Gardening Books

Book SynopsisA revised and updated edition of Andrew Lawson’s classic work Andrew Lawson has an artist’s eye, a scientist’s training and long experience as both a gardener and a photographer of gardens. In this book he calls on all his skills and practical knowledge to illuminate the complex subject of using colour in the garden and to demonstrate the extraordinary power of colour to change the sense of space, to suggest coolness or warmth and to evoke different moods. The Gardener’s Book of Colour shows how to put colours together in garden beds, borders and containers, explaining how to construct harmonizing and contrasting schemes and exuberant displays of mixed colour. All the major schemes are supported by keyline drawings giving full planting details. In addition, illustrated plant directories, arranged by colour and flowering season, provide cultivation details for over 850 plants, enabling you to assemble the right plants for your chosen scheme and to carry that scheme through the year. Authoritative and accessible, The Gardener’s Book of Colour will stimulate your imagination and put exciting new ideas within your grasp. Whether you want an instant splash of brilliant seasonal colour or a sumptuous border with subtle year-round appeal, this book will show you how to achieve it.Trade Review"A reprint of an old favourite, my original copy is dog-eared and tattered with love. Whenever I am puzzling about where to fit a plant in the garden or design a scheme, this sourcebook proves invaluable with plants categorised by colour and images featuring various combinations of hues." * Image magazine *"thoroughly revised and updated....spectacularly illuminating illustrations, the book sets out above all to help you find both what individual colours and what combinations work best for you throughout the year. In short, invaluable." -- David Sexton * Evening Standard Best Gardening Books of 2015 *'The Gardener's Book of Colour is a classic, written 20 yeras ago, re-released in a different format. This is a much more compact book, one with a life away from the coffee table, one that can be carried and read and referred to. Basic understanding of colour...is an essential tool, which makes Lawson's book as relevant as ever.' * Sunday Telegraph *'Whatever the size of your garden, there is inspiring advice to be had from the definitive work on the subject. The photographs in this hugely helpful book are superb.....There's no likelihood of failures in planning if you absorb the lessons of this impressive book, and it is as delightful in its minor suggestions as it is persuasive on the loftier issues...Authoritative and reader-friendly, this is an essential book for the gardener's library.' * The Lady *'This excellent book tells you all you need to know about brightening up your garden. "Colour is the most potent weapon in a gardener’s armoury," says Lawson in this revised and updated edition of his authoritative guide, which offers helpful tips and stunning photographs to show how to keep the colour interest alive in every season.' * Daily Mail *'As well thought out and thorough as it is possible such a book to be ... but of course, it is the big photographs in the book that make it special. And not just because some of them are captivatingly beautiful, but because they are all organically related to the text.' * The Oldie *‘At the top of the heap of gardening glitterati, Andrew Lawson has produced a book that combines all his talents: it gives you this Renaissance man as painter, photographer, writer and gardener . . . You need this book.’ * Country Living *'He talks with reassuring simplicity on such basic yet essential matters as light saturation, tones and colour distribution, so that newcomers to gardening, as well as old hands, will find themselves understanding the huge and potentially complex subject of colour in the garden. This is a constructive book, and beautiful, too.' * Hortus *‘The word “definitive” makes me nervous, but once you have The Gardener’s Book of Colour, I should be surprised if you ever needed another book on the subject.’ -- Ursula Buchan * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisThe art of bonsai is widely known in the West: from the Karate Kid to the American Bonsai Association and even local grocery stores, bonsai has become a common sight in the States. But bonsai, the Japanese art of creating miniature trees, actually originated in China, where it's called penjing. Penjing, meaning "tray scenery," is a traditional Chinese art of creating miniature potted landscapes including trees and other plants. Brought from China to Japan in ancient times before spreading to the West, bonsai/penjing is now popular throughout the world. In China, the art of creating miniature landscapes has evolved in several different ways. Literati Style Penjing: Chinese Bonsai Masterworks focuses on a special category of penjing associated with traditional Chinese culture, such as the painting of the literati, or elite scholar-bureaucrats, of imperial China. Like literati ink paintings, this style of penjing has a subtle elegance distinguished by a lone, lean trunk with sparse foliage exhibiting distinct lines and simplicity. The term "literati style penjing" has been widely accepted by the bonsai community and is becoming more common within the bonsai world. It is well suited to melding concepts from Chinese painting, poetry and Zen into a stunning bonsai work, making it of interest to a wide variety of gardening styles. Literati Style Penjing; Chinese Bonsai Masterworks explains the concept of penjing with a literati bent, exploring its rich history and aesthetics, as well as cultivation techniques, and care and maintenance. It includes 12 examples of literati style penjing creations, which incorporate a deep knowledge of the art form together with practical creativity and artistic beauty. Lovers of bonsai will find much to inspire and delight within these pages.

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Book SynopsisUrban Jungle: Living and Styling with Plants is a source of inspiration, ideas and a manual for all of those who want to bring more plants into their home.The book guides the reader through different green homes in five European countries and shows how beautiful, unique, creative and even artistic living with plants can be. More than that the reader finds endless ideas for styling from the bloggers of the Urban Jungle Bloggers community. To complete the topic of indoor plants the book offers easy help for taking care of the plants and DIY tips.

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Book SynopsisIf you have a backyard, or even a sunny porch or balcony, you can grow your own hops, brewing herbs, and malt grains to enhance the flavor, aroma, and uniqueness of your home-brewed beer — and ensure that you have the freshest, purest, best ingredients possible. Simple instructions from experts Joe and Dennis Fisher guide you through every step of the process, from setting up your first hop trellis to planting and caring for your herbs, harvesting and drying them, malting grain, and brewing more than 25 recipes specifically designed for homegrown ingredients. This fully updated second edition includes a new section featuring color photography of the plants, expanded information on growing hops in small spaces, innovative trellising ideas, an expanded section on malting, new profiles of prominent grower/brewers, and up-to-date information on grain-growing best practices.

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Book SynopsisThe local mayor has a dinner date with death…With school out for the summer, Margery and Clementine Butcher-Baker are taking advantage of the break to go on holiday. They plan to explore the village of St-Martins-on-the-Water and rest before the chaos of Mrs Smith's impending hen do. By the end of their first night, the local mayor lies dead on the floor of the hotel restaurant, having been poisoned by his meal. The villagers are convinced: The Poisoner is back.As the residents turn to the duo with suspicion and begin to freeze them out, Margery and Clementine are left with more questions than answers. Everyone is convinced that the pair – and Clementine in particular – are bad news, but why? And as more people in the village start to become unwell, the question remains, is The Poisoner back, or is this the work of a new killer? And will they strike again?A charming cosy mystery that will make you laugh out loud, perfect for fans of Julia Chapman and Fiona Leitch.Praise for A Terrible Village Poisoning ‘A Terrible Village Poisoning is a really great cosy whodunnit. The plot had me guessing right to the end and the cast of characters, so warm and vivid, were an absolute joy. I'm really looking forward to the next one.’ Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants‘A favourite series of mine. Hendy has written a great mystery with the perfect blend of suspects, clues and red herrings that you’ll be scratching your head till the end. Highly recommend!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘An enjoyable, light hearted read. I love Clementine and her dry wit and humour, and Margery is the perfect partner for her... The characters are so well written that they are really easy to picture in the mind's eye.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘I am absolutely in love with the series… it made me laugh out loud! Margery and Clem are a delight. Can’t wait for book four!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘This cozy crime was a perfect read on a cold day snuggled under a blanket and drinking hot tea. I really enjoy this. I loved Margery and Clementine.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘Another excellent adventure.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘I'm a massive fan of Clementine and Margery, if ever I needed a crime solved I would definitely call on these two. This book had so many twists and turns and it definitely did keep me guessing till the end. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of cosy crime and classic murder mysteries.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘It was lovely to be with Margery, Clementine and the gang… a quick read with an easy going storyline that comes to a satisfying conclusion.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘Loving the dinner lady detectives, they are fantastic! This instalment won’t leave fans disappointed because the ladies are back to mischief… a great fun-filled read, highly recommended.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘Margery and Clementine are so loveable, and they always make me smile and warm my heart. This was another fun, entertaining, cosy mystery.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

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Book SynopsisIn this first substantial study of Emily Dickinson's devotion to flowers and gardening, Farr seeks to join both poet and gardener in one creative personality, casting new light on Dickinson's temperament, aesthetic sensibility, and vision of the relationship between art and nature.Trade ReviewIn this first major study of our beloved poet Dickinson's devotion to gardening, Farr shows us that like poetry, gardening was her daily passion, her spiritual sustenance, and her literary inspiration...Rather than speaking generally about Dickinson's gardening habits, as other articles on the subject have done, Farr immerses the reader in a stimulating and detailed discussion of the flowers Dickinson grew, collected, and eulogized...The result is an intimate study of Dickinson that invites readers to imagine the floral landscapes that she saw, both in and out of doors, and to re-create those landscapes by growing the same flowers (the final chapter is chock-full of practical gardening tips). -- Maria Kochis * Library Journal *This is a beautiful book on heavy white paper with rich reproductions of Emily Dickinson's favorite flowers, including sheets from the herbarium she kept as a young girl. But which came first, the flowers or the poems? So intertwined are Dickinson's verses with her life in flowers that they seem to be the lens through which she saw the world. In her day (1830-86), many people spoke 'the language of flowers.' Judith Farr shows how closely the poet linked certain flowers with her few and beloved friends: jasmine with editor Samuel Bowles, Crown Imperial with Susan Gilbert, heliotrope with Judge Otis Lord and day lilies with her image of herself. The Belle of Amherst, Mass., spent most of her life on 14 acres behind her father's house on Main Street. Her gardens were full of scented flowers and blossoming trees. She sent notes with nosegays and bouquets to neighbors instead of appearing in the flesh. Flowers were her messengers. Resisting digressions into the world of Dickinson scholarship, Farr stays true to her purpose, even offering a guide to the flowers the poet grew and how to replicate her gardens. -- Susan Salter Reynolds * Los Angeles Times *If you want poetry and gardening of equal merit, turn to Emily Dickinson, whose gardens--poetic and herbaceous--are the subject of an attractive new book, The Gardens of Emily Dickinson, by Judith Farr. It includes a chapter on 'Gardening with Emily Dickinson' by Louise Carter. This book catches a constant tension in Dickinson's life. An interesting, skillful gardener, she had a strong literal regard for the immediate world in which she gardened. And yet the garden in her poems is never just her garden. Nature serves her visionary passion. A dandelion demonstrates how 'Winter instantly becomes/An infinite Alas.' I suspect that as she passed among her flowers in Amherst they evaporated into the symbolic ether behind her. And yet, as Farr notes, Emily Dickinson had strong gardener's hands. -- Verlyn Klinkenborg * New York Times Book Review *Farr...shows that Dickinson's use of flower imagery drew on first-hand experience in the garden and conservatory. She was a passionate gardener, 'able to envision every season and flower at will,' Farr writes, her gardening, like her poetry, 'the manifestation of profound and even occasionally rebellious desire.'...For bringing us so close to Emily Dickinson--one can almost hear her breathing--The Gardens of Emily Dickinson deserves wide readership. -- Tom D'Evelyn * Providence Journal *The reclusive poet's garden, conservatory and the nearby woods were intimate theaters, entwined with her identity, requisite to her survival and her primary inspiration. Plants and flowers had souls and spoke to her; their lives and deaths were mystical events. In them, she found metaphors for beauty, truth, heaven and earth, and she wove them into poems she called 'blossoms of the Brain.' Dickinson scholar Judith Farr unravels the symbolism in Dickinson's spare sensuous poetry and explores the influences of family, friends and Victorian culture on her work. The final chapter, by horticulturalist Louise Carter, describes plants surely and most likely grown by Dickinson, along with their care. (She loved heavily scented flowers and described herself as a 'Lunatic on Bulbs.') An engrossing read, illustrated with paintings, photographs and other images from the era. -- Lili Singer * Los Angeles Times *Farr claims Dickinson was better known in her lifetime as a skilled gardener than as a poet. She grew native plants and more exotic imports, and she botanised in the woodlands and pastures surrounding her home. This is, of course, no news to Dickinson scholars, but the point cannot be stressed too often. Farr makes it emphatically by bringing together a wealth of material about Dickinson's engagement with flowers. Her book, which is full of close readings, is likely to become the standard work on the subject. As Farr shows, Dickinson's gardening and writing were intertwined enterprises, which both required a great deal of care. -- Madeleine Minson * Times Higher Education Supplement *For the serious Dickinson lover, get The Gardens of Emily Dickinson by Judith Farr, an engrossing and serious biography with deep analysis of the floral themes in the poems. -- Carol Stocker * Boston Globe *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Gardening in Eden 2. The Woodland Garden 3. The Enclosed Garden 4. The "Garden in the Brain" 5. Gardening with Emily Dickinson Louise Carter Epilogue: The Gardener in Her Seasons Appendix: Flowers and Plants Grown by Emily Dickinson Abbreviations Notes Acknowledgments Index of Poems Cited Index

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Gardening Book of the Year 2019 In Scent Magic, a book which is at once romantic and extremely practical, plantswoman, designer and garden-maker extraordinaire Isabel Bannerman immerses the reader in the luscious smells of the fragrant garden through a warmly written account of her year’s gardening; and combines this with an encyclopaedic reference work of the best aromatic plants to grow throughout the seasons. Whether evoking the freshly baked sponge smell emanating from wisteria, describing ‘Stanwell Perpetual’ as "the kind of rose that would taste of apricot and raspberries swirled together", or championing the magic of the Himalayan cowslip, "scented profoundly and deliciously like the dark vault of a Damascus spice merchant’" the glorious poetry of her descriptions is here joined with personal memories and a lifetime’s experience of gardening and plant cultivation.Trade Review"Essentially Scent Magic is a series of musings: lyrical, intimate, unique, often random, always interesting...part private reflection, part plant history. In her preface Bannerman warns: 'information is everywhere, information is cheap, so this book is not really about information...the intention is simply to encourage curiosity.' In that she succeeds brilliantly." -- Katie Campbell * Hortus *"A gloriously sensual diary of her garden’s smells, magically charting the turning of a growing year from the intense frankincense-like perfume of the winter-flowering witchhazel, Hamamelis ‘Advent’, to the sweet summer fruitiness of honeysuckle. A book to treasure." * Irish Times Gardening Books of the Year *"There's a runaway winner among the gardening books this year: Scent Magic: Notes from a Gardener. It's intoxicating; there's never been a book quite like it...Any gardener will come away from this book full of excited plans for planting but it is no less enthralling for those who merely enjoy gardens, those who have sensuality in life, which is to say, this book would make a genuinely life-enhancing present for almost anybody." -- David Sexton * Evening Standard Best Gardening Books for 2019 *"Highly poetic...Isabel Bannerman has written a book that almost incidentally describes plants' perfumes while giving a massively informative tour of her garden and of garden plants in general. She is the perfect hostess - intelligent, travelled, well-connected, charming, intimate, wry, a hard-drinking and altogether delightful character." * The Times *"In this lyrical book, [Bannerman] leads us by the nose...writing the way she plants, to lush effect. The photographs...and plant portraits are wondrous." * Saga magazine *"The author explores the smells of the plant kingdom in her own inimitable style, combining poetic descriptions with hands-on, practical knowledge." * Irish News Best Gardening Books of the Year *"Sumptuous." * The Herald (Scotland) *"I was thoroughly transported...it’s as much a memoir through a lifetime of appreciating the fragrance of the seasons as it is a plant guide. This is a beautiful and moving book, something to linger over, to cherish — and to remind us, as Bannerman writes, 'this is a great day to inhale'." * The New York Times Book Review *"Part diary and part practical guide to perfumed plants, illustrated with [the author's] own photographs, it is a dream of a book, wandering off down scented pathways of memories, moods and moments past." * Sunday Times - Gardening Book of the Year *"Follows its nose to some intriguing places." * Evening Standard *"Evocative descriptions of favourite scented plants are interspersed through the diary-like text, with the author's own photographs lighting up the pages. A book to lose yourself in." * House & Garden *"There hasn't been a decent book on the notoriously elusive and subjective topic of garden scents for more than 20 years, so it is pleasant to be able wholeheartedly to recommend Scent Magic...a stylish, highly personal, scientifically illuminating account - part diary, part plant description - of her encounters with scented plants, both actual and in memory, through the course of one year." -- Ursula Buchan * Spectator *"Part-practical handbook, part-autobiography, part-philosophical reflection on art and Nature...this book is an absolute feast, not only for gardeners, but for anyone interested in art and Nature and in living well." -- John Hoyland * Country Life *"A collection of notes, memories and beautifully detailed observations of fragrance throughout the year....This has to be one of the most beautifully written pieces I have read in a long time...it brings to mind the writing of Vita Sackville West. The book is illustrated with gorgeous garden photography by the author and many of Isabel's striking botanical portraits. Scent Magic is a wonderfully romantic book and should sit on the book shelf of anyone who likes to sit and bask in the seasons as they pass. It is a love letter to the easily missed details in the gardening year and shows how plants can seep into every corner of life." * Gardens Illustrated *

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Book Synopsis"[T]he genius of Hanson's fascinating, inspiring, and entertaining book stems from the fact that it is not about how all kinds of things grow from seeds it is about the seeds themselves."-Mark Kurlansky, New York Times Book ReviewTrade Review"For the past fifty seven years I have relied on seeds for food and, throughout much of my horticultural career for earning a living. This new book has re excited my fascination for these wonderful living structures... [I]nformative, yet readable... [A] fascinating book." --Chris Allen, The Gardening Times (UK) "In The Triumph of Seeds, Thor Hanson offers the reader a smorgasbord of the science and lore of seeds... Hanson, following the recipe developed in his acclaimed book Feathers, breathes life into the sometimes dry topic of seed biology by weaving a colorful tapestry of stories that entertain as well as inform... The Triumph of Seeds is eminently readable. Hanson is a great story teller and writes in a conversational style, so reading the book is like having an extended conversation with an entertaining friend... The Triumph of Seeds is a thoroughly fun read, perfect for anyone wanting an introduction to seeds or for those who enjoy lively natural history." --Douglasia (Washington Native Plants Society journal) "Hanson's highly readable The Triumph of Seeds is replete with fascinating facts, including the development of caffeine in coffee beans." --Texas Gardener's Seeds "Thor Hanson has taken the history and science of these little marvels and drawn out a fascinating account of seed culture. We should not forget the importance of seeds in the liquor cabinet, as well. From rye whiskey, to wheat vodka, to barley beer, it would be a lot harder to get drunk without our friends in the grain world." --Home Wet Bar blog "[Hanson's] luck for finding then writing about the magic in something common continues with The Triumph of Seeds." --Seattle Times "Lest you get the impression that Hanson's book is all academic grit and gruel, be advised that he has thoroughly leavened his narrative with odd facts and fascinating digressions." --Natural History "This is a charming book, inspired by Hanson's forays into seed identification and dispersal with his young, seed-obsessed son... Hanson's twist of looking at human interactions with plants in their embryonic stage is new... The Triumph of Seeds will engender thoughtful consideration of our joint future." --Nature "Hanson's writing is lively, inquisitive, and knowledgeable. He draws on his own knowledge and that of a wide field of experts, writing a clear, comprehensible book that covers a wide range of topics." --Fangirl Nation "[Hanson is] jocular and entertaining in his dispensing of remarkable facts about these little vessels of life-to-be... From high-tech, high-security seed banks bracing for climate change to the story of the gum extracted from guar seeds that is used in everything from ice cream to fracking, this upbeat and mind-expanding celebration of the might of seeds is popular science writing at its finest." --Booklist, starred review "[A] delightful account of the origins, physiologies and human uses of a vast variety of objects that plants employ to make more plants... A fine addition to the single-issue science genre." --Kirkus Reviews "Hanson writes in that breezy, enthused, confident way of good American science writers, scattering stories and analogies like dandelion seed-puffs... [The Triumph of Seeds] is a good example of extrovert nature writing, weaving together biology, human history and 'juicy seed lore'." --British Wildlife (UK) "Who knew that seeds could be so thrilling and dangerous? Thor Hanson is a lively storyteller, a lyrical writer, and a quick wit. The Triumph of Seeds is more than an engrossing work of natural history. It's a compelling and highly entertaining journey, populated by scientists and historians, criminals and explorers, aviators and futurists. Following Hanson's global voyage is the best sort of armchair travel, because it is filled with wonder, poetry, and discovery." --Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks, a New York Times Bestseller "This beautifully written book is a magnificent read. Every page is full of surprises and illuminating insights, illustrating the fascinating evolution of seeds, and their extraordinary impact on humans, past and present. A master storyteller, Hanson has created a first-rate natural history. When you reach the end of this page-turner, you will wish there were more ... and you will never look at seeds in the same way." --Eric Jay Dolin, author of Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America and When America Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail "Written in an engaging style, the book flows nicely; each chapter leads into the next, so the book is hard to put down." --Choice "Hanson's cinematic accounts of his own research and his interactions with the experts behind his stories set this apart from other era-hopping historical narratives." --The American Gardener "Hanson does his job well. And in the end becomes one of my favorite kind of writers -- the kind who can take something so seemingly (and perhaps deceptively) simple and so oven overlooked and make it not only relevant, but fun... People who want to get students more interested in science would do well to read The Triumph of Seeds and take note: tell stories, combine science and technology with pop culture, art, and literature, have a sense of humor, be enthusiastic." --Catherine Ramsdell, Pop Matters "A beautifully written story of seeds. The author has a gift for explaining science in an engaging manner. Despite this lightness of touch, the book is deeply researched and explores a breadth of horticulture, history and ecology."--Garden News "[The Triumph of Seeds] successfully blends natural history, personal anecdotes, and 'proper' science and ties them all together seamlessly with lovely writing. Although often over-used, I think Seeds can be summed up appropriately in one word: Charming."--Nigel Chaffey, Annals of Biology blog "[A]n intriguing look at the acorns that grow into oaks, the orchid beans that flavor vanilla extract, and other ordinary seeds that affect the world, often in extraordinary ways... [The Triumph of Seeds] is a mix of lively stories, adventure, natural history, botany and ecology... Hanson's book isn't a 'how-to,' but it is a 'don't miss' for naturalists, from amateurs to experts, or for anyone who enjoys growing plants from seeds." --HGTVGardens.com "How do you summarize a book that traverses every continent, plumbs the depths of human and paleontological history and skims both the ocean waves and the dead silence of outer space? The Triumph of Seeds does just that, tracing the journey of seeds and making a case that he world as we know it is saturated with, and impossible without, seeds." --Deseret News "[A] delight. Composed in charming and lively prose, the book introduces readers to a variety of quirky figures -- biologists, farmers, archaeologists and everyday gardeners -- who have something profound to say about a seemingly mundane topic: those little kernels that, against tremendous odds, have managed to take root all around us... The Triumph of Seeds is a remarkable, gentle and refreshing piece of work that draws readers further into the wide arms of the world and makes them grateful for it." --BookPage "Conservation biologist Hanson's new book showcases an even more approachable style than his 2011 Feathers. Using a personalized viewpoint derived from his backyard lab and dissertation research in Costa Rica with the almendro tree, as well as visits with specialists worldwide, he describes how seeds nourish, unite, endure, defend, and travel." --Library Journal "[F]ast and fascinating prose... Hanson, who has also chronicled feathers and gorillas, is a conservation biologist and Guggenheim fellow, and an ace dot-connector: He can draw a line between all the grain panics and crises and the tiny, miraculous structure of the seeds themselves, because he dives deeply into botany, economy and history. Also, he's just plain fun." --Denver Post "[A] rip-roaring read." --Robert Krulwich, National Geographic's Curiously Krulwich blog "With light, engaging prose Hanson shows how the little spheroids we tip out of a packet are in fact supremely elegant genetic time capsules. The Triumph of Seeds takes you past the casing into the extraordinary inner workings of objects without which our landscapes, dinner plates, and gardens would be unrecognisable. You will never be able to look at an orange pip or a sunflower seed in the same way again." --New Scientist "[An] engaging book... What makes The Triumph of Seeds more than a routine pop botany book is the way Mr. Hanson teases out the resonances between the ways that plants and humans use seeds... [A] lively and intelligent book." --Richard Mabey, Wall Street Journal "[T]he genius of Hanson's fascinating, inspiring and entertaining book stems from the fact that it is not about how all kinds of things grow from seeds; it is about the seeds themselves. Hanson...takes one of the least-impressive-looking natural objects and reveals a life of elegance and wonder... Although he is a storyteller by nature, he also charms us with an infectious enthusiasm. The reader feels that Hanson cannot wait to tell us what comes next... Like all good writers, he understands narrative -- that a book, at its best, is a story, and that this one is built by spinning stories within stories. They are fun, sometimes they are funny, and they are always fascinating and readable... [An] engaging book." --Mark Kurlansky, New York Times Book Review "Hanson delivers botanical information with wit and imagination. How seeds nurture themselves with starch, proteins, and oils may be a prosaic affair, but Hanson enlivens the explanation of their diverse nourishment strategies by examining the components of an Almond Joy candy bar: coconut palm, cacao beans, almond, corn." --Orion "Hanson, a wide-ranging naturalist and writer, explores, chapter by chapter, the many faceted aspects of seeds... And throughout, he weaves his own tales from his gardening. I loved this book and learned a lot." --Carol Savonen, Statesman Journal PRAISE FOR THE HARDCOVER EDITION Winner of the 2016 PNBA Book Award A finalist for the 2016 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books, Young Adult Science Book category "This is the kind of accessible science writing that keeps readers engrossed, never realizing how much knowledge they're picking up along the way. Who knew that seeds could be so fascinating? Hanson's narrative voice and personal anecdotes make for easy and enjoyable reading--and learning." --Judges' citation, 2016 PNBA Book Award "San Juan Island conservation biologist Hanson explores the easily-overlooked but fascinating key to much of life on Earth, from coffee beans and the nut in Almond Joys to ancient grasses and sticky burdock seeds, which inspired Velcro" --Seattle Times, Best Books of 2015 "Combining personal anecdotes with rich historical examples, conservation biologist Thor Hanson delves into the origins and evolution of seeds, explains their unique ability to equip new plants with the nutrients they need to gain purchase in their respective ecosystems, and describes their host of formidable defenses. Drawing connections between, for example, coffee beans and the Enlightenment and wheat shortages and the Arab Spring, Hanson deftly shows how seeds have also played an important role in human history." --Science PRAISE FOR THE PAPERBACK EDITION "[Seeds'] ubiquity has often meant that their evolutionary solutions are overlooked, but the author appraises them with a keen and appreciative eye." --New York Times Book Review, Paperback Row "Biologist Thor Hanson sows the ultimate celebration of seeds and how they conquered the earth." --Nature "[The Triumph of Seeds] explores the importance of seeds, with scientific explanations, humorous first-person accounts and historical anecdotes." --Alaska Beyond "Hanson's style is that of a well-honed raconteur... For every point he makes, there's a tale (or two) that illustrates, and connects, and invites us explore the idea further. We begin to realize the amazing impact seeds have had on development of civilizations." --Connie Bennett, KLCC-FM (Eugene, OR) "A delightful work of natural history by San Juan Islands writer Hanson, about seeds, their role in nature's life cycle and in our lives." --Seattle Times "Imbued with open-eyed, childlike passion for his subject, conservation biologist Thor Hanson celebrates the triumph of seeds... Hanson is a genial and poetic guide, cleverly weaving together biology and culture." --Galapagos Matters (UK)Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Fierce Energy Seeds Nourish 1. Seed for a Day 2. The Staff of Life 3. Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut Seeds Unite 4. What the Spike Moss Knows 5. Mendel's Spores Seeds Endure 6. Methuselah 7. Take It to the Bank Seeds Defend 8. By Tooth, Beak, and Gnaw 9. The Riches of Taste 10 The Cheeriest Beans 11. Death by Umbrella Seeds Travel 12. Irresistible Flesh 13. By Wind and Wave Conclusion: The Future of Seeds

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Book SynopsisThe easy way to succeed at urban gardening A townhouse yard, a balcony, a fire escape, a south-facing window even a basement apartment can all be suitable locations to grow enough food to save a considerable amount of money and enjoy the freshest, healthiest produce possible.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 What You’re Not to Read 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book Is Organized 3 Part I: Urban Gardening 101 3 Part II: Gardening Basics 4 Part III: Places and Ways to Garden 4 Part IV: Growing Plants in the City 4 Part V: Growing to Perfection 5 Part VI: The Part of Tens 5 Icons Used in This Book 5 Where to Go from Here 6 Part I: Urban Gardening 101 7 Chapter 1: Gardening in the City 9 Knowing the Basics of Soil Prep 9 Finding the Many Places to Garden the City 10 Growing All Kinds of Plants in The City 11 Trees and shrubs 12 Edibles 12 Annual flowers 13 Perennial flowers and roses 13 Lawns and groundcovers 14 Exploring the Down and Dirty of Growing 14 Weeding and mulching 15 Watering 15 Pest patrol 15 Chapter 2: Reaping the Benefi ts of Urban Gardening 17 Enjoying Local Produce from Urban Food Gardens 18 Looking at places to grow food 18 Checking out urban food gardening projects 19 Creating Healthy Cities 22 Reducing pollution 22 Making cities more livable 25 Improving the neighborhood 26 Chapter 3: The Urban Microclimate 27 The Sunny City: Working with the Sun and Warmer Urban Temperatures 27 Taking advantage of seasonal solar angles 28 Dealing with solar glare 29 Minimizing the Heat Island Effect 29 The Windy City: Working with Seasonal Urban Wind Patterns 32 Taking Macroclimate and Microclimate Conditions into Account in Your Garden 34 Knowing your hardiness zone 34 Considering your own microclimatic conditions 35 Part II: Gardening Basics 37 Chapter 4: Getting to Know Your Soil 39 Determining Your Type of Soil 40 Understanding the different soil types 40 Figuring out what you have 41 Checking Your Soil’s Drainage 42 Performing a percolation test 43 Mastering the metal rod test 43 Discovering Your Soil’s pH Level 44 Finding Out What Lies Beneath the Soil 45 Doing a little digging (literally and fi guratively) 46 Protecting yourself from soil contaminants 46 Chapter 5: Feeding and Fertilizing Your Soil 51 Organics 101: Plant Matter 52 Adding a Little Something Extra to Build Soil Fertility: Animal Manure 54 Making Compost and Growing Soil 56 Composting safely in the city 56 Choosing a container 57 Building your pile 58 Troubleshooting common composting problems 59 Composting with worms 60 Giving Your Plants and Soil a Boost with Fertilizers 62 Getting to know the “big three” in commercial fertilizers 62 Wet versus dry fertilizers 63 Applying a side dressing of fertilizer 65 Chapter 6: Getting Your Hands Dirty: Planting How-To 67 Planting Annual Flowers and Veggies 67 Starting with a raised bed 68 Deciding whether to buy seeds or transplants 70 Making a seed-starting schedule based on frost dates 71 Growing your own seedlings 73 Picking out transplants 74 Planting your annual or vegetable garden 75 Planting Trees and Shrubs 78 Buying a tree or shrub 78 Digging the hole and planting 79 Getting your trees and shrubs off to a good start 82 Planting Perennial Flowers, Bulbs, and Roses 83 Buying and planting perennial flowers 84 Buying and planting bulbs 84 Buying and planting roses 86 Part III: Places and Ways to Garden 89 Chapter 7: Creating an Outdoor Room 91 Analyzing Your Outdoor Space 92 Fencing In Your Space 92 Planning Your Outdoor Room 93 Creating Your Garden Entrance 93 Installing moon gates for a Zen-like feel 94 Showing off your space with garden arbors 95 Opting for other types of entry features 96 Defining the Uses for Your Outdoor Room 96 Creating a Focal Element 97 Using a unique plant 98 Creating serenity with a water feature 99 Going with a man-made feature 100 Turning Recycled Materials into Chic and Useful Garden Art 101 Using yard sale items 101 Repurposing materials (Reusing junk) 103 Considering Interactive Garden Art 104 A garden sundial 104 Music in the garden 105 Chapter 8: Containing Your Gardening 107 Surveying Container Options 107 Cool commercial containers 109 Hanging, balancing, and other interesting containers 110 Bathtubs, birdcages, bicycles, and more 111 Selecting Soil for Your Container 112 Planting a Container 113 Prepping your pots 114 Planting your containers properly 114 Jazzing Up Your Containers 116 Placing containers for visual interest 116 Coordinating colors 117 Cool container combos 117 Taking Care of Your Container Plants 119 Watering 119 Maintaining your containers 120 Moving containers 122 Chapter 9: A Garden with a View: The Rooftop Garden 123 Finding Out the Rooftop Gardening Basics 124 Why grow up? Reviewing reasons for planting on the roof 124 What’s your type? Choosing a green roof or roof garden 125 How much is enough? Looking at your limits 126 What’s next? Getting started and developing a plan 129 Designing a Rooftop Garden or Green Roof 131 Structural considerations: Making sure your roof won’t cave in 132 Managing rainwater 133 Deciding what to grow 135 Planning electrical service and lighting 137 Transporting materials 137 Staying In Bounds with a Rooftop Container Garden 138 Chapter 10: Going Vertical in Your Garden 141 Discovering the Benefits of Growing Vertical 141 Facing the Challenges of Growing Vertical 142 Rethinking Your Space: Up, Down, and All Around 143 Getting Plants to Grow Up 144 Vertical structures: Providing a place to climb 144 Growing vertical veggies and fruits 150 Giving Containers a Lift 151 Understanding the special considerations for vertical container gardening 151 Choosing vertical containers 151 Chapter 11: Apartment Gardens 155 Balcony Gardens 155 Using containers on your balcony 156 Creating a picture frame garden 158 Using flowerbox planters 159 Indoor Gardening 161 Creating an indoor herb garden 161 Growing under lights indoors 163 Practicing indoor plant care and watering 164 Chapter 12: Community Gardening and Urban Farming 165 Community Gardening 101 165 A brief history of community gardening 166 How community gardening works 167 Starting a Community Gardening Program 167 Selecting a site 168 Developing your site 168 Organizing the garden 169 Managing the garden 169 Urban Farming = Urban Renewal 169 Benefits of gardening together 171 Avoiding down zoning 171 Marketing Locally 172 Selling produce at farmers’ markets 172 Participating in farm-to-school initiatives 172 Selling to local restaurants 173 Hosting harvest festivals 173 Creating community gatherings and celebrations 173 Sharing a Garden 174 Gardening with roommates 174 Volunteering for others 175 Hiring out as an urban farmer 175 Planting a row for the hungry 175 Going from Pavement to Parks 176 Reclaiming urban green space 176 Creating urban parklets 178 Part IV: Growing Plants in the City 179 Chapter 13: City Setting, Country Food 181 Making a Veggie Garden Plan 181 Choosing a site for your vegetable garden 181 Sizing up your garden: How big is big? 182 Laying it all out 183 Keeping Your Veggies Happy 183 Feeding 184 Weeding, mulching, and watering 185 Raising the Top City Vegetables 185 Leafy greens 186 The tomato family: Eggplants, peppers, and other relatives 186 Melons, squash, and other vining vegetables 188 Root vegetables 189 Peas and beans 190 Cabbage, broccoli, and more 192 Easy herbs 192 Extending the Season 194 Succession planting: Lettuce forever! 195 Intercropping: The space between 195 Protecting plants in cool weather 196 Chapter 14: The Annual Flowering of the City 199 Understanding Annuals 199 Siting Your Annual Flower Garden 200 Figuring out whether your garden can support sun- or shade-loving annuals 200 Prepping and planting 201 Considering color 201 Thinking about texture and fragrance 202 Growing flowers for cutting 203 Growing Annuals in Containers 203 Choosing Annual Flowers for All Seasons and Soils 205 Cool spring and fall flowers 205 Summer flowers 207 Flowers for every soil 209 Caring for Your Annuals to Keep a Continuous Flower Show 210 Watering 210 Weeding 211 Fertilizing 211 Deadheading 212 Pruning 212 Keeping them up 213 Using Succession Planting to Maintain Your Annual Flowers 213 Chapter 15: Perennial Flowers, Roses, and Bulbs in the City 215 Getting to Know Perennials, Roses, and Bulbs 215 Finding a Permanent Planting Spot 216 Considering sun, soil, and exposure 216 Going with containers 217 Choosing Perennials Fit for City Living 218 Sun-loving perennial fl owers 219 Shade-loving perennial fl owers 221 Growing and Maintaining Perennial Flowers 222 General care and maintenance 222 Providing a little extra support 223 Divide and multiply 224 Enjoying La Vie en Rose 224 Selecting the best city roses 225 Growing and caring for roses 226 Lighting Up Your Garden with Bulbs 227 Finding a spot for bulbs 228 Finding the best spring flowering bulbs for the city 228 Determining the best summer flowering bulbs for the city 229 Caring for bulbs 229 Chapter 16: Growing a Tree in Brooklyn 231 Selecting City-Friendly Trees 231 The best deciduous trees 232 Evergreen tree options 234 Growing Some Shrubbery 235 Looking at ways to use shrubs in your yard 235 Discovering some great city shrubs 236 Keeping Your Trees and Shrubs Fit 239 Watering and fertilizing 239 Pruning 101 240 Growing City Fruits 242 Finding the best fruit trees for the city 243 Keeping those tree fruits growing 244 Keeping Berry Bushes in the City 245 Choosing the best city berries 245 Staying berry healthy 248 Chapter 17: Lawns and Ground Covers 249 Selecting the Right Grass 250 Cool-season grasses 250 Warm-season grasses 252 Seed versus sod 253 Caring for Your Lawn 255 Looking at city mowers 255 Mowing correctly 256 Maintaining your lawn 257 Patching up paradise 259 Ground Cover Alternatives 259 Lawns versus ground covers 259 Cityside ground covers 260 Planting and caring for your cover 261 Part V: Growing to Perfection 263 Chapter 18: Weeding and Mulching Your Plants 265 Winning the War on Weeds 265 Identifying weeds and knowing why you should care 266 Stopping weeds before they’re a problem 267 Controlling weeds once they’re large 269 Mulching 101 269 Types of mulch 270 Mulching correctly 273 Chapter 19: Watering Your Garden 275 Conserving Water 275 Knowing how much you need to water 276 Using less water 277 Harvesting Water 278 Installing a rain barrel 279 Utilizing gray water 279 Creating a rain garden 280 Delivering Water to Your Plants 282 Hoses and cans 282 Watering wands 282 Trigger nozzles 283 Soaker hoses 283 Drip irrigation 284 Sprinklers 286 A few other watering methods to try 287 Chapter 20: Controlling Urban Garden Pests 289 Knowing the Good Guys 290 Bringing in beneficial insects 290 Attracting birds to your yard 291 Encouraging bees to stick around 292 Being Proactive to Control the Bad Guys 293 Designing your garden to prevent problems 294 Deciding whether you really have a problem 294 Dealing with Insect Pests in Your Garden 295 Know your bug 296 Managing your pests without sprays 300 Using safe sprays 303 Spotting and Treating Diseases 304 Knowing whether you’re really dealing with a disease 304 Preventing damage in the first place 305 Being aware of some common diseases 306 Finding the safest sprays for diseases 308 Critters in the Bean Patch 309 Identifying animal damage 309 Figuring out which common city animals to watch for 310 Part VI: The Part of Tens 311 Chapter 21: Ten Tools for Urban Gardeners 313 Chapter 22: Ten Kid-Friendly Ways to Garden in the City 319 Chapter 23: Ten Tips to Manage a Sustainable Urban Garden 325 Index 331

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Book SynopsisA real-time, fully illustrated, step-by-step personal account of an amateur enthusiast creating a cottage garden - at the same time showing you how you too can create the garden of your dreams.

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Book SynopsisOnly one thing is standing between you and a fabulous lawn: It's called Lawn Care For Dummies. If you want a spiffy and well-coifed lawn (and not the overgrown, unruly one that people comment on when they pass by your house), you'll find everything you need to know to help you make your lawn the most dazzling spectacle on the block.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part I: Planning Your Perfect Lawn 7 Chapter 1: Designing Your Perfect Lawn 9 Chapter 2: Cool-Season Grasses: The Grasses of the North 19 Chapter 3: The Warm-Season Grasses 35 Chapter 4: Lawn Climates, Big and Small 51 Part II: Getting Ready to Plant 61 Chapter 5: Preparing to Plant 63 Chapter 6: Increasing Your Soil Sense 77 Chapter 7: Installing an Irrigation System 89 Part III: Planting a Lawn 103 Chapter 8: Planting a Lawn from Seed 105 Chapter 9: Starting a Lawn from Sod 117 Chapter 10: Planting Sprigs, Stolons, and Plugs 131 Part IV: Showing Your Lawn That You Care 137 Chapter 11: Watering Lawns 139 Chapter 12: Fertilizing Lawns 155 Chapter 13: Lawn Mowing 175 Chapter 14: Dethatching, Aerating, and Renovating 197 Part V: Battling the Lawn Invaders 211 Chapter 15: Weed Wars 213 Chapter 16: Insect Invaders 233 Chapter 17: Disturbing Diseases 245 Chapter 18: Other Lawn Problems 257 Part VI: The Part of Tens 265 Chapter 19: Ten Lawn Alternatives 267 Chapter 20: Ten Top Lawn Trees and How to Care for Them 275 Chapter 21: (Almost) Ten Things to Do or Not to Do with Lawn Clippings 281 Chapter 22: Ten Things to Do with Your Lawn During Drought 287 Chapter 23: Ten Lawn Games 291 Chapter 24: Ten Weird Things You Can Do with Lawns and Lawn Grasses 295 Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Deal with Leaves 299 Part VII: Appendixes 305 Appendix A: Sources for Lawn Care Products 305 Appendix B: Lawn Information Sources 313 Index 321

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Book SynopsisIn this book the author describes the way her garden evolved and how, without meaning to do so, she let it take over her life. She suggests moving away from planning, regimentation and gardening with the mentality of a stamp-collector. Frequently funny and always stimulating, she writes of the alchemy of gardens, of the 19th-century plant-collectors and plant illustrators and of the gardening philosophers, all fertilizing great thoughts along with their hollyhocks. She won the 1988 Sinclair Consumer Press Garden Writer of the Year Award.

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Book SynopsisThirty years ago, in vitro propagation was a new technique for producing plants, and Lydiane Kyte’s Plants from Test Tubes became the standard work on the topic.The new fourth edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the many advances in science and technology, including the five accepted sequential stages of micropropagation. Ten new plants have been added. This in turn has greatly expanded the already extensive bibliography. Among the new topics that have been introduced or expanded on are embryo culture for breeding, somaclonal variation, anther culture, somatic embryogenesis, cryopreservation, and genetic engineering. More ornamental plant examples are given and many new illustrations provided, including a chronology of discoveries in micropropagation.

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Book SynopsisThe earth is in great peril, due to the corporatization of agriculture, the rising climate crisis, and the ever-increasing levels of global poverty, starvation, and desertification on a massive scale. This present condition of global trauma is not "natural," but a result of humanity's destructive actions. And, according to Masanobu Fukuoka, it is reversible. We need to change not only our methods of earth stewardship, but also the very way we think about the relationship between human beings and nature. Fukuoka grew up on a farm on the island of Shikoku in Japan. As a young man he worked as a customs inspector for plants going into and out of the country. This was in the 1930s when science seemed poised to create a new world of abundance and leisure, when people fully believed they could improve upon nature by applying scientific methods and thereby reap untold rewards. While working there, Fukuoka had an insight that changed his life forever. He returned to his home village and applied this insight to developing a revolutionary new way of farming that he believed would be of great benefit to society. This method, which he called "natural farming," involved working with, not in opposition to, nature. Fukuoka's inspiring and internationally best-selling book, The One-Straw Revolution was first published in English in 1978. In this book, Fukuoka described his philosophy of natural farming and why he came to farm the way he did. One-Straw was a huge success in the West, and spoke directly to the growing movement of organic farmers and activists seeking a new way of life. For years after its publication, Fukuoka traveled around the world spreading his teachings and developing a devoted following of farmers seeking to get closer to the truth of nature. Sowing Seeds in the Desert, a summation of those years of travel and research, is Fukuoka's last major work-and perhaps his most important. Fukuoka spent years working with people and organizations in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States, to prove that you could, indeed, grow food and regenerate forests with very little irrigation in the most desolate of places. Only by greening the desert, he said, would the world ever achieve true food security. This revolutionary book presents Fukuoka's plan to rehabilitate the deserts of the world using natural farming, including practical solutions for feeding a growing human population, rehabilitating damaged landscapes, reversing the spread of desertification, and providing a deep understanding of the relationship between human beings and nature. Fukuoka's message comes right at the time when people around the world seem to have lost their frame of reference, and offers us a way forward. Trade ReviewKirkus Reviews- From the late author of bestseller The One Straw Revolution (1978) comes a similar book about a philosophical approach to natural farming."The fundamental concept of a natural farm," writes Fukuoka (The Natural Way of Farming, 1985, etc.), "begins with intuitively grasping nature's original form, where many varieties of plants and animals live together as a harmonious whole, joyfully and in mutual benefit." In this English translation of the author's last work (first published in Japan in 1996), he decries the "indiscriminate deforestation and large-scale agriculture carried out in order to support the materialistic cultures of the developed countries." This process has created a condition called "desertification," the inability of the soil to grow anything. Because humans have lost their connection with nature, Fukuoka advocates foregoing harmful modern methods of farming in favor of a simpler approach. Based primarily on the success of his farm in Japan, the author believes the solution lies in aerial distribution of a large variety of plants via clay seed pellets, the use of cover crops, and a no-tilling approach to the soil. By seeding a wide variety of species in the desert, nature will select those plants best suited for a particular location. These plants will flourish, drawing water from deep within the earth and thereby allowing other plants and trees to prosper. Taking his philosophy to Africa, India and the United States, among other places, Fukuoka demonstrated that, given sufficient time, seeding fallow earth with vegetables, plants and trees created a lush setting. More a spiritual analysis of farming methods than a hands-on approach, the book still provides viable and simple solutions to the world's increased need for productive land. An enlightened method for reclaiming the barren soils of the world. Booklist- The vision of the late Japanese farmer and philosopher Fukuoka, a pioneer in natural farming techniques and author of the now classic The One-Straw Revolution (1978), extends far beyond agriculture. In his final book, a far-reaching treatise on ‘earth stewardship,’ he considers dragonflies, Darwin, and even a meeting with Einstein’s niece as he reflects on the best possible future for human society. At times Fukuoka’s prose can be striking in its simplicity as when he writes, ‘In nature there are no beneficial or harmful insects,’ and furthermore, ‘this is a human construct akin to saying the right hand is good and the left hand is bad.’ Fukuoka never wastes a word or thought, insisting the reader consider all aspects of how we grow our food everywhere in the world and how the food industry manipulates supply and demand for gross profit in ways both economically and socially damaging. Fukuoka’s techniques have been and still are world-changing; the challenge now is to continue practicing them without the master here to lead the way. ForeWord Reviews- Small-scale and urban farming as well as sustainable living and organic food purchasing are so prevalent right now that these practices are moving from a foodie trend to a fundamental shift in our food system. One of the people to thank for that momentum is Masanobu Fukuoka, whose The One-Straw Revolution became a must-read for organic farmers and their supporters around the world. Before his death in 2008, Fukuoka spent decades working on natural farming techniques that he felt could benefit the world. He didn’t plow his field, use fertilizer, or flood his rice fields, in keeping with the methods traditional to many indigenous cultures. Commonly referred to as ‘Do-Nothing Farming,’ his techniques are part of a wider philosophy about respecting nature’s own principles and rhythms. The success of his work sent Fukuoka from his small village in Japan to speaking engagements across the world, where he spent a great deal of time addressing issues of limited resources in areas like Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. In this, his last major book, Fukuoka draws from those experiences to create, once again, a timeless work that has the ability to create a revolution in agriculture. Beyond Fukuoka’s important philosophy, his book is a lyrical, lovely valentine to nature. He’s passionate about bringing other people to the near-enlightenment state in which he lived, where every single leaf moved him to appreciation. Expertly argued and backed by experience, anecdotes, and simple logic, Fukuoka’s last work shines just as brightly as his first.Publishers Weekly- Renowned Japanese agriculturist and philosopher Fukuoka’s (The One-Straw Revolution) final work calls on modern-day farmers to reconsider their methods and heed the needs of the land. Navigating work with international organizations—particularly in Africa, South Asia, and the United States—he illuminates regional disparities in environmental and agricultural thought and practice. Through trial-and-error and years of acute observation, Fukuoka developed a pioneering vision to ‘avoid unnecessary work, especially work that was created as an adverse side effect of previous actions.’ He describes these misguided experiments and failures, such as leaving an orchard completely on its own, as ‘not natural farming; it was abandonment.’ In clarifying popular misconceptions about organic and natural farming, he advises that we must not focus on cash crops, because ‘there is no good or bad among life-forms on earth.’ Only by the co-existence of myriad micro-organisms and vegetation will we be able to preserve and maintain our land. More important, the best farming was simple, ‘rather than the modern approach of applying increasingly complex techniques to remake nature entirely for the benefit of human beings.’ Though elimination of mechanization might be tough for modern agriculturalists to swallow, Fukuoka’s last message provides a spiritually and environmentally enriching alternative to the farming conditions we know today."Masanobu Fukuoka ran a course on natural farming, and gave our Howard lecture at Navdanya's biodiversity farm in the Doon valley of India, and we even have a cottage named the Fukuoka hut. He was a teacher ahead of his time. 'Sowing seeds in the desert' is what all of humanity has to learn to do, whether it is in economic desert created by Wall Street, or an ecological desert created by globalized corporate agriculture."--Vandana Shiva, founder of Navdanya Research Foundation for Science Technology & Ecology "Distilling what he has gathered from a lifetime of learning from nature, Masanobu Fukuoka offers us his gentle philosophy and a wealth of practical ideas for using natural farming to restore a damaged planet. Sowing Seeds in the Desert will persuade any reader that the imperiled living world is our greatest teacher, and inspire them to care for it as vigorously as Fukuoka has."--Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia's Garden "This book is a bombshell. Forget the gentle and retiring farmer of The One-Straw Revolution fame, replaced now by a flaming, world-travelling revolutionary. To achieve the kind of natural farming that can avoid worldwide collapse, Masanobu Fukuoka bluntly and fearlessly insists that we must first reject traditional ideas about God, the after life, accepted economic systems--especially capitalism--much of current agricultural thinking including organic farming, and even parts of science which he says are based on mistaken notions about the connection between cause and effect. Once we return to a way of life dictated by nature, not institutional religions, he says, we can apply his unorthodox farming methods to make the deserts bloom and the green fields stay lush without much expense or even labor involved.Be prepared to be mystified, irritated, shocked, and maybe even, if you persevere to the end, enlightened and encouraged by this trail-blazing book. Disagree with Fukuoka's provocative pronouncements at your own risk. Some of what he predicted in this book, originally written in Japanese in the 1990s has already happened, especially the collapse of the Japanese economy in recent years and the spread of deserts throughout the world."--Gene Logsdon, author of A Sanctuary of Trees "From our first meeting with Masanobu Fukuoka Sensei in the late 1970's at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, he has served as a primary guide, teacher, and inspiration in the engaged practice of organic farming and Zen meditation. Now with Sowing Seeds in the Desert, Fukuoka Sensei's teaching of Natural Farming continues to grow, sending deep roots down into the terrain of global restoration and food security for a hungry world. This wonderful book is to be celebrated and savored for its grounded, encouraging wisdom."--Wendy Johnson, author of Gardening at the Dragon's Gate "Fans of Fukuoka's The One-Straw Revolution will be delighted by Sowing Seeds in the Desert, his last book. It is a rich treasure trove detailing how his own philosophy of farming evolved and how he decided to apply what he learned on his own farm in Japan to other parts of the world. His insights into the tragedies of taking Western, industrial agriculture to places like Africa to 'enrich the national economy,' and his alternative approach of working with indigenous farmers to enable them to become self-sufficient, is instructive for all of us."--Frederick Kirschenmann, Author of Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays From a Farmer Philosopher "This book is not a breath of fresh air, it's a howling gale from the East. It challenges us to think outside our normal, rational frames and venture into a whole new way of relating to spirituality, the earth, and the growing of food. As I read, I was tempted to pick holes in Fukuoka's prescriptions for greening the world's deserts, but I kept coming back to the inescapable fact that he farmed his own land according to these principles over many years and produced a lot of food."--Patrick Whitefield, author of The Earth Care Manual Table of Contents1. The call to natural farming 2. Reconsidering human knowledge 3. Healing a world in crisis 4. Global desertification 5. Revegetating the earth through natural methods 6. Travels on the west coast of the United States

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Book SynopsisCompiled by two distinguished professors of horticulture, The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation is a must for professionals and students of horticulture. Over 1,100 species and their propagation requirements by seeds, cuttings, grafting and budding, and tissue culture are discussed in exhaustive detail. Essentially a recipe book for making more trees and shrubs, this reference is a high-level how-to.Trade ReviewWill go a long way to help you ensure success even with the most difficult-to-germinate seeds. -- Phil Oyerly Wilmington News Journal 20091015

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Book Synopsis“For those of you—and your numbers are growing—gardening in drought-stricken parts of the country, The Bold Dry Garden will quench your thirst for inspiration.” —New York Times Book Review Ruth Bancroft is a dry gardening pioneer. Her lifelong love of plants led to the creation of one of the most acclaimed public gardens, The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, California. The Bold Dry Garden offers unparalleled access to the garden and the extraordinary woman responsible for it. In its stunningly photographed pages, you’ll discover the history of the garden and the design principles and plant palette that make it unique. Packed with growing and maintenance tips, profiles of signature plants for a dry garden, and innovative design techniques, The Bold Dry Garden has everything you need to create a garden that is lush, waterwise, and welcoming.

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Book SynopsisGrowing more mushrooms may be the best thing we can do to save the environment, and mushroom expert Paul Stamets explains how in this groundbreaking manual. The science goes like this: fine filaments of cells called mycelium, the fruit of which are mushrooms, already cover large areas of land around the world. As the mycelium grows, it breaks down plant and animal debris, recycling carbon, nitrogen, and other elements in the creation of rich new soil. What Stamets shows is that the enzymes and acids thatmycelium produces to decompose this debris are superb at breaking apart hydrocarbons--the base of many pollutants. Stamets discusses the various branches of this exciting new technology, including mycorestoration (biotransforming stripped land), mycofiltration (creating habitat buffers), myco-remediation (healing chemically harmed environments), and mycoforestry (creating truly sustainable forests)--From publisher description.

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Book SynopsisPonds and water features have been popular in gardens for thousands of years. This book is aimed at anyone who is thinking of building a pond, anyone who has bought some of the materials but doesn't know how to start or anyone who has a pond and needs to know how to keep it at its best.The book starts with the basics of assessing the garden, checking the site, planning and preparation, tools and materials and electrical wiring and safety. With the basics established the authors introduce the many different types of pond and how they can be created, maintained and enhanced.From split-level ponds to wildlife ponds, plant and fish and adding sculptures, bird houses, stones and bridges, each subject is presented in a clear way with box features, lists and questions and answers. The final chapter looks at water features - a rock pool or stream for a large garden or a small wall mask or trough for a tiny back garden.

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Book SynopsisThoughtful Gardening is based on Robin Lane Fox''s own selection from his widely admired FT column, which he has rewritten and amplified with new chapters to take readers on a highly enjoyable journey through each season of the gardening year. It draws on his lifetime of practical gardening, including his years as Garden Master of New College, Oxford, and contains many memories of fellow gardeners, from Christopher Lloyd to Nancy Lancaster.The book is essential reading for anyone setting out on a new garden or taking stock of one. It takes a critical look at fashions of the moment and is full of advice, ranging from problems with badgers to how to take root-cuttings or choose flowering trees, as well as examples of gardens at home and abroad which Robin Lane Fox has visited over many years. Thoughtful Gardening combines a principled view of the craft of gardening with dozens of new ideas for planting and visiting, and touching reminders of the power of l

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Book SynopsisTrying to understand the wonders and mysteries of the natural world has been a human preoccupation since the earliest times. Myriad myths and legends have subsequently evolved to explain the existence and power of our fertile planet. At the same time, the knowledge of which plants to use as essential foods, remedies, and for construction was of obvious importance, not only to learn but also to pass on and remember. It is therefore hardly surprising that from all corners of the globe a wealth of stories, myths and legends about plants has been passed down to us, gathered together in this fascinating volume. Here you will discover sound principles in some of the traditional advice, and wisdom in many of the observations of the plant world. However there are also highly fanciful superstitions, intriguing tales and amusing anecdotes, which any plant lover will truly relish. Discover which trees are believed to have healing powers? How, in legend, the white rose turn red? Why the lily is a symbol of purity? Any why is it considered unlucky to bring some flowers indoors? Table of Contents1 Introduction 8 2 The wonder of flowers 12 3 Modesty and chastity: floral virtues 14 4 Degrees of passion - the language of flowers 15 5 Flowers and their meanings 16 6 Flower 'mania' 18 7 Cherry blossom beauty 19 8 Faces to the sun 20 9 The rose of love 21 10 The pure lily 22 11 Flowers arranged 24 12 Flowers that tell the time 25 13 Petal power 27 14 Liquid roses 28 15 The poppy of oblivion 29 16 Foxglove to strengthen the heart 31 17 Efficacious chamomile 32 18 The May, a flower of mixed fortunes 33 19 Flowers of fate 34 20 Bringing home the May 35 21 Floral pick-me-ups 36 22 Flowers of St John's Eve 37 23 Dreams of flowers 38 24 Fairy flowers 39 25 The lotus: flower of creation 40 26 In floral form 41 27 The lore of trees 42 28 The wild wood 44 29 The apple of immortality 45 30 The powerful divining rod 46 31 The prophetic oak 48 32 The ash: tree of life 49 33 Wand of wood - and magic 50 34 Branches in flight 51 35 Branches of the gallows tree 52 36 Trees of wisdom and curiosity 53 37 The mysterious upside-down tree 54 38 The immortal olive 55 39 Victory bay and palm 56 40 The useful coconut 57 41 The precious vine 58 42 Tree cures 60 43 Healing branches 61 44 Remedies from bark 62 45 Fruits for fertility 64 46 Around the maypole 65 47 O Christmas tree! 67 48 Trees of the graveyard 68 49 Trees of immortality 69 50 In the form of trees 70 51 The power of plants 72 52 The green, green grass 74 53 The wonder of wheat 75 54 Precious rice grains 77 55 Potato lore 78 56 Mystery maize 80 57 Harvest time 81 58 Witches' plants 82 59 Deadly insect-eaters 84 60 Tobacco smoke - wafting up to heaven 86 61 Mind-changing hemp 87 62 Sacred fungi 88 63 Plants of remembrance 89 64 Painting with plants 91 65 Plant music 92 66 The garden of delights 93 67 The story of incense 94 68 What's in a name? 95 69 The living pharmacy 97 70 Soothing seeds 98 71 Root cures: ginger and liquorice 100 72 Herbs for a better night's sleep 101 73 Full of (coffee) beans 102 74 Tea: the cup that heals 104 75 The blessed garlic bulb 105 76 Plant purges - nasty medicine 106 77 Healing essences 108 78 Easing the toothache 110 79 Against the gout 111 80 Hair tomorrow? 112 81 Pain from plants 113 82 Deadly vegetation 114 83 Nature's pick-me-ups 116 84 Passing water 118 85 Against unwelcome warts 120 86 For problem skin 121 87 To cool a burn 122 88 Better memories 123 89 Coping with alcohol 124 90 Safe at home 125 91 Lucky leaves 126 92 Reading the leaves 128 93 Ensuring conception 130 94 Who'll be my love? 131 95 Nature at Halloween 132 96 Christmas evergreens 134 97 New Year, new start 136 98 Index 138

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Book SynopsisAn insider's guide to the world's greatest 'secret' gardens, green spaces, and pocket parks tucked away in cities around the globeTrade Review"Leads us down the garden path to more than 260 charming but little-known green spaces where urbanites and travelers can linger... One of our favorite spring picks... Go forth and garden gaze."—MOTTO/TIME"The perfect tool for busy urbanites looking to discover tranquil spaces within their city. Featuring 150 metropolises, it showcases quiet courtyards and lawns, contemplative rooftop terraces and conservatories, and spirited community gardens."—First Magazine"The first 'secret garden' city guide to feature a groundbreaking range of over 260 gardens in more than 150 cities worldwide. A treasure map of charming little-known gardens and hidden spaces, this amazing guide is your key to discovering leafy gems."—Project Calm"[A] travel guide, but with a twist."—New York Magazine Online"From pocket parks to rooftop terraces and greenhouses galore - secret gardens can be found in the wildest of urban jungles... Packed with quirky trivia and stunning photography, Toby Musgrave's latest coffee-table book, Green Escapes: The Guide to Secret Urban Gardens, shows where you can find an oasis in some of the world's busiest cities."—TheClub BA"An oasis amidst the hardscape of a large city is like a breath of fresh air... The little known, rarely visited and most beautiful green escapes in our busiest global centres... Toby Musgrave, a historian of gardens, has complied 260 of these green escapes... While working on a book about large private gardens in rural settings [...] Musgrave started thinking of the small, publicly accessible spaces tucked away in major cities, the kinds of havens he seeks out when travelling."—Australian Financial Review Magazine"Sized perfectly to toss into a backpack... Wanderlust-inspiring."—Garden & Gun Online"[Toby Musgrave] has given residents and visitors alike a lifeline with a guide not to the obvious green spaces in cities across the world but to the "compact hidden gems and secret oases" that are little known... It's a comprehensive list... What I particularly liked was the classification of the gardens with symbols alongside the garden giving an idea of its type."—TheChattyGardener.com"An encyclopaedia of gardens that are open to the public, but not (yet) famous."—Elle Decoration"If you like to discover hidden green spaces, keep this book close at hand when planning your next city break... This is a guide focused on the unfamiliar and the intimate, places often unknown even to many of the local residents... I know I'll be packing the book when I head off on any city breaks."—Gardens Illustrated"If garden tourism used to be exclusively for budding botanists, well, no more."—Atlas (Etihad Airways in-flight magazine)"Captivating."—Town & Country"Heads off the beaten track to unearth the world's finest hidden spaces. Covering 260 gardens in more than 150 cities worldwide, this new travel guide will be the key to seeking out leafy gems away from tourist hotspots."—TheCultureTrip.com"If you look for them, cities around the world are full of secret gardens and green spaces, many of which are unknown even to locals. New book Green Escapes explores these hidden courtyards, former industrial lands and reclaimed rooftops."—Hawkins"The book that show[s]... in any busy global city, green is good."—Atlas Obscura"It's a small book you can easily take on a trip, and you'll be using it for years as you travel the globe."—Garden Design Online"A perfect guide for kicking off any urban adventure this summer."—Surface"From walled garden oases to window boxes, city dwellers have a talent for making the most of small plots... [Green Escapes] is a guidebook to more than 250 little-known green spaces from across the world that vary in size, landscaping and purpose; the pocket-sized drama of Seattle's Waterfall Garden Park is in there, but so is the quietly haunting expanse of Warsaw's Jewish Cemetery."—Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisAn easy-to-follow gardening guide endorsed by the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you encourage different types of wildlife into your garden.Wildlife Gardening for Everyone (and Everything) is a useful and easy-to-follow gardening guide with a strong focus on the different types of wildlife you can attract to your garden. The book breaks down by accessible groups of species, and each chapter explains what they require to thrive, what their role in the garden is and how they contribute to the garden ecosystem. The first chapters begin with the favorites that all gardeners know and love, such as the pollinators, birds and amphibians. Later sections of the book explore species that are more likely to be overlooked, including the wasps, flies and spiders, explaining the crucial role they play and how to provide for them.Every chapter will include wide-ranging suggestions of useful plants and projects that will be relevant to all, regardless of tTrade ReviewAn invaluable guide... everything in your garden will be abuzz and abloom before you know it. -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express S Magazine *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction The principles of wildlife gardening Wildlife gardening for... Pollinators Bees Butterflies and moths Wasps Beetles True flies True bugs Other minibeasts Birds Amphibians and reptiles Mammals Glossary Acknowledgements Resources Index Photograph credits

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Book SynopsisFood plants have their own ornamental value, adding harmony to existing landscapes without creating a separate vegetable garden. They also provide a fresh, healthy alternative to the tasteless and woody fruits and vegetables bred for long-distance transportation and shipped to our grocery stores from all over the world. In this book, we show how, with just a little effort, you can augment your landscape with edibles of every description in an ecologically sustainable manner: * 65 accounts of vegetables, herbs, fruits and seeds * Veggie favorites: tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, beans and onions * Berries: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries * The superhealthy: flax, broccoli, kale and garlic * The oddly beautiful: Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, asparagus and artichokes * The ancient and exotic: quinoa, amaranth and fennel * Starting, maintaining and harvesting an edible garden * Propagation and winter care * Solutions to common garden problems.

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Book SynopsisAn eclectic collection of prose, poetry and practical advice for every day of the year. A mix of fact and fiction, fantasy and experience, the Bedside Companion for Gardeners is a treasure trove of green-fingered inspiration where practical advice blends seamlessly with poetry and prose from intrepid gardeners past and present. Dip in and out of this collection with an entry for every night of the year that draws on writing through the ages and from across the globe. The Bedside Companion for Gardeners incorporates practical advice from the 17th-century gardening diarist John Evelyn; inspiring prose from Elizabeth von Arnim and John Milton; astute commentary from Horace Walpole on William Kent and Nancy Mitford on the vulgarity of a Surrey garden. Kipling offers practical advice, while Tennyson waxes lyrical on an Arabian night garden. The perfect gift for any gardener, this magical book is an invaluable source of inspiration and guidance to revisit throughout the year. Trade Review‘A delightful read to escape into last thing at night’ – Paula McWaters -- Country Living‘The green-fingered will love this anthology’ -- Daily Express/Daily Mirror‘This thoughtful and inspiring selection offers a fresh perspective on our outdoor space’ * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisThe debut book in the internationally successful No-Waste Gardening series, No-Waste Kitchen Gardening is a fun and colorful exploration of the amazing results you can get by re-growing vegetable cutoffs and scraps into harvestable, edible plants. Stop tossing your carrot stumps, loose cilantro sprigs, lettuce and cabbage stalks, and apple cores in the trash! The expert advice in No-Waste Kitchen Gardening, gives you all the instruction and tricks you’ll need to grow and re-propagate produce from food waste. You’ll be astonished at how much food waste you can re-grow. You’ll also find some helpful general information about growing indoors and maintaining your re-grown plants. Two-part photo instructions show first what the root, chunk seed, or leaf should look like when you re-plant it, and second, when to harvest or re-plant it in soil to continue growing. Trade ReviewNo-Waste Kitchen Gardening is a valuable resource for people who are concerned with living a more frugal lifestyle...and it's an added bonus that's it's also fun to read! * CrystalMcCann.com *Author Katie Elzer-Peters provides expert advice on how to use your scraps to re-grow almost an entire garden right on your kitchen counter, or from a small piece of your yard * Earthformed *

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Book Synopsis'The nation's favourite gardener' - Guardian 'There was nothing here that could possibly be described as a garden. But beneath years of neglect was a blank canvas that I could fill with the garden of my dreams...'Monty Don invites you into Longmeadow, a place that has become synonymous with Gardener's World, to show how he creates and tends his own garden, and how you can bring some of that same magic to our own.Following the cycle of the seasons, Gardening at Longmeadow is a year-long diary of Monty's gardening wisdom: from the earliest snowdrops of January and the first splashes of colour in the Spring Garden, to the electric summer displays of the Jewel Garden and the autumn harvest in the orchard. Alongside his rich, personal experiences at Longmeadow, Monty describes the individual plants coming into their own in the floral and vegetable gardens and talks you through key tasks, from composting and lawn maintenance to topiary clipping and fruit pruning. The result is a very personal account of failure, bewilderment and surprise, as well as endless pleasure and some success over the course of a gardening year.With beautiful photography throughout, Gardening at Longmeadow is an essential book for gardening enthusiasts of all skill levels. It will inspire you to achieve a balanced, healthy garden of your own, that's spilling with produce and full colour all year round.

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Book Synopsis“Eye-popping proof that water-wise gardens are bold, beautiful and brilliantly hued.” —San Diego Home and Garden Dry weather defines the Southwest, and it's getting dryer. As water becomes more precious, our gardens suffer. If we want to keep gardening, we must revolutionize our plant choices and garden practices. Hot Color, Dry Garden provides a joyful, color-filled way to exuberantly garden in low-water conditions. Garden expert Nan Sterman highlights inspiring examples of brilliant gardens filled with water-smart plants. You'll find information about designing for color using plants, architecture, and accessories, along with a plant directory that features drought-tolerant plants that dazzle.

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Book SynopsisThis gorgeous box of postcards features 100 different roses from The New York Botanical Garden''s extensive archives.This elegant, 100-postcard box features beautiful illustrations of roses, the flower world''s most iconic bloom. These vividly colored postcards are perfect for greeting cards, thank you notes, or wall decor, while the box, also printed with magnificent full-color art, can be used as a keepsake when empty.

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Book SynopsisGood soil leads to thriving gardens, and it's easy to create! Elizabeth Snell shows you how to properly use composted plant materials and animal manure to make soil that is perfectly suited to your growing goals. She provides all the information you need to give your garden a healthy foundation of rich, nutrient-filled soil that will ensure bountiful harvests and beautiful plants.Table of ContentsWhat kind of soil do you have?; creating fertility with nutrients and organic matter; the gardener's toy cupboard - soil-building tools; compost - the gardener's ultimate treasure; more soil-boosting secrets - mulches, soil amendments and green manures; demystifying fertilizers; improving what you've got - new sites and problem soils; fine-tuning tips for specific plants; the four seasons of soil building - a soil care calendar.

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Book SynopsisPlan a flower garden for season-long beauty and color with this comprehensive guide to growing 542 annuals, perennials, and bulbs. Plant-by-plant descriptions include specific growing instructions and precise information on regional suitability, sowing, transplanting, bloom time, propagation, and care, so you can choose and cultivate the species that will bloom brightest under your garden’s unique conditions. With at-a-glance design planner lists and full-color photographs of more than 500 flowers, this essential reference source is sure to find a prized place on your potting bench.

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Book SynopsisButterflies are brilliant pollinators and add vibrancy and colour to the garden.A summer's day wouldn't be the same without the gentle fluttering of delicate wings. They connect us with living and breathing nature and are an essential part of a dynamic ecosystem. However, in the past forty years, these insects, which were once a common sight in our gardens, are now in decline thanks to habit loss, climate change and the use of pesticides.But do not despair – there is a lot you can do to help improve their numbers! Planting for Butterflies will show you how you can attract these beautiful insects and help them to flourish by creating a butterfly-friendly garden. No matter how small or large your space – from a window ledge in the city to a country garden – Jane Moore offers advice on the nectar-rich blooms to grow, and when and where to plant them.This charmingly illustrated, practical guide will set your garden a flutter.

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Book Synopsis"When it sings, a garden will have the power to transport and to lead you to a place that is magical. It is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty."In Natural Selection, Dan Pearson draws on ten years of his Observer columns to explore the rhythms and pleasures of a year in the garden. Travelling between his city-bound plot in Peckham and twenty acres of rolling hillside in Somerset, he celebrates the beautiful skeletons of the winter garden, the joyous passage into spring, the heady smell of summer's bud break and the flaring of colour in autumn. Pearson's irresistible enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge overflow in a book teeming with tips to inspire your own space, be it a city window box or country field. Bringing you a newfound appreciation of nature, both wild and tamed, reading Natural Selection is a deeply restorative experience.

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Book SynopsisThe UK’s leading gardening publisher brings you a horticultural handbook to fulfill your every need and seed! Get your gardening gloves on and join the green-fingered journey to growing herbs successfully at home. A must-have volume for first-time gardeners, Grow Small Gardens has tons of tips and tricks to contains everything you need to create a garden in a small space, without compromising on design or beauty. Make the most of your windowsill, balcony, roof terrace, courtyard, or tiny urban garden with clever design tricks to create the illusion of more space, advice on planting to ensure seasonal interest and encourage wildlife, and detailed aftercare to keep your plants flourishing year after year.With passion in every page, you can enjoy: A jargon-free practical guide to creating a plethora of garden types.  Easy to follow step-by-step instructions of fundamental gardening techniques.

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Book SynopsisDo you share your garden with a car? Worried that your neighbour’s trees are blocking your light? Is your garden too big? Too small? An awkward shape? Or maybe you just don’t know where to begin… Whether you are grappling with a particular dilemma or just need some inspiration, this guide leads the way forward with sharp design advice and beautiful images. Read this book and the prospect of tackling your own garden will seem suddenly less daunting and more fun. Trade Review'An inspirational handbook for the nonplussed' – The Sunday Times 'Portable, accessible and jolly' --House & Garden 'Beautifully photographed and perfect for novices' --Elle Decoration 'Wry, useful and entertaining advice' --The Simple Things 'Kendra Wilson has produced a book that will allow those who feel daunted by their garden to discover the fun of gardening' – Gardens Illustrated

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Book SynopsisTurn your garden into a bright summer paradise with a collection of 35 projects to create stylish, fragrant and abundant displays. There are gorgeous flowering plants, lush foliage, special occasion displays, and edible fruit and vegetable harvests. The projects in Small Summer Gardens include hanging baskets, window boxes, beautiful flower beds, large and small pots, and pretty recycled containers. Create a display of foxgloves and woodland plants in a rusty trunk, scented sweet peas in a tub, a mini water garden with flowering water lilies, a wreath made from alpine flowers, fruit bushes in pots and much more. With Emma Hardy’s expert advice, you will learn everything you need to know about growing annuals from seed, growing bulbs, using inexpensive bedding plants in interesting ways, combining perennials and small shrubs and growing and maintaining fruit and vegetable plants.

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Book SynopsisDaffodils celebrates this spring floral favourite, with an in-depth look at the many gorgeous and multicoloured varieties, perfect for the garden, the home and any bouquet.Celebrating the glorious daffodil, spring flowers whose trumpet shape are instantly recognisable throughout the world, this is the next instalment in the iconic flower series by Naomi Slade and Georgianna Lane.Narcissus are known for their stunning colours ranging from brilliant yellow and orange to pastel pink and white, and for hailing the beginning of spring. This diverse plant can be traced back to the sixteenth century, and has been used for medicine, decor and as the symbol of many organizations and countries worldwide.From the uncoventional, cheery Pink Charm' to the gloriously scented Bridal Crown', award-winning garden writer Naomi Slade describes over 60 varieties, with suggestions for planting, growing and cutting. Accompanied by Georgianna Lane's sumptuous and instantly recognisable photography, Daffodils is the perfect gift for any fan of spring flowers, gardeners and florists both amatuer and professional and collectors of this gorgeous flower series.

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Book SynopsisCapture all the hues of the garden with a few simple brushstrokes and Lorene Edwards Forkner’s inspirational advice on observing color in nature, painting with watercolor, and gardening with joy and intention. If you love flowers and the rich colors of the garden, Color In and Out of the Garden is for you. Artist and garden expert Lorene Edwards Forkner shares her simple watercolor techniques for capturing every lovely hue in a miniature artwork. Along the way, she also offers practical advice on topics from painting (no matter your skill level) to gardening mindfully to celebrating life. This delightfully useful and addictively readable little book may just inspire you to begin keeping a garden journal of your own, so you can record favorite plants with just a few simple brushstrokes. Arranged by color, each chapter helps readers sharpen their powers of observation and capture nature’s lovely palette. Plant profiles and personal reflecTrade Review“Color In and Out of the Garden pays homage to plants and processes, to seeing and believing in small acts of creativity as a means connecting to ourselves and the natural world. A gem of a book.” -- Christin Geall * author of Cultivated: The Elements of Floral Style *Color In and Out of the Garden so honestly taps into our visceral yearning to experience nature. Lorene Edwards Forkner's watercolor studies give the gift of sight and insight, inspiring any of us to make a personal practice of observing the palettes of our environment—during any season and at any place on this planet. -- Debra Prinzing * Founder/Creative Director, Slow Flowers Society *Color In and Out of the Garden is a rich visual feast for gardeners and artists alike. Lorene Edwards Forkner brings horticultural wisdom to the daily, restorative practice of painting. With a few tubes of paint and a bit of time and attention, she immerses herself in the wonder that can be found in her own backyard. What began as a hundred-day project in the aftermath of a devastating loss has become a personal journey, sustained over many years. With this gem of a book, we are all invited to take that journey with her. -- Amy Stewart * New York Times bestselling author *From the evocative title of this heavenly missive, you might think you need to be a gardener or a painter to harvest the full richness of its many gifts, but you do not. You need only be human—as worried and full of wonder, as pained and patient (or impatient), peculiar and particular as all of us. This collection of careful color studies of botanical (flowers, leaves, seeds, stems) and botanically adjacent (think time worn stones, beach bleached shells) treasures is offered out to us by the knowing hands of a gardener, the refined eye of an artist, the time-tested taste of a cook, and the heart of a compassionate mother. On one level it is an encouragement to practice being present to practice paying attention and taking good care in and of the natural world, to practice really seeing; but on its highest level, it is a much needed (longed for?) reminder born of both joy and deep grief to live your own days (and thus life) in full color, in and out of the garden. A plea to savor and cherish every last living vibrant cell of it in the process: the extraordinary, the quotidian, the steadfast constants, and the heartbreakingly fleeting. A sometimes funny, sometimes sobering prayer to notice and celebrate all the variations and permutations of green (for survival), red (for ripeness), pink (for extravagance), yellow (for luminosity), orange (for energy) and brown—the foundation of all living things—in all their colorful diversity. As Lorene might say, “Yes, please.” See for yourself. You will never see your garden, food, art, sky, ground (life) quite the same again. -- Jennifer Jewell * creator of the Cultivating Place, Conversations on Natural History and the Human Impulse to Garden podcast *“While I walk away from this book with some [ideas for] plants I'd like to find room for (and a new appreciation of the role of color in my garden), the real lessons of the book are in the insights gleaned—and so generously shared with us—from blending a daily painting practice with a lifelong love of plants. Edwards’s poignant wisdom leaves me feeling grounded, grateful, and in really good company, whether with her words or with the living things right outside my door.” -- Johanna Silver * gardener and author *“Lorene Edwards Forkner's Color In and Out of the Garden is a gentle call to attention, ‘looking in and looking out.’ Open it anywhere to find yourself transported to the lush offerings of a garden, to ‘seeing’ color you hadn’t noticed, and the poetry, philosophy, and natural history of plants: revelations with life lessons that will expand your view.” -- Sally Schneider * creator of Improvised Life *

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