Description
Book SynopsisMost conventional gardening books concentrate on how and when to carry out horticultural tasks such as pruning, seed sowing and taking cuttings. Science and the Garden, Third Edition is unique in explaining in straightforward terms some of the science that underlies these practices. It is principally a book of ''Why'' ? Why are plants green? Why do some plants only flower in the autumn? Why do lateral buds begin to grow when the terminal bud is removed by pruning? Why are some plants successful as weeds? Why does climate variability and change mean change for gardeners? But it also goes on to deal with the ''How'', providing rationale behind the practical advice.
The coverage is wide-ranging and comprehensive and includes: the diversity, structure, functioning and reproduction of garden plants; nomenclature and classification; genetics and plant breeding; soil properties and soil management; environmental factors affecting growth and development; methods of propagatio
Table of Contents
Preface to third edition xiii
Preface to second edition xiv
Preface to first edition xv
1 Diversity in the plant world 1
2 The plant body: structure and function 14
3 Reproduction: Securing the future 37
4 Naming plants 45
5 Selecting and breeding plants 55
6 Summary 75
7 Soil cultivation and fertility 86
8 The plant environment: Light and water 102
9 Plants and seasons 120
10 Growing plants from seed 139
11 Vegetative propagation 149
12 Size and form 166
13 Colour, scent and sound in the garden 175
14 Climate and weather 191
15 Climate and other environmental changes 206
16 Protected cultivation 214
17 The diversity of the undesirables 234
18 Controlling the undesirables 248
19 Maturation, ripening and storage 262
20 Garden ecology 278
21 Garden wildlife and conservation 292
22 Low-input and low-impact gardening 299
23 Health, well-being and socio-cultural benefits 307
24 Gardens for science 320
Conclusion 328
Further reading 328
Authors and affiliations 328
Glossary 329
Index 355
