Peony features growing advice for one of the most beautiful and popular flowering plants. Enthusiastic home gardeners and peony collectors alike will learn the history of the plant, discover the different types of peonies available, and enjoy profiles of the best 194 varieties. Growing information includes details on climate, soil, light, planting, and water needs. Helpful lists detail the best peony varieties for specific needs, and a resource listing shares the best places to buy peonies and the best public gardens to see them in.

A true story of one of the world's strangest plants and humanity's oddest obsessions: the orchid, brought to book by the author, traveller and self-confessed orchid obsessive. From the Orinoco River to the hothouses of Kew, and the clandestine nurseries of Europe to the peat bogs of Minnesota, this is a dark and humorous tale of orchid smugglers, ice-cream makers and visionary breeders; of courruption, murder and moths with 12-inch tongues; and of the vicious, bizarre world of international plant politics and the wide range of gentle people whose overriding passion is the cultivation of these beautiful, fragile flowers.

Nowhere will you find more complete and straightforward information on growing, harvesting, and using herbs. If fanciful prose and personal anecdotes are not your cup of tea (although we can't resist it!), this book will satisfy your thirst for hard-core, unfiltered horticultural know-how.

This illustrated guide teaches readers how to plant, propagate, harvest, dry, freeze, store, and sell (both wholesale and retail) 64 of the most popular herbs.

One of the best and most straightforward works on growing herbs that this reviewer and zealous herb grower has read.-- New York Botanical Garden Magazine. A selection of Better Homes and Gardens and Rodale Book Clubs. Over 113,000 copies sold.

In 'The Creative Shrub Garden' Andy McIndoe provides a truly shrub-focused design guide which shows the reader how to combine shrubs along with perennials and bulbs in attractive, long-lasting planting schemes. He describes how to use these low-maintenance woody plants in the way that gardeners normally use perennials. The book contains a planting design chapter which uses a mood-board approach to show how different garden moods and styles can be achieved with the right combination of shrubs. Handy lists cover key topics such as shrubs for difficult situations and readers can also use the comprehensive plant directory to make up their own personalised planting schemes.

One of the most exciting aspects of gardening is growing your own plants from scratch. In this definitive guide, Alan Titchmarsh shows how simple it is to propagate plants by following a few basic techniques. Learn how to produce a flourishing garden filled with ornamental and edible plants, at very little expense. * Demystified, down-to-earth approach to propagation * Easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step diagrams * A-Z directory with recommended propagation techniques for each plant * Key tips on taking cuttings, sowing seed, layering and division * Guidance on promoting growth of young plants

Greenhouses fuse together cultures and countries under one glass roof. In their debut book, photographers India Hobson and Magnus Edmondson take you on a worldwide journey through their favourite botanical spaces.

The Haarkon Greenhouse Tour began as a self-initiated adventure in Oxford s botanic garden four years ago. Since then, Magnus and India have visited countless locations in the UK, Europe, America, Asia and beyond in search of dream glasshouses and greenhouses, capturing dramatic palm houses, tropical hothouses and private potting sheds along the way.

Divided into seven thematic chapters History, Specimen, Community, Research, Pleasure, Hobbyist and Architecture the featured spaces in Glasshouse / Greenhouse are depicted via a series of photo-essays that draw out the style, plant collections and character of each space.

Learn how to grow big veg with Gerald Stratford, the gardening grandad loved by over a quarter of a million fans on Twitter. "I am very grateful for all the interest my wonderful friends and followers have taken in my gardening. Now, I hope this book gives you the motivation you need to get out in the garden. Cheers!" - GERALD Gerald's book is packed with decades of gardening know-how and fully illustrated with photos from his Cotswolds garden. It includes a helpful month-by-month guide to sowing, planting and harvesting veg, as well as tips on how to grow Gerald's speciality: really big veg. Full of encouragement and Gerald's infectious enthusiasm, Big Veg makes an ideal companion for anyone keen to grow-your-own.

This title helps you brighten up your garden with vibrant flowers and foliage, with 120 beautiful photographs. You can discover the versatility and range of annual plants for every place in your garden, from beds to window boxes. You can make the most of continuously beautiful blooms, leaves and stems throughout every season of the year. You can enjoy stunning, healthy plants - from asters and geraniums to poppies and sunflowers - with advice on making the best choices, planting and maintenance. It features an at-a-glance reference chart giving plant descriptions and a guide to annuals' common names. The wonderful benefit of annuals is their ability to transform the garden almost immediately after planting. This handy book is an instant guide to the wide variety of annuals, biennials and tender perennials that have vibrant flowers and foliage, with suggestions suitable for every season and garden location. There is also advice on using different shades and tones to achieve eye-catching effects, from stunning reds and oranges to cool blues and creams. Packed with invaluable practical information, from sowing your own seeds to maintaining plants, and illustrated with 120 wonderful photographs, this is the perfect handbook for gardeners who want reliable results.

This title helps you create a fragrant paradise to enjoy throughout the year, shown in 100 stunning photographs. You can make the most of scent around the garden by planting bulbs, annuals, perennials, herbs and small trees. You can choose beautiful plants that will calm, stimulate and uplift the body and spirit, such as butterfly bushes, honeysuckle, hyacinths, jasmine, lavender, lilac and roses. It describes scented schemes for many different garden styles, including cottage, Mediterranean and formal. It features an at-a-glance reference chart giving plant descriptions and a guide to their common names. Smell is one of the most powerful of our senses, and a glorious garden filled with subtle or intoxicating fragrances can affect our mood and wellbeing. This invaluable handbook describes the myriad plants that have scented qualities, whether it is in their flowers, leaves, fruit or bark, and explains how to use them effectively in different locations and garden styles. There is guidance on planting and harvesting for maximum fragrance, as well as advice on how to choose varieties that will provide interest throughout the year, and from morning until night. There is also a useful chart listing scented plants with their growing season and attributes.

The American Midwest is an ideal place to grow a huge variety of vegetables, and there are plenty of healthful and economic benefits to having your own garden. Whether you have a traditional backyard space or several containers on a high-rise balcony, you can grow a season-long supply of tasty produce. Best-selling garden writer Laura Peters provides all you need to know to dig in: * Basics such as light, soil, exposure and frost tolerance * Almost infinite garden styles, including raised beds and limited space gardening * Preparing the garden and selecting which vegetables to grow where * Recommended varieties, including new, traditional, heirloom and unusual selections * Seasonal care, including mulching, weeding and watering * Tips throughout, including how to extend the growing season and what to do with your harvest * Organic approaches to management of pests and diseases * An appendix featuring companion plants and relationships * Helpful hardiness maps, and delicious colour photos throughout.

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.

RHS Can Anything Stop Slugs assists with all of the most common problems encountered in a garden - as well as some slightly more unusual ones. The RHS's Chief Horticulturist, Guy Barter, provides expert advice, responding to the questions posed by thousands of gardeners every year. This entertaining and informative guide provides a wealth of information. Feature boxes of interesting facts enable you to really get to grips with the issue at hand. As the cause of a problem is not always apparent, the main symptom is used as the starting point in each section, enabling you to troubleshoot all your garden problems. This is not a dull reference book full of lists - it is an easy-to-read and amusing look at how we battle with nature in our gardens, showing you how to either come out top or to surrender with dignity.

Discover how easy it is to harness the natural goodness of plants with over 50 homemade beauty recipes that can help you feel better, look better and have a healthy year! Most of us use lipbalms, body scrubs and cosmetics every day, but these can be full of chemicals and harmful to your skin and health. This book teaches you how to confidently make your own homemade remedies and natural beauty products using plants and herbs that are readily available, and often free, such as nettles, dandelions, herbs and hawthorn berries. Our gardens and hedgerows contain much of what we need to keep mild ailments at bay and it's fun giving it a go - instead of weeding the dandelions in your lawn, pick them and use them! Or plant marigolds, not just for their cheerful colour, but to make wonderful skin oils. With a helpful 'Season by Season' layout, you will know at a glance what to gather and when to gather it. Inside, you'll find homemade beauty recipes, including camomile bath soak, chocolate lip gloss, lavender bath bombs, mint lip balm, and more! Plus, plenty of healthy recipes for homemade remedies, from treatments for colds and overindulgence, to witch hazel spot gel, burn salves, skin-toning ointments, and even hay fever relief. This book is a source book for mind, body and soul, as well as a testament to the natural power and beauty of herbs. Get out there, keep your eyes open and discover the many widely available plants that you can use for your health - with the added bonus that they're not costing you anything. With Treat Yourself Natural you will feel empowered to explore the wonderful world of making healthy remedies and homemade beauty products, either for yourself or as gifts for your friends and family; after all, there is nothing nicer than a lovingly made present. "This book is full of brilliant ideas for things to make for yourself, or as wonderful gifts. Year in year out this will be an invaluable resource for a rainy day or a country walk, written by someone who really knows what she is talking about as well as living the same busy life as you and I." From the foreword, by Kirstie Allsopp

The green interiors trend is here to stay. The sequel to bestselling title Wonder Plants, this second volume features even more inspiring ideas for a greener interior. Wonder Plants 2 gathers twenty of the world's best interior designs, each of them urban jungles that will inspire dreams of having an oasis of green at home. The book ends with a plant index and some useful tips and tricks, as well as an overview of new trends, with explanations by interior design experts.

Foliage plays a key part in garden design. The colour, and therefore the effect, of the plant is determined by its foliage all the time it is in leaf, whereas the flowers may last only a few days. Choosing plants for different kinds of foliage effects can mean year-round interest in the garden. This book describes the range of colour and leaf shape available, provides a detailed plant list organized by colour, recommends planting positions and gives a list of nurseries.

Everyone loves flowers. We grow them with a passion and crave helpful advice on nurturing them in our gardens. A great, friendly, indispensable book, THE FLOWER GARDENER'S BIBLE is written with wit and authority by Lewis and Nancy Hill, who share both their joy in growing flowers and more than 75 years of combined experience. In the same format as the very successful The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, this new primer is both painstakingly thorough and stunningly photographed. It covers every facet of growing perennials, annuals, bulbs, wildflowers, small trees, vines, and shrubs for season-long colour and beauty. It is organized in three sections, and the first focuses on the basics - choosing the right varieties for your zone and type of garden, and planning and planting for maximum impact. The second section presents plans for 25 distinctively themed gardens. And finally, a photographic encyclopaedia of more than 400 species includes detailed descriptions of each plant - garden uses, susceptibility to pests and diseases, propagation methods, and more.

"Lasagna Gardening With Herbs"
Lasagna gardening is sweeping the nation, as more and more gardeners discover this simple, sensible method of creating healthy soil for easy-care gardens. Pat Lanza's organic, commonsense approach takes the backbreaking labor out of preparing and planting an aromatic, delicious, and low-maintenance herb garden. Discover Pat's homegrown methods for using more than 50 favorite herbs in recipes, making herbal wreaths and delicious herbal teas, and growing and using edible flowers.
"From the first paragraph of "Lasagna Gardening with Herbs" to the last, I felt as though I had finally found my soil sister. Pat Lanza writes and gardens with knowledge, passion, and a pioneer spirit. Her easy-to-implement tips, combined with her encyclopedic wisdom about plants and soil, make her book indispensable to both beginning and advanced gardeners."--Sharon Lovejoy, contributing editor of "Country Living Gardener," a "New York Times" syndicated contributor, and author of numerous books, including "Trowel & Error"
"If Pat Lanza sometimes has dirty fingernails, it's because she's a writer with the hands-on, dig-in-the-dirt passion of a gardener. When she writes about gardening methods, you know she's tried them. And with her discovery of lasagna gardening, she's managed to make it easier for all of us."--Walter Chandoha, animal and garden photographer and author and illustrator of more than 25 books, including "The Literary Gardener"
"Pat Lanza is the only one I know who turns the world upside down when she gardens. She starts with the basics-- dirt first! Her philosophy is that if you do it right from the garden up and make it fun and easy, the garden willdo the rest."--Jim Long, columnist for" The Herb Companion" and" The Herb Quarterly" magazines and author of books on herbs and history
"Pat Lanza is a true renaissance woman, always inventing new ways to tackle old tasks. One day she decided to try her lasagna method of soil improvement with herbs. Did it work? Of course! Her small garden produced prodigious harvests of delicious aromatic herbs! "Carpe diem"!"--Jim W. Wilson, horticulturist and author of numerous books, including "Jim Wilson's Container Gardening"
"About the Author"
Patricia Lanza is a lifelong gardener, a popular speaker, and the proprietor of the Potager, a garden gift shop and cafe in Wurtsboro, New York. Her first book about her time-saving garden methods," Lasagna Gardening," won the prestigious Quill and Trowel Award from the Garden Writers Association of America.