Gardening: trees and shrubs Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA beautifully illustrated guide to the marvellous and varied world of trees, and a fascinating introduction to the hidden secrets of 52 British species. Botanist and ecologist Ros Bennett has spent a lifetime helping people understand and identify plants and always hoped her daughter Nell would grow up to share her love of the natural world.During Nell's childhood years they spent much time exploring the local woods together. Here, Nell discovered the visual and tactile beauty of trees.In Tree-spotting, Ros and Nell have combined their backgrounds and talents to show you – through Ros's extensive experience and Nell's exquisite illustrations – how to identify 52 British trees simply and confidently.A beautiful and captivating insight into the wonderful world of trees, Tree-spotting burrows down into the history and hidden secrets of each species. It explores how our relationship with trees can be very personal, and will bring you closer to the natural world around you.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWomen are in a bind. In the name of consent and empowerment, they must proclaim their desires clearly and confidently. Yet sex researchers suggest that women's desire is often slow to emerge. And men are keen to insist that they know what women-and their bodies-want. Meanwhile, sexual violence abounds. How can women, in this environment, possibly know what they want? And why do we expect them to?In this elegant, searching book-spanning science and popular culture; pornography and literature; debates on Me-Too, consent and feminism-Katherine Angel challenges our assumptions about women's desire. Why, she asks, should they be expected to know their desires? And how do we take sexual violence seriously, when not knowing what we want is key to both eroticism and personhood?In today's crucial moment of renewed attention to violence and power, Angel urges that we remake our thinking about sex, pleasure, and autonomy without any illusions about perfect self-knowledge. Only then will we fulfil Michel Foucault's teasing promise, in 1976, that 'tomorrow sex will be good again'Trade ReviewThe real joy lies in the artfulness with which she uses these intimate episodes as a way of unwrapping the larger issue of what it means to be a woman, both object and subject of desire. -- Olivia Laing * The Guardian * Unmastered is a smart rejoinder to the idea that pleasure has nothing to teach us. -- Parul Sehgal * Slate *Offers an arresting mix of diaristic experiences with her lover . . . and heady reflections from feminist thinkers like Susan Sontag and Virginia Woolf. A genre-busting nonfiction account that reads like poetry, revels in ambiguity, and intentionally defies definition, the book explores the slippery emotions of sex in fiery, collage-like scenes intended to reconcile the contradictory 'metaphors we love by.' * O Magazine *Ghostly and poetic . . . [A] thinking woman's meditation on sexual desire. * Publishers Weekly *Unconventional, deeply personal . . . often poetic. * The New Yorker *Angel embraces the impossibility of extricating fact from feeling. -- Julia Klein * The Boston Globe *One of the most insightful and articulate writers at work today. -- Lauren Elkin, author of Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and LondonIn this impressive and intelligent examination of the father figure, Angel expertly intersects the subject with feminism, mythology, Donald Winnicott, Brett Kavanaugh and more. Her unstinting eye and intellectual vigour make Daddy Issues an engaging interrogation. It feels utterly vital in the context of #MeToo and the political flux the world currently finds itself in. -- Sinead GleesonAn ardent, rigorous, nuanced investigation into the question of consent, at once illuminating and empowering. A truly vital guide to navigating the difficult waters of 21st century desire. -- Olivia Laing, author of Funny WeatherThought-provoking ... [Angel's] jargon-free prose and nuanced readings of popular culture and postmodern theory enlighten. Readers will value this lively and incisive inquiry into the sexual dynamics of the #MeToo era. * Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) *One of our most daring, exciting and nuanced writers on the complexities of female desire, pleasure, autonomy and imagination. -- Deborah Levy, author of The Cost of LivingA provocative counterargument to recent feminist dogma. ... Angel raises intriguing questions about commonly accepted assumptions, and she offers reassurance to female readers. * Kirkus Reviews *[Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again] takes a taboo topic and removes the stigma by providing facts. Its titular refrain advocates for a better tomorrow. -- Ashley Holstrom * Foreword Reviews *[Angel] writes about complex questions with such clarity and elegance, and amid all the polarised spats that currently pass for considered debate, her work is a breath of fresh air. [Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again] is a provocative but clear-sighted analysis of female sexuality in the wake of #MeToo ... I'd urge anyone who cares about sexual ethics to read it. -- Bookseller (Editor's Choice) * Caroline Sanderson *Excellent -- Charlotte Higgins * Guardian *[A] bible of modern sexuality and consent that all men and women should be reading * Evening Standard *She is reaching towards something else: a world where desire does not have to be known and fixed in advance to protect people from violence. -- Hettie O'Brien * Guardian *Tenderly inflected and meticulously argued, Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again should be required reading * New Internationalist - Five Starred Review *A clear-eyed intervention in the crossfire of post-#MeToo sexual politics * TANK Magazine *Voyeuristically fascinating ... Angel dares to suggest that consent is not sexy . we should be aiming for something more complex -- Anna Leszkiewicz * New Statesman *Offers new ways of understanding the complexity of sexual relations . fresh and provoking * The F-Word *Exquisite ... A breathtaking, brilliant invitation not to turn away from complexity and vulnerability -- Hannah Dawson, editor of The Penguin Book of Feminist WritingThis nonfiction tour-de-force is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring themes of consent, power, sex, and the Me Too movement. This is the kind of book that seeks not to create dichotomous binaries, but to complicate the narrative. -- Rachel Krantz * The Millions *Eloquent and lucid -- Celia Walden * Telegraph *Succinct and thought-provoking -- Stephanie Merritt * Observer *Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again offers readers a blend of cultural criticism and provocative theory. -- Tobias Carroll * InsideHook *Intriguing, philosophical. -- Laura Miller * Slate *One of the smartest, most nuanced and thought-provoking books I've read about sex in the post-#MeToo era. -- Moya Crockett * Stylist *[Angel] is right - consent as a yes/no dichotomy cannot be everything we want it to be. We must recognise that language cannot say everything, especially for women, who have not historically been given the chance to shape it according to their own needs and desires. * The Arts Desk *[Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again is] a necessary contribution to the many conversations about sex and power we have all had since 2017, and Angel's prose, clear and lovely, nimbly navigates the complexities of her subject matter. -- Madeleine Watts * Bookforum *A vital and groundbreaking work that brings nuance to a thorny subject. -- Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett * Guardian *Angel has dissected much of what there is to know about consent, desire, arousal and vulnerability: the four cornerstones of sexuality. Resisting definitive and simplistic conclusions, Angel has been wide-reaching in her research -- Emily S Cooper * Irish Times *[Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again] welcomes us to experience a twenty-first-century feminist version of Freud's aporia. -- Jeannie Suk Gersen * New Yorker *A necessary contribution to an important conversation. * The Week *A well-researched exploration of what sex, sexism, desire and power mean now. -- Mika Ross-Southall * Spectator *Angel makes the compelling argument that desire should not have to be known in advance in order to protect women from sexual violence and that consent is not static. -- Daisy Schofield * Huck *A breath of fresh air ... [Tomorrow Sex Will be Good Again] describes with great, sensitive accuracy the reality of being a woman with a sex life in the twenty-first century. -- Marianela D’Aprile * Jacobin *Timely . Angel does much more than merely refresh what has become a tired conversation about consent. . a slim, potent, elegantly argued polemic -- Zora Simic * Australian Book Review *Angel is measured and meticulous, which makes her book delightful, powerful, and worthwhile. -- Joseph Fischel * Signs *[Angel marshals] pithy arguments about consent, desire, arousal, and vulnerability, and these arguments are anchored by solid and hearty feminist claims. -- Shoniqua Roach * Signs *This work is misleadingly slender, more capacious than slight . [Angel] evokes the indeterminate radiance encountered in Georgia O'Keeffe's floral paintings, a space where the possibilities of sex reside as 'an unfolding'. -- Tali Lavi * Saturday Paper *Short but rich in ideas ... [Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again] offers a thoughtful, nuanced articulation of the problems and issues we face surrounding sexual assault and bad sex, without rushing to a solution. -- Elodie Rose Barnes * Lucy Writers' Platform *It should not be women's responsibility to keep sex safe. Angel argues powerfully that sexual ethics not be reduced to hard and fast prescriptions about consent -- Fiona Capp * Sydney Morning Herald *A much-needed intervention. -- Vicky Spratt * Refinery29 *One of the most important books you'll read all year. -- Jessie Thompson * Evening Standard *[Angel] argues for uncertainty and vulnerability ... Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again is part of an emancipatory project that, paradoxically, asserts a need not to be strong. -- Anne Enright * New York Review of Books *Gracefully argued and informed by flashes of brilliance ... a powerful contribution to the not always rational debate about consent and feminine sexual autonomy. * The Australian *Incisive and elegant ... in four searching essays that treat consent, desire, arousal, and vulnerability in turn, Angel does not reject legal and material remedies but looks beyond them, seeking succor in the interstices of our erotic relationships-in the sheer force and fact of desire itself. -- Becca Rothfeld * Boston Review *Exciting. -- Alexandra Schwartz * New Yorker *Angel is here to stick up for the timorous and to defend vulnerability as both a sexual virtue and a deep well of potential pleasure ... a rich companion piece to [Unmastered] -- Sarah Gilbert * Sydney Review of Books *Packs a punch -- Hannah Witton * More Hannah - Best 2021 Books *Brilliant -- Izabella Scott * White Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Wisdom of Trees, an informative and practical guide to tree planting: including guidance on which trees to plant and where; how to plant, propagate and care for your trees; advice on the suitability and virtues of particular native trees (from oak to alder and from beech to blackthorn); amplified by details of how trees grow in nature and the stories of some famous tree planters. A glossary of websites, nurseries, conservation and other organisations completes the volume.Trade ReviewIt runs succinctly through the why, which and whereas well as how to look after your trees, famous tree planters and further useful information * The Field *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis next instalment in the bestselling Welcome to the Museum collection in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, is about the incredible life of trees.Trees are some of nature's most majestic and beguiling life forms. Arboretum is a beautifully illustrated celebration of trees from around the world, and sheds light on the vital role they play in every part of human life. From trees associated with ancient mythology, to the rarest and most unusual specimens, wander the arboretum and meet mighty oaks and towering redwoods. Learn just how ancient trees like the ginko and monkey puzzler are, and trace the complexities of the wood wide web.This latest addition to the Welcome to the Museum series will appeal to any budding botanist or tree lover.Trade ReviewA spectacular book. -- Nicolette Jones

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAlan Titchmarsh MBE is known to millions through his career as a television presenter of shows including Love Your Weekend, Love Your Garden, Ground Force, Gardeners' World, The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Spring Into Summer. He has written more than forty gardening books, as well as twelve novels and three volumes of memoirs. He was made MBE in the millennium New Year Honours list and holds the Victoria Medal of Honour, the Royal Horticultural Society's highest award.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisPractical information on growing, harvesting and using medicinal trees and shrubs sustainably in a temperate climate, whether for self-sufficiency or profit The author draws on her direct experience of creating a medicinal forest garden in the UK to provide supplies for herbal medicine in practice. She provides advice on the design of new planting projects which can meet the needs of different users from small gardens to smallholdings and agroforestry. Includes: . How medicinal trees can contribute to health and the environment . Practical advice on designing with medicinal trees and shrubs using permaculture principles, as well as their propagation and establishment . Combinations of woody and other layers of medicinal plants suitable for creating a medicinal forest garden or inclusion in other growing projects . Management for a sustainable harvest including coppicing and pollarding of medicinal trees and shrubs . Key medicinal constituents of woody plants and research studies into their effects . How to harvest and preserve products from medicinal trees and shrubs effectively . Recipes for making a range of herbal health care products . Detailed monographs on medicinal trees and shrubs, providing fully referenced information about their medicinal potential and uses, alongside cultivation and harvest details AUTHOR: Anne Stobart is an experienced consultant medical herbalist and herb grower and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, UK. She is co-founder of Holt Wood Herbs, where she has transformed a conifer plantation into a medicinal forest garden. Anne has worked extensively in education, including leading a professional herbal medicine programme at Middlesex University in London, UK. Full-colour photographs throughout

Read more less

Book SynopsisA guide on how to start your own community orchard - from getting support and tackling legal issues to organising working parties and selling produce. Since the 1950s we have lost 63 per cent of our orchards through development or neglect, and even though we have been able to grow 3,000 varieties of apple in England, almost 70 per cent of apples we buy are imported. Common Ground has worked to interest local communities in creating and saving orchards to provide fruit and nuts, havens for wildlife and places of beauty. The Community Orchards Handbook shows how to start your own Community Orchard, from getting support and tackling legal issues, to organising work, selling produce and enjoying the fruits of your work together. It gives suggestions on ‘apple mapping’ and saving local varieties, and practical advice on planting, harvesting and safeguarding your orchard. It also includes a comprehensive resources section and is full of examples of diverse Community Orchard projects across the UK.Trade ReviewAnyone thinking of establishing a community orchard would be foolish not to pay close attention to the points made, and will find helpful resources abound, both as website links within the text and in an appendix bursting with legal and policy documents, ideas for funding, sources of equipment, and contact details of national and local groups. * Smallholder *This new, revised edition has sections on how to get started with planning an orchard, gaining support, writing a consultation, talking leases and other legalities such as insurance, securing access, dealing with health and safety and organising work parties. * The Landsman *The new editiom reflects the increased interest in community food growing and will be invaluable help for communities and schools wanting to establish an orchard. * This Is Dorset *The idea of Community Orchards is so good, so obviously right, that I think it's fair to describe it as vital. It will bring so much benefit to so many, in such an upbeat and positive way. I can't wait to see it happen more and more widely. Congratulations to Common Ground for their inspirational leadership and whole hearted good sense. * Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall *Common Ground's Community Orchards Handbook is a rich and diverse eco-system in itself, at once practical and lyrical, with elegy and energy intertwined. It's a handbook to be revelled in as much as dipped into for the handy hints. * Jonathon Porritt *The Community Orchards Handbook sits within arm's reach of my desk, along with one or two other Common Ground publications. It is an indispensable and inspiring reference for anyone wanting to enrich the meaning of where they live and introduce biodiversity and delight into their locality. * Kevin McCloud, presenter of Grand Designs *This wonderful book is an invaluable source of information for anyone interested in community, locally-produced food, and preserving and planting orchards. It is a 'must' for anyone who cares about these things. * Rosie Sanders, artist and author of The Apple Book *This book is aimed at anyone who wants to establish a local community orchard. It is an infectious well-judged mix of the inspirational and the practical. If you are thinking of setting up a local community orchard, the first thing you should do is buy this book. * Richard Borrie, editor of www.orangepippin.com *Community Orchards Handbook is a delicious book. It argues that we need orchards around us not just because they reconnect us to culture, our sense of place and our history, and not just because they can boost our food security, but because they have a great potential for bringing us closer together, to form a focus point for community. A new social and cultural renaissance based on apples? Why not... * Rob Hopkins, Transition Towns Network *We used Common Ground's Community Orchards Handbook when we started The London Orchard Project, and it has proved invaluable ever since. It is a must-have for the aspiring orchard leader. * Carina Dunkerley & Rowena Ganguli, founders of The London Orchard Project *Common Ground has made thousands of people aware of the value of the local, the ordinary, the commonplace, and the everyday in their lives... It has renewed interest in the English apple and created a feast for it (Apple Day in October). For speaking to a part of our hearts that no one knew how to speak to before, Common Ground is the best green charity in these islands. * Michael McCarthy, The Indepedent *This book encourages and celebrates the community spirits, social health and wellbeing that can be generated by fruit trees and orchards. * Reforesting Scotland *Table of ContentsForeword 1. Orchards and Local Distinctiveness 2. What are Community Orchards? 3. The place of orchards in our landscape and culture 4. Some success stories: land and orchards saved as Community Orchards 5. Community Orchards – how to start 6. Finding out more 7. Planting a Community Orchard 8. Adopting an old orchard 9. Conserving and attracting wild life 10. What to do with the harvest 11. Celebration 12. Safeguarding your orchard 13. Orchard fruits and wild fruits Appendices 1) Choosing the right legal structure for your Community Orchard 2) Model Constitution, Draft Tenancy Agreement, Draft Donations Policy and Example Risk Assessment 3) Orchard groups and support organisations 4) National contacts

Read more less

Book SynopsisSylva was presented to the Royal Society to promote the planting of timber trees 'for the supply of the Navy, the employment and advantage of the poor as well as the ornamenting of the nation.' He was responsible for the first great raft of tree-planting and for a great influx of tree introductions to Britain.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith this manual for choosing the right trees in the central valley region of California, prospective planters can weigh their options and pick the trees that best suit their sites. Healthy, mature trees can add substantial value to property; sickly trees, however, can cost an equally substantial amount. The expertise of a professional arborist is collected and made accessible here for any reader who wishes to invest in trees for landscaping. Plenty of troubleshooting tips cover problems from blight to bugs, and each of the 40 featured species has a complete entry describing its benefits for both land and landowner.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPoodling is a vernacular approach to pruning shrubbery: a negotiation between gardener and shrub that pits human aesthetic intention against the genetic forces that guide the plant''s natural development. Topiary shears shrubs into a singular form geometric or figure; poodling, in contrast, treats each branch individually and shapes its leaves or needles into the forms that remain at their ends.In this informed, if light-hearted, telling of the story, noted landscape historian Marc Treib traces the evolution and characteristics of topiary, espalier, and other forms of plant guidance such as poodling, proposing that what began as functional horticultural practices was transformed into a vehicle for artistic expression. Poodling catalogues the forms of pruning we encounter today and their probable origin in Japan during the 18th century. Noting the parallels, he compares the forms of poodling (vegetal) with those of the canine species poodle (animal), and the manners by which the dog''s hair has been clipped. Richly illustrated with photographs by the author taken in many countries over three decades, this is an informative book that everyone can enjoy.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less