The sweet potato is at present grown in more than 100 of the independent countries of the world. Most of the producer nations are situated in the tropical developing world where a high proportion of the poorest people live. Increasing recognition of the potential which sweet potato holds for combating food shortages and malnutrition has resulted in intensified research efforts to enhance production and consumption. This book reviews our knowledge about the varied aspects of the sweet potato as a human food and animal feedstuff. This volume will be found practical and informative by all those involved in food and nutrition sciences, especially but not exclusively in developing countries. These include research workers in food or agriculture, dieticians, nutritionists, food technologists, students, planners and policy makers.

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

Grow food for freshness. Grow food organically. Grow food to connect with nature. Whatever the goal, you don't need a lot of space to enjoy the benefits of homegrown veggies, herbs, and fruits. In Grow Food at Home, gardening expert John Tullock shows readers just how easy it is to enjoy "farm"-fresh produce grown right on the windowsill, the porch, or in a tiny backyard. Covering artificial lighting, hydroponics, vertical gardening, straw-bale planters, and more, the book offers even the most confined apartment dwellers plenty of options to get growing. Tullock shares all the tips and tricks readers need to make small-space gardening a success, with information on starting seeds, transplanting, succession planting, "crop" rotation, and other procedures-all tailored to the small-space garden-plus recipes to make the most of the harvest. Readers will be energized to grow a mouth-watering selection of micro-crops, from lettuces and herbs to tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, and even small fruits-no matter how little room they have available.

Replicating the climate of an orchid's native habitat is a key to the successful culture of a species and its hybrids. This ingenious book provides monthly rainfall and temperature data for the varied habitats of more than 1200 species of "Dendrobium," supplemented by detailed cultural recommendations based on the observations of experienced growers.

A full-colour and beautifully illustrated guide into transforming your existing garden or plot of land into a modern, visually-stunning - but also easily achieved and maintained - space. Including full-colour images and tips and tricks from gardening experts and Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winners Harry and David Rich as well as suggestions tailored to various garden types, this is a must-read for anyone wanting that little bit of paradise to escape to at home... 'Full of creativity and good ideas... plenty here to whet the appetite of an aspiring garden designer' -- Gardens Illustrated 'Love Your Plot is a book to read right through and then dip into again to bring a particular idea or method of working back into focus.' -- Garden Design Journal 'Very inspiring' -- ***** Reader review 'This book is a joy to own, beautifully written and illustrated. It's crammed with information, easy to read and fantastic inspiration' -- ***** Reader review 'Awesome book. Clear and easy to understand with lots of useful tips' -- ***** Reader review 'Best book ever for any garden designer - an excellent read' -- ***** Reader review 'A gold mine of garden design wisdom' -- ***** Reader review ***************************************************************************************************** Fusing conceptual garden design with the beauty of the natural landscape, twice Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winners and stars of BBC's Garden Rescue Harry and David Rich are here to show you how you can transform your outdoor space into a beautiful Eden, no matter what plot you have. In Love Your Plot Harry and David set out to help you transform your outdoor space into an inspiration green haven by making nature work for you. Fusing different outdoor elements, such as coastal and woodland landscapes, alongside key design principles, they will show you how to create a modern, practical and visually stunning outdoor space that will awe and inspire - and that is crucially easy to maintain. Complete with practical tips, unique sketches and designs, planting suggestions and stunning full-colour visuals, Love Your Plot will have you reaching for the spade and wellies in no time at all to create your own Eden, no matter what plot you've got.

With our unpredictable weather, there's never been a better time to cultivate vegetables under shelter. An experienced grower, Klaus Laitenberger shows how to use the heat and shelter of a greenhouse or polytunnel to maximise crop production and supply tasty, healthy food throughout the year. He gives full details of sowing, planting, spacing and harvesting for all our best-loved herbs and vegetables, as well as introducing exotic newcomers such as pepino and yacon.

The UK's leading gardening publisher brings you a horticultural handbook to fulfil 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 Herbs has tonnes of tips and tricks to sow, grow, plant and propagate a diverse range of herbs, from parsley to peppermint, bay leaves to basil, this grower's guide truly has it all! With passion in every page, you can enjoy: -A jargon-free practical guide to harvesting home-grown herbs -Easy to follow step-by-step instructions of fundamental gardening techniques -Exploration of popular herbs as well as lesser-known options A recent study suggests 38% of British adults use their gardens to grow herbs and vegetables. But with the ever-growing pressure of balancing family life with a career, a lot of today's green-fingered gardeners simply lack time for growing herbs. We believe it's time to change that! Whatever your horticultural hopes may be, award-winning author Stephanie Mahon brings you a herb-growing guide that is sure to shape first-time gardeners like never before, full of top tips to help your garden thrive! An ideal gift for first-time gardeners, budding botanists or the green-fingered lover in your life, make sure to get those gardening gloves on, and join the journey today! At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. If you like Grow Herbs, why not try the other titles in our Grow series? Learn how to brighten your garden all year round with Grow Bulbs, enjoy a no-fuss guide to container gardening with Grow Containers or minimise garden waste with Grow Eco-Gardening. Ready, set, let's grow!

The Royal Horticultural Society's The Rose tells the story of the world's favourite flower through 40 of the most popular and interesting species and hybrids. Arranged chronologically, The Rose brings to life the arrival of each flower in European gardens, detailing the history of the layout of rose gardens and the role that roses play in the 'language of flowers'. From the first recorded reference to a rose over 7,000 years ago, these extraordinary flowers have captivated botanists, artists, poets, perfumers and gardeners. A symbol of love and patriotism, a scent and flavour synonymous with the East, and the jewel in the crown of ornamental gardens, roses in all their forms bear a special meaning that spans centuries and crosses oceans. Extraordinary botanical illustrations and extracts from classic texts held in the Royal Horticultural society's world-famous Lindley Library, such as Redoute's Les Roses, Henry Andrew's Roses, Mary Lawrence's Selection of Roses and Victor Paquet's Choix des Plus Belles Roses, complete this authoritative celebration.

In these turbulent times, Britain is rediscovering a passion for gardening and home produce - and the nation's favourite gardener is here to provide the definitive book on the subject. Alan Titchmarsh's comprehensive guide will tell you everything you need to know about fruit and veg and how to grow it, from herbs, baby veg, salads, and every-day fruits to gourmet and unusual varieties. As well as providing the key facts needed to yield good results and what to do when things go wrong, the text is sprinkled with Alan's personal observations, anecdotes, culinary tips and quirky historical uses. Alan's practical approach starts from scratch for those who've never grown their own before, but is also ideal for those with some experience who might be growing edibles in a new way - perhaps in a small space that needs to look attractive, or on a new allotment. Lavishly illustrated throughout, Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg offers inspiration, in-depth knowledge and practical advice, whether you are looking to be self-sufficient or just to grow a few items on your patio or window box. Originally published as The Kitchen Gardener: Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg

Every year in the UK we spend millions on plants for our gardens. This volume shows the gardener how to make sure that the shiny perfect plant they brought home from the garden centre stays that way in their own garden.

Have you ever killed an African violet? Kent and Joyce Stork killed their first violet too! They soon mastered the skills for growing the plant and eventually wrote for the "African Violet Magazine," the official publication of the African Violet Society of America, Inc. for over ten years. Their column "For Beginners" explained the basic elements of growing violets in an entertaining and straightforward way that anyone could understand.

Now these columns have been adapted and edited to provide even the most novice grower with a step-by-step guide, whether the goal is simply to keep violets alive or to exhibit the plants in competitive shows.

This work features over 200 bizarre and beautiful insect-eating plants. It is illustrated throughout with full-colour photographs, botanical line-drawings, diagrams and more This engrossing volume takes a truly comprehensive look at the weird and wonderful world of the carnivorous plant. Insect Eaters identifies the various types of carnivorous plants, giving detailed information on how they trap and feed on their prey, how best to grow and cultivate them, where to find the best seeds, an much, much more Full of practical and informative hints, tips, and anecdotes from an award-winning grower, this is a must have volume for anyone who keeps carnivorous plants.

Selected as one of the best gardening reads of 2019 by The Daily Mail Short of outdoor space but want to grow fruit and vegetables? Congratulations. Really, lucky you. Not for you the back-breaking trudge of tending large spaces of land, the weeding, digging and pest vigilance. Gluts? They will mean nothing to you. Instead you can look forward to small but perfectly formed bursts of flavour. Handfuls of fresh leaves, berries and tomatoes, just when you want them, and at arm's reach. As more of us live in cities with restricted outside spaces, growing food becomes all the more important, not just for the delicious results, but as a mindful way to connect us to the seasons and to nature. Full of tried-and-tested, fool-proof crop ideas exclusively tailored for containers, raised beds and small gardens, Crops in Tight Spots guarantees vegetable growing success for even the most newbie of gardeners and limited of spaces.

Home-produced food almost always begins in the vegetable garden. So, too, begins "The Backyard Homestead". Planning charts and a thorough vegetable-by-vegetable growing guide are accompanied by simple techniques for canning, drying, and freezing the garden's bounty. The plant section continues with the hows, whens, and wheres of growing fruits, herbs, and nuts. Hardworking food growers will be delighted to reward themselves with healthful herbal teas and homemade wines and cordials. Recipes and simple techniques are included for the beginning home wine maker. Part two moves from plant to animal products, beginning with an overview of chicken keeping. Readers will find charts, lists, and helpful tips for collecting, storing, and using eggs, along with advice on butchering chickens and cooking the meat. Additional chapters focus on raising larger animals, such as cows, sheep, and goats, either for their meat or for their milk. Milk producers will find plenty of information on making simple yogurt, butter, and ice cream, as well as all the basics on getting started with cheese making. Additional information on rabbits and pigs rounds out the meat-raising sections. An overview of foraging and detailed information on installing and caring for honeybees wrap up "The Backyard Homestead". Storey's trusted advice on gardening, cooking, brewing, cheese making, and raising animals proves once and for all that it truly is possible to eat entirely from the backyard.

If you have a back garden, or even a sunny porch or balcony, you can grow your own hops, brewing herbs, and malt grains to enhance the flavour, 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 home-grown ingredients. This fully updated second edition includes a new section featuring colour 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.

Whether it stands as a single feature in a mixed border, climbs a trellis, forms a hedge, or spills out of a pot, the shrub offers beauty, diversity, privacy, and shelter; moreover, there's an ideal shrub for every season and every kind of soil and climate. So, faced with this dazzling variety, how does a gardener choose? Drawing on a lifetime's experience as a gardener, and mingling expert advise with his trademark enthusiasm, John Cushnie will help you choose the perfect shrub. With a beautifully illustrated directory featuring 175 entries, Cushnie guides you through choosing, planting, and caring for shrubs, offering his personal favorites for every situation. Whether you're looking for shape or shelter, scent, glorious autumn color, bright summer blooms, or evergreens for year-round interest, "Shrubs for the Garden" has the plant for you. Landscape designer and gardening editor John Cushnie is the author of "Ground Cover, How to Garden, " and "Trees for the Yard and Garden."

The Ultimate Book of Herbs & Herb Gardening explains herbal history and how the western tradition of herb gardens began. Themed gardens, such as a Shakespeare garden, are described with planting plans and plant lists so you can create your own.'

Stefan Buczacki sets out a blueprint for commonsense down-to-earth gardening - an approach that is based on an understanding of the environment and also relates to gardeners and their lifestyle: what gardeners need and want from their gardens and how they can set about getting it. The author looks at the basics of gardening, examining such topics as soil, fertilizers, pesticides and pruning, revealing his knowledge derived from years of practical gardening experience. He then proceeds to a detailed discussion of the commonsense approach to tree and shrub gardening, kitchen gardening, gardening and ornamentals, water gardening and wildlife gardening, ending with a chapter on garden design.

Includes: *herb garden design and basic planting info *detailed sectin on what to do with the herbs, including storing *basic recipes *recommended species, cultivars and varieties that grow best in your region *full color primary and garden phontos throughout *herb plant selection *covers MN/WI/IL/IN/MI/OH

Now that you've mastered gardening basics, you want to enjoy your bounty year-round, right? Homegrown Pantry picks up where beginning gardening books leave off, with in-depth profiles of the 55 most popular crops including beans, beets, squash, tomatoes, and much more -- to keep your pantry stocked throughout the year. In-depth profiles highlight how many plants to grow of each crop for a year's worth of eating, and which storage methods work best for specific varieties. Author Barbara Pleasant culls tips from decades of her own gardening experience and from growers across North America to offer planting, care, and harvesting refreshers for every region and each vegetable.

Lavishly illustrated, this book has been designed to show how to introduce color throughout the garden with style, flair and confidence.

It may be darker outside, but we can still enjoy the benefits of nature - let Joe Sugg show you how in this essential guide to fixing your relationship with the online world by bringing nature inside For so long, we've all been drowning in an endless stream of online content. NOW is the time to fix that - repair our relationship with tech, learn to check into nature, and improve our mental wellbeing. As one of the UK's first and biggest YouTube stars, Joe Sugg knows this struggle all too well. And now he has the solution: we need to bring nature inside. In GROW, he will guide you through creative and practical ways to digitally detox wherever you live, without throwing away your tech, featuring . . . * Simple ways to reduce your screen time * A beginner's guide to gardening - inside and out * Wildflowers and insects to look out for in nature * The benefits of houseplants - and how not to kill them * Personal stories from Joe's own journey * Beautiful hand-drawn illustrations Grow immerses us in a truly restorative journey that shows ways to balance our time online with the outdoors, and grow happier, healthier and calmer by doing so.

History may be written by the victors, but as Wolfgang Schivelbusch argues, it is the losers who often have the last word. Focusing on three case studies - the American South after the Civil War, France after defeat by Prussia in 1871, and Germany following the First World War - Schivelbusch reveals the complex psychological and cultural responses of vanquished nations to the experience of military defeat.

The book covers all the technical aspects of planting trees, such as how to incorporate them into the garden design; mixed border plantings; group plantings and woodland schemes, avenues; hedges, screens and windbreaks; and in tree collections. There are also useful how-to sections that explore the practicalities of growing and propagating trees.