Gardening: plants and cultivation guides Books

Book SynopsisHealth-conscious families and communities everywhere are taking on the challenge of childhood-obesity prevention by re-learning to enjoy fresh produce. The market for organic fruits, herbs and veg has never been greater. In WE LIKE TO GROW OUR FOOD, children learn about composting, the need for healthy soil and the interconnection of all life systems (how humans, insects, animals and plants work together.) They get to celebrate the essential bond with nature that is so easy to forget in a fast-food culture.WE LIKE TO GROW OUR FOOD is both a storybook and an instruction guide. Young children can follow the progress of a group of characters who take their garden through the seasons. In the process, they learn the steps to creating their own garden. Whether readers live in urban or rural environments, they can use the encouraging and simple text to start creating a new world: a new and healthier food source for themselves and their families.A garden is a wonderful teacher, with surprising and profound gifts. This book stresses the need for care, nurturing, patience and sharingall vital life lessons for young children to hear about and for parents to encourage. With simple text and captivating illustrations, WE LIKE TO GROW OUR FOOD promises to open a new door to adventure and enjoyment even for those who have been previously reluctant to get their hands dirty.

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Book SynopsisThis is a timely, "especially for now" book, when growing food at home is at the top of many family to-do lists. Small is beautiful, and integrating a small, easy-to-manage garden into hectic everyday life is easy. In The Downsized Veggie Garden, low maintenance is the mantra. And so is making smart, creative use of the space we have – whether it’s outdoors, indoors, in-ground, in containers, on a balcony railing…or even going vertical. Garden expert Kate Copsey takes the reader season-by-season, plant-by-plant, with essential tips about soil, seed-starting, plant choices, non-chemical fertilizing, watering, choosing the right containers, veggie garden planning and planting, and much more. This fully illustrated book is a one-stop guide for the beginner gardener or the downsizing gardener.Trade ReviewThis guide will teach you to make smart, creative use of the space you have, whether it’s outdoors, indoors, in-ground, in containers, on a balcony railing, or even going vertical. The author takes readers season-by-season and plant-by-plant to build the pint-sized garden just right for their gardening style and space. You’ll learn all you need to know about soil, seed starting, plant choices, non-chemical fertilizing, watering, choosing the right containers, and veggie garden planning and planting.This is a good beginner's gardening book and would make a nice housewarming present. -- Jill Sell * Gardening books will inspire homeowners whether they live in the city or country *

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Book SynopsisA savvy garden pro shares little-known money-saving secrets and tricks of the garden center trade that consumers need to know to get good deals. This book proves that you don’t need mega bucks to have a beautiful garden. The secret is having savvy garden pro Kerry Mendez by your side. In The Budget-Wise Gardener, Mendez gives the inside scoop on nailing the best deals and having it all: selecting plants that give you the most bang for your buck, timing your purchases to take advantage of deep discounts and giveaways, finding treasures at plant, bulb and seed swaps – and much more. Her chapters take you from “How to Score Great Plants for Less…or for Free!” and “Design Secrets that Save Money” to “Regal Containers on a Dollar-Store Budget.” With luscious color photos on nearly every page, this is an essential guide to creating the garden of your dreams without breaking the bank.Trade Review"It's a great little book that you will probably enjoy reading as much as I did. It's equally good for gift giving (think house warming, new gardener, birthdays, etc.). ... You get hundreds of tips in this little volume. It is well-written, a pleasure to explore and downright helpful, which I don't say about many gardening books." * All the Dirt on Gardening Blog *"Kerry Ann Mendez has revealed the best trade secrets for maximizing your garden budget! This book is full of great strategies to save time while getting the most bang for your buck. This is a must have resource for practical applications in every outdoor space." * Brie Arthur, horticulturist, author of The Foodscape Revolution *"Any time I can save money on my gardening obsession I’m happy. But getting the dirt on great garden-related deals from Kerry Ann Mendez will always get my attention. As a talented designer and frugal gardener, Kerry Ann’s advice is money in the bank and well worth my time. " * Joe Lamp’l, founder of joegardener.com and creator/host of “Growing a Greener World” on national PBS *“...appealing to the thrifty gardener who wants to be the talk of the town without breaking the bank. Kerry Ann’s vast plant knowledge and enthusiasm for suggesting just the right plant for every situation makes a seat at her lecture and a copy of the accompanying plant list, two of the hottest things to score at the show! Her presentations are paced perfectly for the novice as well as the master gardener to pick up new ideas and walk away just about aching for the gardening season to come!" * Carolyn Weston, Show Director, Boston Flower & Garden Show *"Kerry is knowledgeable, articulate, and engaging. She delivers fresh, helpful information with brio and class – great stuff that home gardeners and pros alike didn’t know they needed to know in order to have better, more sustainable, easier, lovelier gardens. Kerry hits a home run every time." * Owen Dell, landscape architect, author of The Layered Garden *"The Budget-Wise Gardener’s subtitle says it all: “With Hundreds of Money-Saving Buying & Design Tips for Planting the Best for Less.” … The book has so many ideas and strategies that you are bound to have a beautiful garden and not break the bank or your back. An additional interpretation of the Kerry Ann Mendez gardening mantra could be how to spend less money and time on yard maintenance, all the while keeping in mind sustainable practices such as saving water, attracting pollinators and using “friendly” pesticides." -- George Graine * George Graine, Fairfax, VA, Master Gardener *“Kerry Ann Mendez is a "down and dirty" dynamo, connecting with other hands-on gardeners to speak into common bonds and share her considerable know-how.” * Tovah Martin, author of Tasha Tudor’s Garden *Table of ContentsTable of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: How to Score Great Plants for Less….or for Free! Chapter 2: Refined Dumpster Diving: Plant Sources and Treasure Maps Chapter 3: Design Secrets that Save Money Chapter 4: Regal Containers on a Dollar-Store Budget Resources Index

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Book SynopsisBuffalo-Style Gardens is a one-of-a-kind, offbeat garden design book that showcases the wildly inventive gardens and gardeners of Buffalo – and offers readers "the best of the best” ideas to use in their own small-space gardens.Who knew? Buffalo, New York, is the new Ground Zero for free-spirited garden innovation? Learn from the stories of everyday, non-professional gardeners who have unintentionally transformed Buffalo’s urban neighborhoods into a 21st century garden design laboratory. It’s all about seeing your space with new eyes and not letting existing limitations on the ground stop you from being out-of-the-box creative. Each July, over 400 private gardens open to the public to show off their fresh, often quirky, take on outdoor living. There’s nothing quite like “Garden Walk Buffalo,” the largest garden tour in North America.With hundreds of design, planting and DIY tips, authors and show-garden experts Sally Cunningham and Jim Charlier reveal how fences and furnishings, trees and shrubs, art and whimsy – and the element of surprise – work together to change an ordinary space into something uniquely yours: your own unforgettable Buffalo-style garden.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION: Buffalo Style: a New Kind of Garden…livable, relatable, original, free spirited PART ONE: Secrets of one-of-a-kind, unforgettable gardens, Buffalo-style! Chapter 1: Other People’s Gardens: what you can learn from a garden walk Chapter 2: Great Little Gardens and How They Grew Chapter 3: Good Garden Design (in the beginning…) PART TWO: You and Your Site Chapter 4: What Do You Want Your Garden To Be? Chapter 5: What Does Your Garden Want To Be? (your site’s challenges and opportunities) PART THREE: The Bones of Your Unforgettable Garden (design features that make all the difference) Chapter 6: Set the Stage (Frame it!): walls, hedges, fences and more Chapter 7: The Big Bones: immovable objects Chapter 8: Find Your Path: lines, contours, walkways PART FOUR: Let’s Decorate! (making it personal) Chapter 9: Furniture and Hardscape Define Your Style Chapter 10: Art, Collections & Themes Chapter 11: And Now We Choose Plants! PART FIVE: Gardening for the Greater Good: from the neighborhood to the world Chapter 12: Gardening is Transformative…and Contagious Appendix Destination public gardens; U.S. private garden tour listings; Recommended reading Index

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Book SynopsisThink of this book as your herb-seasoning master class, filled with simple secrets for capturing the power of flavor from your herb garden. Herbs are easy to grow anywhere, indoors or out, but do you know which ones do what in your foods and beverages…or how flavors play off of each other? This book shows you how to become an herbal tastemaster, whether you’re a home cook or a gourmet foodie. It all starts in the garden with fresh-picked herbs. Let dedicated herb lover Sue Goetz guide you into the delicious world of 20 essential, flavor-rich herbs and the pleasures they offer. With over 100 kitchen-tested herb recipes and full-color photographs throughout, you’ll discover how to: grow and harvest the best flavor cultivars for culinary use preserve and package complement herbal flavors with spices, edible flowers, garlic, citrus, and other botanicals prepare easy recipes for mixes, salts, rubs, pestos, oils, vinegars, butters, sugars, dressings, teas, herb-infused beverages…and much more!Trade ReviewTake A Moment …To stop and breathe in the rose petal brandy, peppercorn-rose salt, and lavender sel et poivre (salt and pepper). A Taste for Herbs is your new source for sweet and savory seasonings to have on hand and give as gifts. Learn how to mix the right herbs from your garden to enhance the flavor of any dish. The variations on pesto, including lemon-lime and minty sweet, are our new go-tos for zippy one-dish pasta dinners. And the pineapple-ginger infused water is fantastically refreshing. -- Mary Ann NewcomerTake A Moment"The herb-loving author will lead you into the delicious world of these flavor-rich plants and the pleasures they offer."When author Susan Goetz of Tacoma, Washington, experienced health issues she eliminated from her diet many foods that triggered sensitivities. To keep things interesting, she turned to herbs and started making her own mixes from seasoning blends to cocktail infusions. Now Goetz offers the results of that personal journey in a new book A Taste for Herbs: A guide to seasonings, mixes and blends from the herb lover’s garden (St. Lynn’s Press, 2019). The 190-page book is a culinary-herbal master class wrapped around 100 recipes. It’s suitable for the novice and experienced herb lover alike. Feb. 25, 2019 Goetz has a hard time choosing a favorite recipe. “Right now citrus herb pepper is one of my go-tos,” she says. “I use it on everything that I would use salt on and I use it two or three times a week in scrambled eggs in a mug (page 102) for my morning protein hit. The salsa mix is one I use a lot too. I like avocados mushed up as a side and I use the salsa mix to season them.” “I could easily say my favorite recipes come with the season. When I have basil in the garden, then pesto would my frequent recipe. As soon as the chives start popping up, I like to make them into an herb-oil paste to sauté with.” -- Paris WolfeYou acquired a variety of herbs. They grew. Now what? Obviously, you need to harvest, use and enjoy, and store the excess for winter that will come again. Help is here with a pleasant book with just this information. A Taste for Herbs: a guide to seasonings, mixes and blends from the herb lover’s garden, by Sue Goetz. Feb. 24, 2019 -- Judy Glattstein…[T]he cooking ideas in Part Two might make “A Taste for Herbs” by Sue Goetz a great gift for the manly chef in your life! In these six chapters, Sue introduces us to a plethora of ways to use the herbal bounty our landscapes and gardens may offer. After an introduction to the basics of blending herbs, there are chapters on Dry Seasonings, Rubs, Flavor Enhancers, Dressings & Condiments, and ending with some very tasty Beverages. Personally, I might start with one of her cocktails. It makes cooking after a long day go ever so much smoother! -- Jacqueline Soule * A Taste for Herbs – Book Review *>i>A Taste for Herbs is filled with unique ways to mix and use herbs you probably already grow. Sweet mixes like basic herb sugar for baking or rosemary-infused agave are explained along with savory herb flavored oils and vinegars and mixes for flavorful tea infusions. Page 120 has a good Mojito recipe. -- Vickie Haushild

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Book SynopsisHorticulture has remained far behind in understanding of botanical principles. Recent phylogenetic (DNA-based) reorganization of higher plants has revolutionized taxonomic treatments of all biological entities, even when morphology does not completely agree with their organization. This book is an example of applying principals of botanical phylogenetic taxonomy to assemble genera, species, and cultivars of 200 vascular plant families of ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms that are cultivated for enhancement of human living space; homes, gardens, and parks. The emphases are on cultivated species but examples of some plants are often shown in the wild and in landscapes. In providing descriptions, it is assumed that students and other interested individuals have no background in general botany (plant characteristics), or nomenclature. Fundamental features of all plant groups discussed are fully illustrated by original watercolor drawings or photographs. Discussion of the families is grounded on recent botanical phylogenetic treatments, which is based on common ancestry (monophyly). Of course, phylogenetic taxonomy is not a new concept, and was originally based on morphological characteristics; it is the DNA-based phylogeny that has revolutionized modern biological classifications. In practical terms, this book represents the horticultural treatment that corresponds to phylogenetic-based botanical taxonomy, to which is added cultigens and cultivated genera and species. Hence, the harmony between horticultural and botanical taxonomy. This book covers phylogenetic-based taxonomy of Angiosperms (Eudicots). A companion volume covers Ferns, Gymnosperms, and Angiosperms (Monocots). Table of ContentsForeword Preface ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR ALPHABETICAL LIST OF FAMILIES TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART-DICOTYLEDONS Chapter 1: BASAL LINEAGES NYMPHAEACEAE SCHISANDRACEAE Chapter 2: MAGNOLIIDS PIPERACEAE ARISTOLOCHICEAE MAGNOLIACEAE ANNONACEAE CALYCANTHACEAE LAURACEAE Chapter 3: EUDICOTS PAPAVERACEAE BREBERIDACEAE RANUNCULACEAE NELUMBONACEAE PLANTANACEAE PROTEACEAE TROCHODENDRACEAE BUXACEAE GUNNERACEAE DILLENIACEAE PAEONIACEAE ALTINGIACEAE HAMAMELIDACEAE SAXIFRAGACEAE CRASSULACEAE VITACEAE ZYGOPHYLLACEAE FABACEAE POLYGALLACEAE ROSACEAE ELAEAGNACEAE RHAMNACEAE ULMACEAE MORACEAE URTICACEAE FAGACEAE MYRICACEAE JUGLANDIACEAE CASUARANACEAE BETULACEAE BEGONIACEAE OXALIDACEAE CUNONIACEAE ERYTHROXYLACEAE OCHNACEAE CLUSIACEAE HYPERICACEAE MALPIGHIACEAE CHRYSOBALANACEAE VIOLACEAE PASSIFLORACEAE (including Turneraceae) SALICACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE LINACEAE PHYLLANTHACEAE (including Bischofiaceae) GERANIACEAE COMBRETACEAE LYTHRACEAE ONAGRACEAE MYRTACEAE MELASTOMATACEAE BURSERACEAE ANACARDIACEAE SAPINDACEAE (including Aceraceae, Hippocastanaceae) RUTACEAE MELIACEAE MALVACEAE THYMELAEACEAE BIXACEAE CISTACEAE TROPAEOLACEAE CARICACEAE CAPPARACEAE CLEOMACEAE BRASSICACEAE LORANTHACEAE PLUMBAGINACEAE POLYGONIACEAE DROSERACEAE NEPENTHACEAE SIMONDSIACEAE CARYOPHYLACEAE AMARANTHACEAE AIZOACEAE PHYTOLACACEAE NYCTAGINACEAE MONTIACEAE DIDERIACEAE PORTULACACEAE CACTACEAE NYSSACEAE HYDRANGEACEAE LOASACEAE CORNACEAE BALSAMINACEAE FOUQUIERACEAE POLEMONIACEAE LECYTHIDACEAE PENTAPHYLACEAE SAPOTACEAE EBENACEAE PRIMULACEAE THEACEAE SARRACENIACEAE ERICACEAE RUBIACEAE GENTIANACEAE GELSIMIACEAE APOCYNACEAE BORAGINACEAE CONVOLVULACEAE SOLANACEAE MONTINIACEAE OLEACEAE GESNERIACEAE PLANTAGINACEAE SCROPHULARIACEAE LINDERNIACEAE PEDALIACEAE ACANTHACEAE BIGNONIACEAE LENTIBULARIACEAE VERBENACEAE LAMIACEAE PAULOWNIACEAE HELWINGIACEAE AQUIFOLIACEAE CAMPANULACEAE MENYANTHACEAE GOODENIACEAE ASTERACEAE ADOXACEAE CAPRIFOLIACEAE (including Dispsicaceae, Valerinaceae) PITTOSPORACEAE ARALIACEAE APIACEAE Back Matter GLOSSARY REFERENCES INDEX

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Book SynopsisA magnificent pictorial document of the flowers grown in the greatest German garden of its time, the Hortus Eystettensis is in a class of its own when it comes to the range of flowers engraved. First published in 1613, the 367 copperplate engravings by Basilius Besler (1561–1629) capture the spectacular diversity of the palatial gardens of Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen (1593/95–1612) in Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany. The meticulous illustrations are organized according to the four seasons, and, following the classification system used today, show plants belonging to a total of 90 families and covering 340 genera. The whole collection is regarded as one of the finest treasures of botanical literature; it was described by Carl Linnaeus, the legendary 18th-century botanist and zoologist, as an “incomparable work.” Besler’s pictorial catalog long outlived the gardens, which were destroyed in 1634 by invading Swedish troops. In auction, the asking price for a first-edition copy of Hortus Eystettensis is now more than half a million dollars. With this edition, TASCHEN opens up the garden to a much wider audience: a rich and beautiful record, destined to keep the garden’s beauty in bloom.Trade Review“Given the scholarship and quality of the reproductions, this book is a bargain.” * Chicago Botanic Garden Book Review *

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Book SynopsisBring a mini Japanese garden into your home—whether as a stress-reducing desk accessory, interesting centerpiece or beautiful addition to any space!Bring the tranquility of Japanese garden design into any space in your home or office. Miniature Japanese Gardens shows you how to create simple Japanese-style container gardens using inexpensive plants and materials that are available everywhere!A detailed plan of each "garden" provides a basic template, along with information about plant types and containers. The container itself can be an old pot, ceramic bowl, or just about anything you might have lying around. Such "found" objects lend themselves to the Japanese art of wabi-sabi—the beauty of imperfection. Add rocks and other elements to produce mini Zen gardens that bring a relaxing vibe to any interior space.Miniature Japanese Gardens contains step-by-step instructions and photos of over 40 different projects, including: Kokedama (moss ball) A miniature bamboo grove A variety of bonsai trees And many more! Plus, get inspired by accompanying photos of the Japanese landscape. While you may not be able to have a waterfall in your house, you can channel the same sensation with the help of just the right bonsai plants from this book. Miniature Japanese Gardens will appeal to gardeners, Zen students and small space enthusiasts alike!Trade Review"[Miniature Japanese Gardens] shows you how to create simple Japanese-style container gardens using inexpensive plants and materials that are available everywhere. Diagrams demonstrate how to organize the plants, and step-by-step instructions on how to build and care for your mini gardens." --Desire To Inspire blog"…this book is a great resource about bonsai plants for both newcomers and those experienced in this art." --Self Taught Japanese blog"…And what, to me, is even more important is that once one has read through these pages, and maybe tried to create a few micro-gardens, one can use one's favourite images--maybe taken on a trip to Japan--and construct a living memory." --Shakkei, the journal of the Japanese Garden Society of the UK

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Book SynopsisThe spectacular close-up images contained in this book show nature in a new light. The curious and inquiring photographic lens of Giovanni De Sandre reveals unexpected details, an amazing world hidden in well-known plants, some of which we use in the kitchen every day. Naturalis fons delivers a clear message to its reader: to appreciate the wonders of nature by learning to look with new eyes at the most common and apparently insignificant plants. Text in English, Italian and French.

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Book SynopsisDoes the black rose exist, or has it ever existed? The complete history of this noble flower, based on authentic research, shows that the quest goes back to the very earliest botanical writings - references to dark roses cropped up in the early European botanical literature. Their further evolution can be easily traced by rose drawings, from the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century. Later, rose collections came into existence, rose collectors became famous and, from the end of the eighteenth century, rose gardeners received more and more recognition for their selections. This prestigious book, in a velvety soft cover, brings the full story of the black rose, based on original research, from the oldest historical images to the most recent developments, and prominent florists of world-renown show their creations with roses.

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Book SynopsisThe history of orchids teems with tales of temptation and passion. This stunning book combines the most luscious and tactile photographs with surprising and informative texts about orchids. The first part of the book tells the tale about the discovery of orchids through history and describes the way in which orchids are perceived. In the East the emphasis lies mainly on positive characteristics, grace and generosity. In the West orchids personify procreation and sex. Why are orchids the way they are? Why those amazing, complicated shapes? Why those incredible colours?In "Orchid: The Fatal Attraction", Anne Ronse discusses everything orchids have stood for in the course of history.

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Book SynopsisLearn how to grow lovely and fragrant flowers then use them create delicious meals with this beautifully illustrated flower gardening and cooking book.Anyone who picks up The Edible Flower Garden will be tempted to grow, harvest, and sample at least a few of the more than forty varieties of edible flowers. Among them, you'll find more familiar food plants—dill and mustard, for example—in addition to common flowers, such as tulips or roses. Author Rosalind Creasy's stunning photography and detailed plans for an edible flower garden make this a must-have book for any flower gardener or home chef. Come along with Creasy on a tour with colorful pictures and careful diagrams and descriptions of her own flower gardens. Included is a tour of the edible flower gardens of Alice Waters famed Chez Panisse restaurant. Creasy catalogues each variety of flower and how to grow it, plus gives a myriad of delectable ideas on how to use the flower from candied violets and roses to decorate appetizers and cakes, to nasturtiums for a colorful shrimp salad, to daylily buds, pink clover and wild mustard flowers that are tossed together in a spectacular stir-fry.Favorite Recipes Include: Flower Butters Candied Flowers Tulip and Endive Appetizer Pineapple Sage Salsa Rose Petal Syrup Lavender Ice Cream And much more… Trade Review"For me, Ros Creasy is the Mother Goddess of a new generation of American Kitchen Gardeners. She inspires us all by showing how the twin passions of gardening and cooking are connected in history and practice. Her extensive research, combined with a personal writing style that reveals her creative zest, make her book absolute essentials for all gardening cooks." --Renee Shepherd, Owner of Renee's Garden, Gardening Expert and Seed Supplier"Rosalind Creasy's enthusiasm and knowledge of gardening and cooking never cease to amaze me. Anyone who reads these books will catch Rosalind's enthusiasm and be off running towards a new passion." --A. Cort Sinnes, Editor-At-Large, Gardening How-To"Whether you are already a flower enthusiast or have never eaten a flower, this book will tempt you. You are drawn into the beautiful and tasty world of edible flowers. Everything you need to know is between the covers of this book--from good I.D. photos of each flower and growing information to general ways to prepare the flowers and what foods they are best in. Even after all of my years of eating flowers, Ros has opened my eyes to new uses for many of my favorite edible flowers." --Cathy Wilkinson Barash, Author of Edible Flowers from Garden to Palate

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Book SynopsisThis book points the way, especially for beginners and those who may only have a balcony or a rooftop and are limited to growing in containers. It is not just about gardening in a narrow sense. It delves into the growing of plants as a multidisciplinary activity involving not only botany, but also zoology, geology, meteorology, philosophy, ornithology, and more. The book sends a strong environmental message for a re-evaluation of modern lifestyle.

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