the naked eye gets an unforgettable boost. A stunning collaboration between science and art, this gorgeous book presents hundreds of images of plants taken with a scanning electron microscope and hand-colored by artist Rob Kesseler to reveal the awe-inspiring adaptations all around us. The surface of a peach—with its hairs, or trichomes, and sunken stomata, or breathing pores—emerges from these pages in microscopic detail. The dust-like seeds of the smallest cactus species in the world, the Blossfeldia liliputana—which measures just twelve millimeters fully grown—explode here with form, color, and character, while the flower bud of a kaffir lime, cross-sectioned, reveals the complex of a flower bud with the all-important pistil in the center.             Accompanying these extraordinary images are up-to-date explanations of the myriad ways that these plants have ensured their own survival—and, by proxy, our own. Gardeners and science buffs alike will marvel at this wholly new perspective on the world of plant diversity.

Trees of Western North America


Richard Spellenberg - 2014
    Presenting all the native and naturalized trees of the western United States and Canada as far east as the Great Plains, the book features superior descriptions; thousands of meticulous color paintings by David More that illustrate important visual details; range maps that provide a thumbnail view of distribution for each native species; "Quick ID" summaries; a user-friendly layout; scientific and common names; the latest taxonomy; information on the most recently naturalized species; a key to leaves; and an introduction to tree identification, forest ecology, and plant classification and structure. The easy-to-read descriptions present details of size, shape, growth habit, bark, leaves, flowers, fruit, flowering and fruiting times, habitat, and range. Using a broad definition of a tree, the book covers many small, overlooked species normally thought of as shrubs, as well as treelike forms of cacti and yuccas. With its unmatched combination of breadth and depth, this is an essential guide for every tree lover.The most comprehensive, best illustrated, and easiest-to-use field guide to the trees of western North AmericaCovers 630 species, more than any comparable guide, including all the native and naturalized trees of the United States and Canada as far east as the Great PlainsFeatures specially commissioned artwork, detailed descriptions, range maps for native species, up-to-date taxonomy and names, and much, much moreAn essential guide for every tree lover

Newfoundland Gardening


Peter J. Scott - 2014
    Landscaping and pest control are also discussed.

Grow, It Did, Grow


Kevin McCauley - 2014
    So the sun came out to help the plant grow, and grow, it did, grow, it did, grow, it did, grow." This is just one of the many memorable rhymes in this story about a lonely land, that transforms itself in to a beautiful field of flowers, buzzing with life.The wonderful illustrations of happy bees, lady bugs, flowers, and the many elements of nature, will bring a child back to this educational and entertaining book, time and time again.*The paperback edition of this book has bonus material! The bonus includes "Unbeelievably Fun Facts", and the poem, "Thank the Bees, if You Please".

Ascomycete Fungi of North America: A Mushroom Reference Guide


Michael W. Beug - 2014
    They are usually referred to as Ascomycetes and are commonly found and collected by mushroom enthusiasts. Ascomycetes exhibit a remarkable range of biodiversity, are beautiful and visually complex, and some, including morels and truffles, are highly prized for their edibility. Many play significant roles in plant ecology because of the mycorrhizal associations that they form. Thus it is remarkable that no book dedicated to describing and illustrating the North American Ascomycetes has been published in over sixty years.Filling the gap between technical publications and the limited representation of Ascomycetes in general mushroom field guides, Ascomycete Fungi of North America is a scientifically accurate work dedicated to this significant group of fungi. Because it is impossible to describe and illustrate the tens of thousands of species that occur in North America, the authors focus on species found in the continental United States and Canada that are large enough to be readily noticeable to mycologists, naturalists, photographers, and mushroom hunters. They provide 843 color photographs and more than 600 described species, many of which are illustrated in color for the first time. While emphasizing macroscopic field identification characteristics for a general audience, the authors also include microscopic and other advanced information useful to students and professional mycologists. In addition, a color key to the species described in this book offers a visual guide to assist in the identification process.

Northwest Gardener's Handbook: Your Complete Guide: Select, Plan, Plant, Maintain, Problem-Solve - Oregon, Washington, Northern California, British Columbia


Pat Munts - 2014
    The Northwest Gardener's Handbook is filled with all the need-to-know information to make your Northwestern garden a success. This book is the when-to, how-to, and what-to of gardening for the more experienced gardener. "When to" information assists gardeners with the proper care and timing for everything from planting to watering. "How to" gives you the best methods needed for your garden. "What-to" covers the climate and topography of the region and the best way to manage and choose annuals, perennials, bulbs, edibles, groundcover, roses, shrubs, trees, vines, native plants and many more types of plants and situations. A section devoted to water-wise gardening offers insight into a key component of every garden which is especially in this region. Save water, money and time with Pat's tips!Gorgeous, full-color photographs provide at-a-glance information on the best plants to use in any situation. Create the best garden possible, using information designed for your specific needs. Whether you're designing a garden from scratch or maintaining one that you've had for years, this is the book for you!

The Plant Lover's Guide to Salvias


John Whittlesey - 2014
    Salvia’s popularity stems from how easy they are to grow, their multiple medicinal and culinary uses, and the vibrancy of their blooms that cover every color in the spectrum from white to nearly black. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Salvias features everything you need to know to grow this vibrant and fragrant plant. Plant profiles of 150 varieties highlight each plant’s type, habitat, size, hardiness, origin, cultivation, and use in the landscape. Additional information includes tips on design, how to grow and propagate salvia, where to view them in public gardens, and where to buy them.

Seed to Plant (National Geographic Readers)


Kristin Baird Rattini - 2014
    In this lively and educational reader, they'll learn how those plants grow. Kids will take this magical journey from seed pollination to plant growth, learning about what plants need to thrive and grow with the same careful text, brilliant photographs, and the fun approach National Geographic Readers are known for.

Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond


Beatriz Caiuby Labate - 2014
    The volume focuses on the use of ayahuasca, a psychoactive drink essential in many indigenous shamanic rituals of the Amazon.Ayahuasca use has spread to countries far beyond its Amazonian origin, spurring a wide variety of legal and cultural responses. The essays in this volume look at how these responses have influenced ritual design and performance in traditional and non-traditional contexts, how displaced indigenouspeople and rubber tappers are engaged in the creative reinvention of rituals, and how these rituals help build ethnic alliances and cultural and political strategies. These essays explore important classic and contemporary issues in anthropology, including the relationship between the expansion ofecotourism and ethnic tourism and recent indigenous cultural revival and the emergence of new ethnic identities. The volume also examines trends in the commodification of indigenous cultures in post-colonial contexts, the combination of shamanism with a network of health and spiritually relatedservices, and identity hybridization in global societies.The rich ethnographies and extensive analysis of these essays will allow deeper understanding of the role of ritual in mediating the encounter between indigenous traditions and modern societies.

The Creative Herbalist: 13 Uncommon Remedies & Recipes


Rosalee de la Foret - 2014
    Herbs help you stay healthy, but they also access your creative side. It’s a true art form. There’s tons of herbal books and sites with common recipes, but very few think outside the box. Once you get your feet wet with some creative remedies and recipes, you’ll find it WAY easier to spice up all sorts of other standard remedies. This book has 13 uncommon recipes that are fun and easy to make including a thyme and vinegar cleaner, a luscious body butter, simple spice blends, an immune building soup, a cranberry and rosehip compote and even homemade chocolate. Get your ebook copy for free at: Read More at http://learningherbs.com/herbal-books/

The Manual of Plant Grafting: Practical Techniques for Ornamentals, Vegetables, and Fruit


Peter T MacDonald - 2014
    Fruit trees are grafted to control their size, willows to produce attractive weeping forms, and tomatoes and melons to enhance their disease resistance. Peter MacDonald describes the latest grafting techniques for students, professionals and enthusiastic amateurs, including information on the reasons for grafting, clear instructions on the formation of the graft union, bench grafting techniques, field grafting, vegetable grafting, and cactus grafting. An A-to-Z appendix of plants features detailed information on what type of graft should be used, when it should be done, what type of root stock needs to be used, and what environment it needs to be kept in.