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.

Become a Skilled Doctor of Plant Care!

This easy-to-use reference fully explains more than 50 of the most common plant diseases -- where they occur, what they look like, what to do about them, and the long-term prognosis for the affected plants. Most important, gardening expert Barbara Pleasant recommends proven organic methods for controlling each disease.

The Gardener's Guide to Plant Diseases features:

-- Informal encyclopedia style, making information and answers very easy to find.

-- Illustrations that show the techniques for distinguishing between look-alike symptoms of different diseases.

-- Cross-referenced list of common vegetables and fruits and the diseases most apt to affect them.

-- Loads of facts on symptoms and tips for detecting diseases (including those diseases that are often too small to see).

-- Simple, inexpensive organic treatments to halt the spread of each disease and prevent its recurrence.

Sempervivum have long fascinated gardeners and are useful plants for gardening situations in which other plants might fail. Many people are aware of only a single, rather uninteresting green cultivar, but selections from the wild and the work of hybridizers have resulted in over 7,000 cultivars with a range in size from 1/2 in. to over one foot in diameter and colors from gold to black. Clearly the gardener has never had a better choice. This book covers all aspects of their history, taxonomy, culture, propagation, hybridizing, people involved in the production of Sempervivum, and a long list of cultivars that are recommended for the gardener. Color illustrations show not only the cultivars, but garden uses and cultural practices.

This book shows you how to create a garden with glorious colour in every season, with 130 photographs. You can enjoy vibrant beds and borders throughout the year, with practical advice and ideas for stunning combinations. It features easy-to-follow instructions for seasonal gardening tasks - from sowing seeds to overwintering flowers - and details of when plants are at their best. It features planting ideas for low-maintenance, seasonal interest using perennials, bulbs, berries, foliage, stems, evergreen shrubs, heathers, grasses and conifers. It includes a simple reference chart giving planting and flowering times for many common garden plants. As the year progresses, different types of plant come into their own. Bulbs begin to open in spring, hardy perennials make stunning statements in summer, foliage turns golden in the fall, and shrubs provide interest during the winter months. Discovering which plants are at their best at which times is the secret to ensuring a continuous display, and this book is full of expert instructions for providing successional colour all year long. Season by season, the book suggests plants for colour, as well as listing the main jobs that need to be done in the garden. Illustrated with over 130 beautiful photographs, the book guarantees permanent interest throughout the year.

Dig into gardening, no matter the size of your space. This innovative gardening book will show you how to maximise even the smallest of gardening space so you can grow fruit and vegetables, in abundance, at home! This gardening guide for beginners includes everything you need to know about container gardening and square foot gardening. Inside, you'll find: - Projects for all types of gardening spaces: small beds and plots, balconies, roof gardens, windowsills, walls, and patios - Key techniques, such as sowing seeds and assessing soil, are shown with step-by-step photos - Practical advice that is easy for beginners to understand - Planting recipes for sun and shade suggest combinations to suit any gardener - A-Z plant guide provides growing information for more than 70 vegetables, fruits, and herbs No garden? No problem! Whether you're in a small apartment or up in a high rise flat, Grow All You Can Eat In Three Square Feet will help you get the most out of your space. It's packed with step-by-step instructions, full-colour photographs and easy-to-read diagrams to help you get your hands dirty and your garden growing. From growing tomatoes in window boxes to sowing raised beds that will be beautiful all year round, you'll discover clever ideas and plenty of inspiration to start and sustain your very own vegetable garden. It also includes expert gardening tips on choosing the right plants for your specific space and how to grow them successfully. It's the perfect gift for urban gardeners who want to start growing a bounty of fresh vegetables right on their balcony or kitchen windowsill.

The National Trust looks after many of Britain's most important and beloved buildings - its sheds. They lurk in the shadow of grand country houses; they brave the elements on the tops of cliffs; they have inspired famous writers and housed everything from beehives to birdwatchers. These beautiful, inspiring and eccentric structures are as individual as their owners. A Victorian coastal shed in Cornwall is where the Reverend Hawker went to write verse, and smoke opium. It's also the smallest building cared for by the National Trust. George Bernard Shaw's shed could be rotated throughout the day to make the most of the sun, while sculptor Barbara Hepworth used hers for napping in. Rather than a place in which to create, many of these sheds are the creation. Alongside the literary writing dens and horticultural hideaways there are also floating sheds, coastguards' sheds, artists' studios, summer houses, beach huts, camping pods, bothies, teahouses, follies and much more.

A beautifully illustrated guide to the marvellous and varied world of trees, and a fascinating introduction to the hidden secrets of 52 British species. Botanist and ecologist Ros Bennett has spent a lifetime helping people understand and identify plants and always hoped her daughter Nell would grow up to share her love of the natural world. During Nell's childhood years they spent much time exploring the local woods together. Here, Nell discovered the visual and tactile beauty of trees. In Tree-spotting, Ros and Nell have combined their backgrounds and talents to show you - through Ros's extensive experience and Nell's exquisite illustrations - how to identify 52 British trees simply and confidently. A beautiful and captivating insight into the wonderful world of trees, Tree-spotting burrows down into the history and hidden secrets of each species. It explores how our relationship with trees can be very personal, and will bring you closer to the natural world around you.

Over the past four or five years in the UK, the grow-your-own phenomenon has meant that more and more people have been producing their own food. From salads and root crops to apples, cucumbers, squashes and strawberries, home-grown food is enjoyed in ever-increasing quantities. And why not? Growing your own provides exercise, nutritious food, and gardeners can choose their favourite varieties for taste or yield. But what about those who want to grow their own, but perhaps have a small garden, and do not want to lose its decorative appeal? How can they combine growing their own food with flowers and colour? Growing for Food and Colour shows that it really is possible to cultivate fruits, vegetables and herbs alongside flowers - and that the beauty of the garden can be enhanced rather than compromised by productive plants. Following the advice in this book will enable the reader to enjoy home-grown food that is fresher, healthier and tastier - but which also looks fantastic.

-- Guide to 74 outstanding tropical flowering trees that will grow in Florida's subtropical climate
-- Add this full-color book to your collection of horticultural books: it contains spectacular photos of species listed in obscure technical journals without photos to do them justice
-- Written for both the seasoned arborist and the weekend gardener alike
-- Includes the Latin name and pronunciation as well as the common name for each tree listed
-- Practical cultivation tips and advice on caring for the flowering trees in your neck of the woods, including information on soil conditions, pruning, watering, and feeding
-- Temperature trend charts, a zone map, a handy glossary, and a bibliography round out this complete guide

Englishman Frederick William Burbidge (1847-1905) was a legendary and intrepid collector of tropical orchids, traveling in Borneo, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Australia, and the Fiji Islands in search of specimens. His experience trying to cultivate these tropical plants in more temperate regions led him to publish ""Cool Orchids"" in 1874, which focused on successful orchid growing in cooler climates. More than 20 black-and-white illustrations accompany the text.

Life with a potted plant is undeniably better. And better yet is the ability to grow and replicate new, healthy houseplants without ever having to visit a garden centre again. Learn to share, swap and celebrate the miraculous methods of multiplying all of your favourites at almost no cost at all.

And here's the secret: it's really, really easy.

Plants are designed to multiply. They spread their roots, send off inquisitive shoots, and regenerate themselves in all sorts of exciting and unexpected ways without any help. Even for the beginner indoor gardener, a single leaf can hold enough life to be successfully grown into a brand new plant.

With Root, Nurture, Grow, you'll quickly discover how to propagate any houseplant, take cuttings, cultivate runners and offsets, divide plants at the roots and even grow brand new root systems in the air. You'll learn pruning methods that produce no waste, organic rooting medium recipes, and eventually enjoy gifting and swapping newly grown greenery with friends, family and other houseplant hoarders you'll meet along the way.

As well as myriad propagation methods, the book includes practical DIY projects to better nurture and display your plant family, including a homemade propagation chamber and simple self-watering planters.

This is a directory of varieties and how to cultivate them successfully. It is an illustrated gardener's guide to the different varieties of herbs, their history and cooking uses. It offers step-by-step instructions for planting herbs outdoors and indoors, growing from seed, taking cuttings, harvesting, drying and storing. It offers practical advice on cultivating basil, bay, caraway, chervil, dill, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory and thyme. It includes helpful hints on how to avoid common pests and diseases, and what to do when problems occur. Growing your own herbs is immensely rewarding, providing fresh materials for use in recipes and home remedies, as well as creating attractive and fragrant areas in the garden. All the main types of herbs are described and illustrated in this beautiful handbook. There is step-by-step advice on planting outdoors and indoors, growing in containers, growing from seed, taking cuttings, dividing plants, and harvesting and storing. The book shows how to maintain and care for each type of herb, including when and where to plant them, and how to keep them in tip-top condition.It is a must for any gardener who wants to grow these wonderfully aromatic plants.

GARDEN MEDIA GUILD PRACTICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2012 Fruit and vegetables have formed a fundamental part of the Scottish diet for thousands of years. This fascinating and practical book explores the history of fruit, vegetable and herb growing in Scotland, and provides a contemporary guide to the best techniques for growing produce, whether in a garden, allotment, patio or window box. Packed with hundreds of colour photographs, drawings and descriptive diagrams, this is a detailed and comprehensive bible for the gardener. In addition to advice on climate and soil conditions, it has contacts for organisations, specialist societies, nurseries and suppliers, as well as a detailed bibliography and list of useful websites. This is an essential reference book for anyone aiming to get the best possible results from their garden produce north of the border.

Winner of The 2008 Jane Grigson Award, issued by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Winner of the 2008 Cordon d' Or Culinary Literature - History Culinary Academy Award. This is the story of the bean, the staple food cultivated by humans for over 10,000 years. From the lentil to the soybean, every civilization on the planet has cultivated its own species of bean. The humble bean has always attracted attention - from Pythagoras' notion that the bean hosted a human soul to St. Jerome's indictment against bean-eating in convents (because they "tickle the genitals"), to current research into the deadly toxins contained in the most commonly eaten beans. Over time, the bean has been both scorned as "poor man's meat" and praised as health-giving, even patriotic. Attitudes to this most basic of foodstuffs have always revealed a great deal about a society. Beans: A History takes the reader on a fascinating journey across cuisines and cultures.

Never kill another orchid - give them a happy life! Learn how to keep your orchids flowering beautifully, year after year, with advice from an RHS Gold Medal-winning orchid grower. And discover sensational new varieties to add to your collection. Did you know that many orchids hate being in direct sunlight? Or that most orchids have a crucial dormant period when their care needs change? Happy Orchid dispels the myths around orchid care, starting with a simple, step-by-step introduction that offers tips on buying orchids and demonstrates all the essential growing techniques, including how to plant, what feed to give them - orchids are fussy eaters! - and how to water and maintain humidity. Discover more than 120 illustrated profiles of the most desirable orchids to grow: graceful Phalaenopsis, delicate Dendrobium, spectacular Cymbidium and many more varieties. Each profiled orchid lets you know exactly what they need for optimum growth, including where best to place them, how often they need repotting, how to prolong flowering and encourage reflowering. With this book as your guide, you will quickly become an expert on how to grow orchids and be inspired to fill your home with these striking, colourful beauties.

It's wonderful to grow your own fruit and vegetables but what do you do when it all ripens at once? How do you cope with the glut which threatens to overwhelm you? Will help all those who grow their own fruit and vegetables to store their produce properly so that it will last for months and feed the family when the garden's bare. Easy and practical advice on how to bottle, dry, freeze and even salt home grown fruit and vegetables. Discover the taste of your delicious homemade jams, chutneys and ketchups. John and Val Harrison reveal just what you can do with that bountiful harvest and share their 30 years' experience of growing fruit and vegetables and you'll never waste another tomato or courgette again. Praise for John Harrison: 'Britain's greatest allotment authority'. Indpendent on Sunday.

The authors recommend a selection of classic and new fern cultivars. They focus on designing with ferns in a range of garden settings and combining them with companion plants. This book includes an extensive plant list with 100 of the top-performing varieties, inspiring photography and a useful list of the best places to see and buy ferns.

"Created by the National Rose Society (England), this 1905 handbook is a concise, practical guide to the art and science of pruning roses."

A hands-on guide to using flower essences in magick, spellcraft, alchemy, and healing * Provides detailed instructions for making single-flower essences and magickal and therapeutic essence blends * Shares new magickal uses for flower essences, from creating sacred space to dressing candles to preparing incense, as well as how to use essences in meditation, potions, spells, spagyrics, and ritual * Includes a detailed directory of 100 flower and plant essences, complete with astrological, elemental, and magickal correspondences In this practical guide to using flower essences in witchcraft, alchemy, and healing, Nicholas Pearson provides detailed instructions for making and using flower essences based on traditional Western magick practices. He shares new uses for essences--from creating sacred space to dressing candles to preparing incense--and explains how to use them in meditation, potions, spells, spagyrics, and ritual. He shares exercises for connecting more deeply to the energies of the green world and exploring how essences can be used in traditional sacraments of witchcraft like the Great Rite. In the hands-on formulary, the author provides recipes for essence combinations for the eight sabbats and formulas based on familiar blends like traditional flying ointments of European witchcraft. He shares his method for creating flower essence spagyrics--alchemical preparations made from the body, mind, and soul of the plant that offer the highest vibrational potency for therapeutic and spiritual uses. Pearson also provides a detailed directory of 100 flower and plant essences, complete with astrological, elemental, and magickal correspondences and the therapeutic indications for each essence. Weaving together magickal herbalism, traditional plant lore, and flower essence therapy, this guide allows you to see flower essences not just as vibrational remedies but also as powerful tools for transformation, magick, and spiritual practice.

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.

Climbing plants constitute a huge, and largely untapped, resource for today's gardeners. Because their habit of growth is primarily vertical, they can be used for utilitarian as well as ornamental purposes: providing privacy, screening eyesores and clothing garden structures, but also furnishing aesthetically pleasing masses of flowers or greenery and drawing the eye upward. In this comprehensive reference, renowned horticulturist Allan Armitage selects and profiles more than 115 of the most useful and attractive climbing plants for a wide range of sites and conditions. Try these climbing plants and add an extra dimension to your garden-literally.