A testament to the influential nature of educational and community gardening programs for teens Part engaging conversation, part comprehensive fieldwork, Growing a Life demonstrates just how influential educational and community gardening programs can be for young teens. Follow author Illene Pevec as she travels from rural Colorado to inner city New York, agrarian New Mexico to Oakland, California, in order to study youth gardening and the benefits it contributes to at-risk teen lives. Extensive research, supplemented by beautifully candid interviews with students, illustrate the life altering physical and mental benefits that mentored gardening programs can provide. Giving readers the opportunity to examine the largely unexplored topic of urban gardening, the programs discussed present models for future educational and community based gardens. Each destination brings with it an abundance of programs geared toward educating teens by giving them the tools they will need in order to have fruitful futures. With an emphasis on positive psychology, Growing a Life delves into the minds of underprivileged teens and what gardening means to them.

It's been more than forty years since the second edition of this landmark guide to the preservation and restoration of gardens and landscapes at historic sites was published. Since the last edition came out, author Rudy Favretti, the nation's foremost authority in this area, has worked on many significant sites including both Monticello and Mount Vernon. New to this edition are: *Personal case studies from the authors' extensive experience in landscape restoration-preservation * An in-depth look complete with color images of the archaeological excavations at Bacon's Castle and Monticello in Virginia *Seventy-three illustrations including eight color photos *An enlarged and comprehensive bibliography *Fully updated and added chapters based on new and emerging information in the field Further, Landscape and Gardens for Historic Buildings covers a wide array of topics including researching and planning, maintaining restored landscapes, identifying authentic flora, and selecting the right historical period, or a series of periods to show the evolution of the historic landscape.

This unique book of over 325 full color photographs takes you into a little-known world of magic, mystery, and color, behind the walls of some of the most exclusive living areas in Mexico. Here you can see what typical visitors are forbidden; a world created by each of the homeowners. As an invited guest, you will witness the ingenuity of Mexican workers with a bent for the exotic, as no two gardens are alike. The variety and creative effort highlights the richness of Mexican architecture that has not diminished with time. Take a trip to Mexicos private gardens and patios through seventeen chapters that illustrate outdoor living and dining rooms, rooftop terraces and shelters, garden walks and sculpture, outdoor fireplaces, and gardens, all in colors of the rainbow. Be inspired to include a Mexican environment into your next outdoor project.

This complete guide gives all the information you need to choose, grow, and appreciate the beardless iris-from basic planting information to help beginners, to the essential hybridizing details that horticulturists need. Beardless irises are cousins of the more familiar bearded irises, but are much more variable, with plants ranging from four-inch-tall dwarfs with tiny flowers to five-foot stalks with dinner-plate-size flowers. In addition, beardless irises of at least one type will grow in virtually every gardening situation from dry shade to standing water in full sun. No other group of perennials offers such versatility. Here, all five major groups are covered in detail: Siberian, Japanese, Pacific Coast Native, spuria, and Louisiana. The garden uses, development of the modern hybrids, and recommended cultures are given for each of the diverse groups of beardless irises. In addition, a separate chapter covers the techniques for creating your own beardless hybrids.

*** 'Bellamy makes gardening seem simple, expressive and joyful. Anyone can do it.' - Evening Standard 'Offers a fresh take on gardening in small spaces.' - Countryside Grow 5 reveals a brilliantly simple, fast way to make a beautiful garden, whether you have a small plot or a handful of pots. With 52 planting 'recipes' using a palette of just five plants, you can create: - a low-carbon flower garden for a changing climate - a micro-meadow in a city space - an urban garden inspired by an ancient woodland - high notes of colour in a tiny courtyard - a stylized slice of nature in a pot This practical and inspirational book by award-winning garden expert Lucy Bellamy and photographer Jason Ingram includes more than 100 of the newest and best plants and how to use them through the seasons.

The re-creation of the great garden at Hatfield House has been one of the most exciting and closely observed garden enterprises of the last thirty years. Now, at last, it is recorded and displayed in this revelatory book. Sue Snell has been photographing there for years, and with the help of the dowager Marchioness she now presents the fruit of her labours in a book that will excite and amaze all who have an interest in one of Britain's greatest gardens - now once again worthy of its great architectural, botanical and historical heritage. There will be an exhibition of Sue Snell's work at the Museum of Garden History to coincide with publication.

"Grow Now is an earth manual that applies to everyone, everywhere. Regenerating life begins with our hands, the soil, and our heart. Take this book and go outside, stay outside, and transform." --Paul Hawken, author of Drawdown and Regeneration Did you know you can have a garden that's equal parts food source and wildlife haven? In Grow Now, Emily Murphy shares easy-to-follow principles for regenerative gardening that foster biodiversity and improve soil health. She also shows how every single yard mirrors and connects to the greater ecosystem around us. No-dig growing, composting and mulching smartly, and planting a variety of edible perennials that attract bees and butterflies are all commonsense techniques everyone can use to grow positive change. You'll also find detailed advice on increasing your nature quotient, choosing plants that cycle more carbon back into the soil, selecting a broader variety of vegetables and fruits to improve overall soil fertility, rethinking space devoted to lawns, and adding companion plants for pollinators to rewild any plot of land. Exquisitely photographed and filled with helpful lists and sidebars, Grow Now is an actionable, hopeful, and joyful roadmap for growing our way to individual climate contributions. Gardening is climate activism!

In The Cabaret of Plants, Mabey explores the plant species which have challenged our imaginations, awoken our wonder, and upturned our ideas about history, science, beauty and belief. Picked from every walk of life, they encompass crops, weeds, medicines, religious gathering-places and a water lily named after a queen. Beginning with pagan cults and creation myths, the cultural significance of plants has burst upwards, sprouting into forms as diverse as the panacea (the cure-all plant ginseng, a single root of which can cost up to $10,000), Newton's apple, the African 'vegetable elephant' or boabab - and the mystical, night-flowering Amazonian cactus, the moonflower. Ranging widely across science, art and cultural history, poetry and personal experience, Mabey puts plants centre stage, and reveals a true botanical cabaret, a world of tricksters, shape-shifters and inspired problem-solvers, as well as an enthralled audience of romantics, eccentric amateur scientists and transgressive artists. The Cabaret of Plants celebrates the idea that plants are not simply 'the furniture of the planet', but vital, inventive, individual beings worthy of respect - and that to understand this may be the best way of preserving life together on Earth.

Take a tour of historic California garden design via this classic book. Released in 1914 the book offered yesterdays reader ways to plan and beautify the city lot, suburban grounds, and country estate. For todays historic home owner, there are 50 garden plans and 103 illustrations of actual gardens from photographs taken by the author. Of special interest are photos of outdoor furniture, lighting, and trellises. This book is a wealth of imagery and ideas about Arts & Crafts era sensibilities, Japanese gardens, and Mission-influenced landscape design.

Just how productive can one small vegetable garden be? More productive than one might think! Colin McCrate and Brad Halm, former CSA growers and current owners of the Seattle Urban Farm Company, help readers boost their garden productivity by teaching them how to plan carefully, maximize production in every bed, get the most out of every plant, scale up systems to maximize efficiency, and expand the harvest season with succession planting, intercropping, and season extension. Along with chapters devoted to the Five Tenets of a Productive Gardener (Plan Well to Get the Most from Your Garden; Maximize Production in Each Bed; Get the Most out of Every Plant; Scale up Tools and Systems for Efficiency; and Expand and Extend the Harvest), the book contains interactive tools that home gardeners can use to assist them in determining how, when, and what to plant; evaluating crop health; and planning and storing the harvest. For today's vegetable gardeners who want to grow as much of their own food as possible, this guide offers expert advice and strategies for cultivating a garden that supplies what they need.

To create a garden that gives pleasure throughout the year is the goal of every garden-maker. The greatest designers maintain that it is the garden in winter that sets the scene for the remainder of the year. Designing and Creating a Winter Garden takes the reader through the process of designing a new garden from scratch or re-working an existing garden, with winter as the key, formative season. The first part of the book deals with design considerations and ideas, including: assessing the site and its opportunities and constraints; designing the basic framework for winter; making use of low, winter light and using sparkling colour; pots, containers and statuary in the garden, and finally the maintenance of the garden in winter. The second part comprises a detailed catalogue of suggested plants and their uses, grouped into: evergreens; winter-flowering trees, shrubs and perennials, including those that are strongly scented; shrubs with coloured and textured bark and finally, unusual, striking plants to use as focal points. This book sets out to inspire both garden designers and enthusiastic gardeners to create a garden that is as captivating in winter as it is during the remainder of the year.

In this book, pioneering nurseryman Olivier Filippi offers low-level planting designs that are eco-friendly and so beautiful they redefine the conventional distinction between lawn and plant borders. Inspired by the wild plant communities of Europe, the Middle East, and the USA, these rigorously trialled plant combinations can be used on terraces, paths, gravel beds and flower borders, as well as on areas that are traditionally laid to lawn. With a plant directory that lists over 200 tough but beautiful dry garden plants and Filippi's innovative maintenance techniques, this is the perfect companion to his first book The Dry Gardening Handbook and will delight all dry garden owners.

Offering a broad perspective on how to make the best of the precious resource of water in your garden, this book reveals how conserving water in your garden does not necessarily restrict the gardener to dry gravel beds, but can also involve lawns, leafy crops, and flowery borders. Topics covered include the natural science of water-efficient gardening, choosing a style and design, water-efficient plants, and techniques to save on water.

Improve your growing techniques with this handy reference. Easy-to-read instructions show the best methods for sowing and growing trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, alpines, and vegetables. From the easiest potato to the trickiest alpine, all the advice on healthy planting is included.

What can I do? Gardeners are asking themselves and experts this question with increasing urgency about the deer that threaten their carefully cultivated lawns and gardens. With the increased development of suburban and rural land and the lack of natural predators, deer populations are exploding and living closer to humans than ever before and they're nibbling on more beloved blooms as well. How can the deer be stopped? What plants are safe? Peter Loewer has the answers in Solving Deer Problems. In this manual, he addresses several key topics, including plants that will withstand a whitetail attack, chemicals that can safely be used as deer repellants, fences that will keep deer away from those choice garden beds, trapping and relocating cervids and other garden pests, and numerous tricks to keep the pesky creatures out of your yard. Peter also discusses the less-prominent threat of deer-borne diseases and ticks and how to protect yourself and your pets. He even touches on car vs. deer collisions and how you can prepare yourself to achieve the best outcome incase a deer is ever caught in your headlights. Don't wait until your prize flowers, vegetables, or shrubs are a deer's meal. Pick up Solving Deer Problems for all the clear answers on what you can do about your deer problem.

A fun, gifty guide to growing and caring for the top 50 houseplants! Houseplants are more popular than ever: as expert writer and gardening enthusiast Heather Rodino notes, "plants have demonstrated therapeutic value, clean the air, and are an affordable way of decorating, adding beauty to your home, and making even the smallest rented space feel like your own." She offers a lighthearted, colorfully illustrated overview of caring for your indoor garden, profiling 50 of the most popular houseplants, from the Boston fern and the fiddle-leaf fig to the moth orchid. Her accessible advice on handling pests and diseases, troubleshooting problems, and assessing your growing conditions, will give novices the confidence they need to begin nurturing their own collection. Tips and list detail everything from which plants are pet-friendly to the top five plants for frequent travelers.

'Clever... valuable introduction to the study of plant science.' - Gardeners Illustrated RHS Botany for Gardeners is more than just a useful reference book on the science of botany and the language of horticulture - it is a practical, hands-on guide that will help gardeners understand how plants grow, what affects their performance, and how to get better results. Illustrated throughout with beautiful botanical prints and simple diagrams, RHS Botany for Gardeners provides easy-to-understand explanations of over 3,000 botanical words and terms, and show how these can be applied to everyday gardening practice. For easy navigation, the book is divided into thematic chapters covering everything from Plant Pests, and further subdivided into useful headings such as 'Seed Sowing' and 'Pruning'. 'Botany in Action' boxes provide instantly accessible practical tips and advice, and feature spreads profile the remarkable individuals who collected, studied and illustrated the plants that we grow today. Aided by this book, gardeners will unlock the wealth of information that lies within the intriguing world of botanical science - and their gardens will thrive as a result. This is the perfect gift for any gardener. Contents Includes... The Plant kingdom Growth, Form and Function Inner Workings Reproduction The Beginning of Life External Factors Pruning Botany and the Senses Pest, Diseases and Disorders Botanists and Botanical Illustration ... And Much More!

Engineer and plant parent for more than thirty years, Raffaele Di Lallo knows that the world of houseplants can be full of confusing myths and conflicting care advice. But, as a master problem solver, Di Lallo is here to teach you that your own two eyes are your best source for reconciling every plant problem. His surprisingly simple observational practices and an understanding of key habitat and care concepts will make any reader feel like a plant whisperer. From choosing the right plants for your home and perfecting light and humidity levels to mastering watering, potting and propagation, Di Lallo demystifies every aspect of plant parenting. Providing handy case studies and advice for troubleshooting common mistakes, such as yellowing leaves and overwatering, Houseplant Warrior helps readers develop their own problem-solving skills. Complete with profiles of favourite and lesser-known houseplants, this book is a veritable bible of houseplant care tips for all levels of green thumb.

Explore the darker side of house plants with this accessible guide to choosing, growing, and caring for carnivorous and predatory plants like Venus flytraps, pitcher plants (in all of their wild and wacky varieties), sundews, and other spooky guys. Carnivorous plants are among the most fascinating botanical specimens in this world. They're weird, they're gorgeous, and they're the perfect addition to your urban jungle of pothos, snake plants, and succulents. However, they can also be intimidating to grow and care for. Let Killer Plants -- with its light approach and adorable two-color illustrations -- be your guide as it walks you through the different types of carnivorous plants and how to keep each variety alive and well. The book answers the many questions you may have surrounding these freaks of nature, such as: * Where the heck do I buy a pitcher plant? Can I grow it from a seed? * Do I need to feed my carnivorous plant flies, or can it survive on water and light alone? * Will a Venus flytrap eat my gerbil? * I have a gnat problem -- what predatory plant can help?

There is a new generation of gardeners who are planting gardens not only for their visual beauty but also for their ability to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In The New Shade Garden, Ken Druse provides this generation with a comprehensive guide to creating a shade garden with an emphasis on the adjustments necessary for our changing climate. Druse offers advice for common problems facing today's gardeners, from addressing the deer situation to watering plants without stressing limited resources. Detailing all aspects of the gardening process, the book covers basic topics such as designing your own garden, pruning trees, preparing soil for planting, and the vast array of flowers and greenery that grow best in the shade. Perfect for new and seasoned gardeners alike, this wide-ranging encyclopedic manual provides all the information you need to start or improve upon your own shade garden.

What was a "garden" in medieval and early modern British culture and how was it imagined? How did it change as Europe opened up to the wider world from the 16th century onwards? In a series of fresh approaches to these questions, the contributors offer chapters that identify and discuss newly-discovered pre-modern garden spaces in archaeology and archival sources, recognize a gendered language of the garden in fictional descriptions ("fictional" here being taken to mean any written text, regardless of its purpose), and offer new analysis of the uses to which gardens - real and imagined - might be put. Chapters investigate the definitions, forms and functions of physical gardens; explore how the material space of the garden was gendered as a secluded space for women, and as a place of recreation; examine the centrality of garden imagery in medieval Christian culture; and trace the development of garden motifs in the literary and artistic imagination to convey the sense of enclosure, transformation and release. The book uniquely underlines the current environmental "turn" in the humanities, and increasingly recognizes the value of exploring human interaction with the landscapes of the past as a route to health and well-being in the present.

Providing practical projects and advice on how to make the most out of your outdoor space, this book contains over 30 original projects grouped together in themed chapters - seating and eating, wind and weather, birds and wildlife, creative containers, and inspirational ideas. A range of projects are included from simple decorative flowerpots to traditional wooden planters. There is a final section devoted to sources and techniques which includes information on using colour in the garden, paint finishes, and buying and preserving timber.