Southern Africa is the natural home of the richest and most diverse succulent flora in the world. These plants come in all shapes and sizes, from trees such as the baobab at more than 20 m tall, to miniature soil huggers, just a few millimetres high, which mimic their pebble-desert surroundings.

This user-friendly, richly illustrated field guide features more than 700 southern African succulents, focusing on the most interesting and commonly encountered species. An introduction to families and their key features will help readers identify the relevant plant group, while concise accounts describing the plants’ diagnostic features, along with distribution maps, will enable quick ID of species.

More than just an ID guide for plant lovers, this book will inspire gardeners who are turning to indigenous, low-maintenance and waterwise plants for cultivation.

The best way to ensure you and your family consume only organic, untainted and nutrient-rich foods is to grow your own herbs, fruits and vegetables. This can be done in the smallest of plots or even on a balcony, roof garden or windowsill, with a raised box or pots and other types of planters. In Grow Your Own Health Garden, Nat Hawes tells you how to work with nature to produce a rich crop of healthy and delicious food, and which foods are best to grow nutritionally and as remedies for common ailments. This includes an A to Z of healing vegetables together with natural pest control, feeding the health garden naturally and a guide to plants that are poisonous to children and animals.

A plant a day brings beauty your way. So why not make the most of your garden with 365 of the very best plant varieties - one for every day of the year! From spring blooms to winter interest and everything in between, each plant has been personally selected by expert horticulturist Phil Clayton, who draws on his nearly 20 years of RHS experience, along with his own garden favourites, to showcase a vast array of planting choices. With a range of plants as broad as Phil's knowledge is vast, A Plant for Every Day of the Year is like taking a walk with an accomplished gardener as they show you their favourite plants. Each profile comes complete with stunning photography and an at-a-glance guide to height, spread, hardiness, and other must-know information, so you too can make the most of every season in your own garden. Turn the pages of this plant book to discover: - Unique structure gives the reader a whole year of plants, day by day. - Phil Clayton's unrivalled knowledge and personal approach are apparent throughout, allowing the reader to absorb his experience and expertise. - Easy-to-follow text and clear photography present the plants in an accessible and enjoyable format. A must-have volume for existing gardeners and plant lovers who want to enjoy Phil's personal and insightful commentary on a wide range of plants, alongside individuals who don't know what plants to grow and want to seek advice from a reputable gardener such as Phil. Doubling up as the perfect gardening book for budding botanists, who are looking to achieve their garden or indoor space's fullest potential all year round, A Plant For Every Day of the Year is sure to delight.

'The most romantic, creative person in garden design I know.' Piet Oudolf 'Jinny's genius is to marry a beautiful vision to an extraordinary empathy with the landscape into which that vision will fit, resulting in a pastoral harmony second to none' Victoria, Lady Getty Prolific designer Jinny Blom embraces a wide variety of styles, from large garden spaces to formal walled gardensand contemporary installations. What defines her work is her skill with plants and her ability to create a garden that responds to the history of the site and the wider landscape. The gardens Jinny creates are as different as their owners and their locations. In this book, Jinny shares her insight into the creative process she has developed while designing more than 250 gardens around the world. The Thoughtful Gardener contains modern takes on traditional forms, and is split into six sections: seeing, understanding, structuring, harmonising, rooting, and liberating. All of Jinny's gardens share a commitment to beautiful craftsmanship and considered planting. Structure and detail are important, and receive close attention. The styles vary considerably - logical, calm, beautiful, romantic, naturalistic, formal, sometimes spare - but the principles remain firm. Jinny designs for the long term, with consideration for the environment; these gardens are built to last. Reflecting Jinny's highly individual character, there is plenty of wit and quirkiness alongside the expert knowledge, and it will appeal to the widest audience of garden lovers. Thoughtful and beautiful, yet practical and informative, this book marries artistry with functionality.

In The New Southern Garden Cookbook, Sheri Castle aims to make "what's in season" the answer to "what's for dinner?" This timely cookbook, with dishes for omnivores and vegetarians alike, celebrates and promotes delicious, healthful homemade meals centered on the diverse array of seasonal fruits and vegetables grown in the South, and in most of the rest of the nation as well. Increased attention to the health benefits and environmental advantages of eating locally, Castle notes, is inspiring Americans to partake of the garden by raising their own kitchen plots, visiting area farmers' markets and pick-your-own farms, and signing up for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes from local growers. The New Southern Garden Cookbook offers over 300 brightly flavored recipes that will inspire beginning and experienced cooks, southern or otherwise, to take advantage of seasonal delights. Castle has organized the cookbook alphabetically by type of vegetable or fruit, building on the premise that when cooking with fresh produce, the ingredient, not the recipe, is the wiser starting point. While some dishes are inspired by traditional southern recipes, many reveal the goodness of gardens in new, contemporary ways. Peppered with tips, hints, and great stories, these pages make for good food and a good read.

Of the 25,000 known species of bee worldwide, only seven species are honeybees. Bees and plants have a sophisticated and delicate symbiosis. In recent years, the shrinking of green spaces has endangered the honeybee. Now Planting for Honeybees shows you how you can help these delightful pollinators to flourish by creating a garden as a habitat for them. No matter how small or large your space - from a window ledge in the city to a country garden - Sarah Wyndham Lewis offers practical advice on which plants to grow, and when and where to plant them. Charmingly illustrated with delicate drawings, this a jewel of a guide to treasure.

In an increasingly hectic world, Plantfulness is a guide to help you reconnect with nature while reaching for a peaceful and mindful life. Finding the perfect houseplant for you can be daunting, particularly for those who feel like they have a black touch rather than a green thumb, but Plantfulness guides you through 50 houseplants which can give back to you in a symbiotic relationship which allows you both to thrive. Featuring the practical benefits, from cleaner air and beautiful scents, to the emotional ones, like creative inspiration and a daily sense of accomplishment for caring for them, Plantfulness is the perfect choice for anyone wishing to improve their wellbeing and enjoy nature from the comfort of their home. An internationally respected expert on mindfulness and houseplant enthusiast, Dr Jonathan Kaplan works as a clinical psychologist in New York City. He lives with his wife, 2 kids, 2 cats, and asparagus fern Rhonda.

Seed to Seed is a complete seed-saving guide that describes specific techniques for saving the seeds of 160 different vegetables. This book contains detailed information about each vegetable, including its botanical classification, flower structure and means of pollination, required population size, isolation distance, techniques for caging or hand-pollination, and also the proper methods for harvesting, drying, cleaning, and storing the seeds.

Seed to Seed is widely acknowledged as the best guide available for home gardeners to learn effective ways to produce and store seeds on a small scale. The author has grown seed crops of every vegetable featured in the book, and has thoroughly researched and tested all of the techniques she recommends for the home garden.

This newly updated and greatly expanded Second Edition includes additional information about how to start each vegetable from seed, which has turned the book into a complete growing guide. Local knowledge about seed starting techniques for each vegetable has been shared by expert gardeners from seven regions of the United States-Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast/Gulf Coast, Midwest, Southwest, Central West Coast, and Northwest.

While tomatoes continue to be one of the most widely grown plants, the production and distribution of tomato fruits have been changing worldwide. Smaller, flavorful tomatoes are becoming more popular than beefsteak tomatoes, greenhouse-grown tomatoes have entered the marketplace, and home gardeners are using the Internet to obtain information for growing tomatoes. Encompassing these changes, Tomato Plant Culture: In the Field, Greenhouse, and Home Garden, Second Edition clearly presents the characteristics, nutritional information, environmental requirements, and production aspects of tomato plants and fruits. Authored by one of the foremost experts in hydroponics, the book outlines the history of the tomato plant and fruit and delves into the author's personal experiences with tomato plant cultivation. It discusses the characteristics and composition of the plant as well as seedling and seed production. The author elucidates the physical features of the fruit and the mineral nutrition of the plant. He also examines the physical and chemical characteristics of soils most desirable for plant growth, makes fertilizer recommendations, and explores the factors involved in greenhouse tomato production. In addition, the book looks at ways to identify and control plant diseases and insect pests. With scientific data, trivia, and troubleshooting advice, this technical yet accessible book enables scientists, commercial growers, and home gardeners to cultivate a successful crop of tomatoes.

Recent nationwide recalls of spinach due to E. coli contamination and peanut butter due to Salmonella, make the emerging development of "active" and "intelligent" packaging crucial for consumer safety and quality assurance. Now that it is possible to make packaging that can detect and inform consumers of contamination, as well as prevent or reduce the growth of human foodborne pathogens, the food packaging and safety industry needs a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-science and future directions of this widely important field. Drawing on the research of a diverse group of scientists and pioneers in the field, Intelligent and Active Packaging for Fruits and Vegetables explores the new technology and applications used to bring fresh, safe, nutritious produce to the consumer. It explains Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) and its use in packaging fruits and vegetables, as well as, fish and meat. It includes variations and advances on MAP such as high vapor-permeable films, and demonstrates modeling techniques to assist in the prediction and selection of packaging type. The book contains a chapter on the trends, opportunities, and challenges of RFID temperature monitoring in food packaging. It also considers the interaction between container and food product, as well as the use of non-toxic insect repellent plastics. There is a chapter on the regulatory implications of the use of nanotechnology in food packaging. Finally, the book discusses consumer perception, the specific needs of developing countries, and current implementation inEurope. Explaining the very latest in packaging technology and opening areas for future research, Intelligent and Active Packaging for Fruits andVegetables provides an excellent knowledge base from which to revolutionize the delivery of safe and nutritious food.

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!

As the earth's neighbour, the moon affects not only ocean tides but also the growth and development of plants. In this finely illustrated, full-colour book - packed with practical tips for the novice as well as the advanced gardener - Peter Berg offers a clear summary of the basics of lunar and biodynamic gardening, together with in-depth sections on: activating and enlivening the soil; biodynamic preparations; making good compost; crop rotation and green manuring; cultivation work and care of the garden; practical plant protection; rich harvesting; saving your own seed. Building on the the intensive research of his mentor Maria Thun and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, Berg explains how the subtle influences from the cosmos work on the plant world, distinguishing between 'root', 'leaf', 'blossom' and 'fruit' days in the working calendar. An understanding of such natural processes, in conjunction with the practical knowledge described in this book, can lead to productive, chemical-free gardening, with healthy plants and abundant harvests.

The ultimate indoor gardening book, this guide offers inspiration and instruction for creating vibrant in-home gardens and caring for your houseplants With plentiful images and a distinctly modern and sophisticated feel, this book imparts both easy-to-follow advice and creative garden-design inspiration. Whether you are looking to pick a statement plant for your living room, create a terrarium centerpiece, or arrange an artful display of air plants, this book will provide the tools you need. You'll be tempted to thumb through it again and again-for both resource and relaxation. The Inspired Houseplant includes: * Plant Basics: beginner-friendly plant care info * Plant Guide: profiles of popular indoor plants * Plant Projects: fun, easy projects with major wow factor (including trending designs like terrariums, air plants, marimo and other underwater gardens, kokedama, mounted staghorn ferns, and edible herbs) * Plant Style: ways to use plants in interior design for every style from Desert Boho to Midcentury Modern

Keep your house plants alive and thriving with this illustrated, accessible guide to popular house plants for new and experienced plant-parents alike. Many new gardeners are finally starting to understand why bringing the outside indoors is so appealing. From improving home decor to mental health, plants have so many benefits. But keeping them alive (and most importantly, thriving) isn't always easy! What does it mean if your plant has brown tips? Rotting roots? Yellow leaves? The list goes on. Don't you just wish your plants could communicate what's wrong and how to fix it? What Is My Plant Telling Me? answers all your plant-based questions making it the perfect companion for anyone interested in keeping their plants looking their best. This illustrated guide to the fifty most popular house plants will show you how to: -Speak your plant's language -Identify classic distress signals -Intervene successfully to keep your plants thriving for years to come -Choose plants that work best for your space -Pick the best locations within your home to keep your new plants -Identify the pot size needed when you want to replant -And more! Whether you're interested in growing a cactus, orchid, or even the popular Fiddle Leaf Fig, this book is the perfect guide to deciphering the message your plant is telling you and what you can do to revive it.

A beautifully illustrated and unique history of the rose-the "queen of flowers"-in art, medicine, cuisine, and more "From noted rosarian Peter Kukielski comes this unique and handsome book that traces the many ways that roses have captured human imagination throughout the history of civilization."-Meghan Shinn, Horticulture "I would recommend Rosa as a gift for anyone who loves flowers, although once purchased you would find it hard to pass on!"-Judith Blacklock, Flora Magazine Few flowers have quite the same allure or as significant a place in history as the rose. A symbol of love, power, royalty, beauty, and joy, the rose has played many roles, both literal and symbolic, in poetry, art, literature, music, fashion, medicine, perfume, decoration, cuisine, and more. In this beautifully illustrated guide, award-winning horticulturist Peter E. Kukielski and his coauthor, Charles Phillips, tell the fascinating and many-layered history of this "queen of flowers." The book explores many stories from the long association of roses with human societies, from their first cultivation-likely in China some five thousand years ago-to their modern genetic cultivars. It shows how roses have been prominent across time and many cultures, including ancient Greece and Rome, Christianity, Islam, and Sufism. The book, with more than 140 color illustrations, offers a unique look at the essential contributions that roses have made throughout human history.

Interior decorating just got a green thumb! Harness the beauty of plants, leaves and foliage--green decor--in this unique collection of 40 nature projects that are fun, easy and inexpensive to make. Six of Japan's leading floral and plant designers offer a range of ideas to turn found and foraged materials into stunning arrangements and displays. With these visionary stylists as your guides, a few materials you already have at home and easy-to-obtain tools, you'll be able to: Create charming glass-encased air plants and spoon-based succulents Weave, bend and stack leaves and fronds into eye-catching arrangements Style your own one-of-a-kind leaf fashion accessories, from corsages to bracelets Create living jewelry and one-of-a-kind plant handbags Make a signature leaf tapestry and leaf wrapping paper And much, much more! This book features over 250 gorgeous photographs and straightforward, step-by-step instructions that show you how to turn your surroundings into a verdant showcase for nature's beauty.

What gardener hasn't been disappointed with borders after spring blooms have faded? Designing a garden with the focus on flowers is missing half the fun, according to the author, an expert plantswoman and popular horticultural educator. Working on the premise that the form of the leaf is the most important design element, Glattstein explains the basic leaf shapes and how to balance them pleasingly. Color also adds dimension to plantings, and Glattstein includes individual chapters focusing on specific tonal palettes. Each chapter is filled with plant suggestions and hints for successfully incorporating foliage into the garden. More than 110 photographs illustrate foliage effects, from subtle to dramatic. This lively and information-rich book will benefit gardeners and landscape designers alike.

The story of how plants and flowers have shaped interior design for over 200 years From ferns in 19th-century British parlors to contemporary "living walls" in commercial spaces, plants and flowers have long been incorporated into the design of public and private spaces. Spanning two centuries, Nature Inside explores the history and popularity of indoor plants, revealing the close relationship between architecture, interior design, and nature. Studying the international modern interior through the lens of plants in the human environment, author Penny Sparke attributes a degree of the interest in indoor plants to urbanization, and, more recently, the climate crisis, which serve as ongoing reminders that people must maintain a connection to, and respect for, the natural world. While architectural and interior design styles have evolved alongside the popularity of various plant species, the human need to bring nature indoors has remained constant.

Squashes and pumpkins come in many shapes and sizes, and they are particularly tasty when home-grown and eaten soon after harvesting. In this book, the main types are described and illustrated, from marrows and pattypan squashes to butternut squashes and cucumbers. There is key advice on growing and caring for each type, how to harvest and store them, and how to keep plants in good condition by dealing with any pests and diseases. There is also advice on how to carve squashes and pumpkins to make lanterns and other decorations. The book provides reliable information for all gardeners who would like to experiment with new varieties.

Gardening in Summer Dry Climates is the definitive guide for gardeners who want a lush, colourful garden that will thrive in a summer-dry climate - an area defined by wet winters and dry summers. This hardworking book teaches gardeners how plants adapt to the climate and how to design for summer drought and winter wet. Information includes details about topography and climate, advice for gardening in the age of wildfire, and suggestions for embracing wildness and change. An A-to-Z of plants includes a colour photograph, details on each plant's origin, water and drainage needs, and notes on sun and shade. Lists of plants for special places and conditions are especially valuable for trips to the garden centre.