'Britain's ten million acres of private gardens add up to a vital haven for wildlife. Chock-a-block with ideas for encouraging wildlife into your plot, this pocket-sized book tells you how to make your off-street parking wildlife-friendly, why you should welcome wasps into the garden and whether you should let ladybirds overwinter in your home. One for budding David Attenboroughs.' - Mail on Sunday Foreword written by Isabella Tree of the Knepp Wildland Project. RHS How Can I Help Hedgehogs? offers more than 100 ideas for you to help wildlife thrive in your garden. Packed with simple, low-cost ideas that will make a huge difference to the natural world, the book suggests ways to help birds, bees, butterflies, beetles and many other declining species. Hopeful, informative and entertaining, with plenty of 'I-never-knew-that' mini-features, this is a book you and your family need, and one that you'll all enjoy, too. Includes topics such as how to increase the biodiversity of your plot and how to improve your soil without using chemicals. Includes... - Can I make my garden bat-friendly? - Do green roofs work? - Why should I love my weeds? - Should I keep honey bees? - Which flowers are friendliest for moths? - Where's best for a bird box? - Is garden lighting disruptive? ...and many more.

Farmers once knew how to make a living fence and fed their flocks on tree-branch hay. Rural people knew how to prune hazel to foster abundance: both of edible nuts and of straight, strong, flexible rods for bridges, walls and baskets. Townspeople cut beeches to make charcoal to fuel ironworks. Shipwrights shaped oaks to make hulls. In order tp prosper communities cut their trees so they would sprout again. Pruning the trees didn't destroy them. Rather, it created healthy, sustainable and diverse woodlands. From these woods came the poetic landscapes of Shakespeare's England and of ancient Japan. The trees lived longer. William Bryant Logan travels from the English fens to Spain, California and Japan to rediscover and celebrate what was once a common and practical ecology-finding hope that humans may again learn what the persistence and generosity of trees can teach.

Within the spatial design disciplines, research through design as a tool and practice has often been neglected. This book provides a much-needed companion to the theories, methods and processes involved in using design-based research in landscape, architecture and urban design. Aimed specifically at researchers completing PhD projects, supervisors and designers working in practice, it covers applied approaches to help you to use design research in your work. With fully illustrated examples of original international design research PhDs from a variety of programme types, such as individual, structured and practice-based, Design Research for Urban Landscapes offers PhD candidates and supervisors a clear foundational pathway.

Contents:
1. Hypericum Botany 2. Colletotrichum Gloeosporiodes as the Cause of St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) Dieback in Switzerland and Breeding for a Tolerant Variety 3. A Virus Causing Yellow Veins and Necrotic Leaf Spot of St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) 4. Manufacturing Standardisation and Characterisation of St John's Wort Herb Extracts 5. Culture and Biotechnology of Hypericum 6. Chemical Constituents of Hypericum ssp. 7. Determination of Hybericins and Hyperforin in Herbal Medicinal Products 8. Secondary Metabolites Content of Hypericum sp. in Different Stages and Plant Parts 9. Herbal Medicinal Products of St John's Wort: Manufacturing and Quality Control 10. The Potential of in vitro Cultures of Hypericum perforatum and of Hypericum androsaemum to Produce Interesting Pharmaceutical Compounds 11. The Clinical Pharmacology of Hypericum perforatum 12. Hypericin as a Potential Antitumor Agent 13. Neuropsychopharmacological Studies on Indian Hypericum perforatum Linn 14. The Efficacy and Safety of Hypericum in the Treatment of Depression

Water forms the soul of a garden. A quiet pond, a babbling brook, or a dramatic pool can make a garden unique. To achieve such beauty, however, requires careful planning and design. Using over 150 brilliant color photographs, this splendid and inspiring book presents the variety of possibilities for using water in the garden. The informative and enjoyable text provides helpful planning details, including advice on waterproofing, the shore formation, attractive plantings, even fish. Planning and building any kind of water garden is not only fun, it greatly enriches the joy that is found in one's own backyard garden.

Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Botany 3. Physiology 4. Cultivation 5. Breeding 6. Nutrition 7. Pest and Diseases 8. Weeds 9. Chemical Constituents 10. Pharmacologic Effects 11. Marketing

Alli Koch has mastered the art of turning simple doodles into beautifully designed floral illustrations. She shares her expertise in this book, a step-by-step guide that teaches everything you need to know about modern florals. You'll learn designs from classic favourites like the rose to today's trendiest florals, as well as succulents and cacti. This book is an introduction, so no experience is needed!

Towns and cities are where most of us live, work and play, and although we recognize the value of the trees standing on the corner, or in the park, or framing the cathedral, most of us are unaware that they are a vital part of our urban life-support system. Discusses what trees do for us, and traces the development of urban trees in Britain. Considers all aspects of the damaging impact of urban conditions on trees. Examines urban tree management with reference to basic principles, planning tools, species selection, and site evaluation and modification. Analyses the planting of trees in towns and cities, pruning methods, the establishment and maintenance of urban trees, and inspection, monitoring and assessment procedures. Covers tree management on streets and highways, parks, woods and other public locations, as well as in private places including homes, offices, factories and wildlife conservation sites. Summarizes the law in the UK as it relates to trees. Briefly outlines the impact of climate change on trees in urban areas and on arboriculture in general. This invaluable book is essential reading for all those who wish to discover why trees are present in our population centres, how urban life in Britain has engulfed them in the last 200 years, why life is so difficult for urban trees, what their role is, and how we should care for them and include them in our urban future.

Within this book, Barbara Doyen, a real farmer's wife, gives detailed instruction for growing a wide variety of delicious vegetables, along with terrific recipes. From the domestic to the exotic, the Farmer's Wife's expertise is always thoroughly explained and calculated to bring out the best in whatever plant she s working with. Includes growing, storing, freezing, cooking instructions and 200+ recipes and serving ideas for: asparagus, beans, broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, parsnips, peas, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes.

Do you know the difference among a boundary, privacy, and security fence? Or what a Good Neighbor fence is? Or a dry stonewall? You might know about living hedges but what about snow fences? Adding a wall or fence to your property can be a major decision. It requires good design and good thinking to identify the best style , design, and material to meet your needs. Originally, fences and walls were constructed primarily for protection. Today, they are built for privacy, security, as well as protection from noise and headlights. This new book helps you select the wall or fence that suits your property and your fancy! A fence can be a decoration (think of those cute upright white pickets), hide an ugly view (such as trash cans or a/c units), block the sound of passing vehicles, enclose the swimming pool, or create a new outdoor room. Sometimes used as a backdrop for the garden, framing views, creating vistas, and providing perspective, you want a wall or fence to blend into the background; sometimes you want it to make a statement. Explore a wide range of styles and designs, in a variety of materials and quality grades. Hundreds of examples are shown in 316 full color photos, offering a comprehensive reference for homeowners, architects, landscapers, and builders.

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.

The relationship between nature and culture has become a popular focus in social science, but there have been few grounded accounts of trees. Providing shelter, fuel, food and tools, trees have played a vital role in human life from the earliest times, but their role in symbolic expression has been largely overlooked. For example, trees are often used to express nationalistic feelings. Germans drew heavily on tree and forest imagery in nation-building, and the idea of 'hearts of oak' has been central to concepts of English identity. Classic scenes of ghoulish trees coming to life and forests closing in on unsuspecting passers-by commonly feature in the media. In other instances, trees are used to represent paradisical landscapes and symbolize the ideologies of conservation and concern for nature.
Offering new theoretical ideas, this book looks at trees as agents that co-constitute places and cultures in relationship with human agency. What happens when trees connect with human labour, technology, retail and consumption systems? What are the ethical dimensions of these connections? The authors discuss how trees can affect and even define notions of place, and the ways that particular places are recognized culturally. Working trees, companion trees, wild trees and collected or conserved trees are considered in relation to the dynamic politics of conservation and development that affect the values given to trees in the contemporary world.
Building on the growing field of landscape study, this book offers rich insights into the symbolic and practical roles of trees. It will be vital reading for anyone interested in the anthropology of landscape, forestry, conservation and development, and for those concerned with the social science of nature.

This delightful collection of wisdom, insight and humor, from Diane Ackerman to Emile Zola, captures the essence of the world's most popular hobby. Here are over four hundred quotations -- not only one-line zingers but stanzas of verse and full paragraphs of narrative -- on the endless fascination of gardening. The great gardening writers of past and present are amply represented, but these varied selections also range the entirety of recorded literature, from the Bible and the tenth-century Japanese diarist Sei Shonagon through Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Walt Whitman, and even Prince Charles.

For anyone who counts their hours in the soil as their most valued, "The Quotable Gardener" is the ideal gift -- an invaluable inspiration during the gardening months, and a treasured companion during the long, desperate winter.

Eucalyptus, a genus of over 800 species, is a multiproduct crop par excellence. Not only is it grown for timber, pulp and fuelwood but, as the Aborigines discovered thousands of years ago, it has numerous medicinal and aromatic properties. Since the first commercial distillation of eucalyptus oil 150 years ago, a vast array of eucalyptus-based products has entered the marketplace, mainly for pharmaceutical, fragrance and flavour use.
This book provides an invaluable reference for all those with an interest in Eucalyptus - in academia and industry alike, for researchers as well as producers, processors, importers and end users - but there are also issues discussed and lessons learnt which extend to medicinal and aromatic plants generally.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203219430

Snowdrops are one of the best loved, most popular and widely grown of all bulbous plants. This book celebrates their beauty and magical annual resurrection. This newly updated and expanded edition of this best-selling book introduces the twenty known species and has been updated to cover more than 2,400 named snowdrops. Discover the vast range of shapes, sizes and markings of these beautiful flowers. With information on cultivation and planting, detailed descriptions, informative drawings and interesting anecdotes - this will be an invaluable companion for all gardeners, and will inform and delight both the aspiring and seasoned galanthophile.

Only one thing is standing between you and a fabulous lawn: It's called Lawn Care For Dummies. If you want a spiffy and well-coifed lawn (and not the overgrown, unruly one that people comment on when they pass by your house), you'll find everything you need to know to help you make your lawn the most dazzling spectacle on the block.

Let authors Lance Walheim and the gardening experts at the National Gardening Association treat you and your yard to a megadose of lawn care information. In Lawn Care For Dummies, Walheim and the NGA give you the dirt on all the essentials, including how to

• Design a low-maintenance or a high-maintenance lawn
• Evaluate the pros and cons of planting a lawn from seed or starting one from sod
• Discover how often you need to water your lawn without under-watering it or waterlogging it
• Choose a mower that's right for your grass type
• Deal effectively with wicked weeds and pesky insects
• Create alternative lawns, such as ground cover plants, decks, and patios

What could be better than watching the natural world out your window or on your television? Going out and experiencing it firsthand. In these fifty essays, acclaimed nature and science writer Sy Montgomery takes her readers on a season-by-season tour of the wilderness that is often as close as the backyard. Sy invites -- almost dares -- readers to follow her and form hands-on relationships with the plants, animals, birds, and even the insects that share space with people. These essays, most of which originally appeared in Sy's Boston Globe column Nature Journal, are by turns enlightening, entertaining, sometimes amusing, and always absorbing and informative. Filled with natural history and lore, the essays urge readers to appreciate what they find around them.

This title offers essential gardening skills and tasks, and a guide to 3000 plants, with more than 1900 photographs and illustrations. It includes step-by-step techniques on everything from planning and design to planting, propagation, care and cultivation through each season. It contains advice on choosing the best plants for all types of garden, with entries arranged alphabetically within plant categories for quick and easy reference. It includes information on caring for trees, shrubs, climbers, bulbs, annuals and perennials, growing vegetables, herbs and fruit, greenhouse gardening, and improving your lawn. It contains descriptions and essential cultivation information for over 3000 common garden plants. It is an essential box set for new gardeners and those who want to extend their gardening expertise. Whether you are an experienced gardener or a complete beginner, these two authoritative reference books contain everything you need to know about planning, planting and maintaining your garden, and choosing the best plants to suit your location. "The Visual Encyclopedia of Garden Techniques" includes all the essential gardening skills, such as improving your soil and planting flowers, shrubs and trees. "The Visual Encyclopedia of Garden Plants" is the perfect companion for selecting the best plants to create a beautiful and uniquely personal garden. With practical advice and over 1900 photographs, these informative books are indispensable for any gardener.

For everyone from beginners to masters, the one essential book to growing, grooming, and caring for your bonsai tree.
Bonsai is the ancient craft of carefully regulating the growth and shape of trees in order to produce miniature versions of mature trees. Dating back over one thousand years to ancient Japan, bonsai trees are some of the most beautiful and meticulously looked-after plants in the world, and in recent years bonsai have exploded in popularity in the Western world.
"Bonsai," written by world-renowned bonsai expert Peter Chan, is the essential compendium for anyone interested in trying out bonsai for the first time or adding more bonsai to their existing collections, detailing everything you need to know about buying and maintaining a magnificent bonsai tree, including:
- How to pick the right bonsai for you
- Tools and supplies to ensure your bonsai prospers
- How to shape your bonsai into different styles
- How different pots affect the growth of your bonsai
- And much more
With hundreds of color photographs and easy-to-read directions and explanations on a variety of subjects, "Bonsai" is the only book you'll ever need to successfully start and maintain your own beautiful bonsai tree collection.

Take the guesswork out of gardening. Whether you are an absolute beginner or a green thumb, plan and track your garden with this keepsake guide and logbook.

A garden is what you make of it, whether it’s potted plants on a patio, a slender patch of perennial flowers along a walkway, or raised beds for a variety of vegetables. No matter where you live or what types of plants you want to grow, this book is the perfect gardening companion.

As more than a garden planner and logbook, the thoughtful primer and expert tips in these pages will help you develop a garden that’s more personal and ultimately more rewarding.

Accompanied by beautiful illustrations and a layflat binding for easy writing, you’ll find:

• Pages for planning and mapping out your garden
• Instructions on how—and when—to start seeds and transplant seedlings
• How to attract beneficials and ward off pests
• Care and troubleshooting tips
• Logbook entries to track your garden’s progress over five years
• And more!

An in-depth exploration spanning 800 years of the art, essence, and enduring impact of the Japanese garden.The most comprehensive exploration of the art of the Japanese garden published to date, this book covers more than eight centuries of the history of this important genre. Author and garden designer Sophie Walker brings fresh insight to this subject, exploring the Japanese garden in detail through a series of essays and with 100 featured gardens, ranging from ancient Shinto shrines to imperial gardens and contemporary Zen designs. Leading artists, architects, and other cultural practitioners offer personal perspectives in newly commissioned essays.

Welcome to the joys of nineteenth century gardening and design! The Victorians were masters of combining geometric formality and bright, formal, seasonal bedding to create lush, exuberant outdoor living spaces. This delightful book presents Victorian gardening style and design using beautiful landscapes lavish with carpet beds, topiary, statuary, sundials, marble and stone walkways, as well as classical architectural ruins, fountains, and pools. Many restorations and recreations of Victorian gardens are highlighted, including Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight (Queen Victorias country home), Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire, and Down House in Kent (home to Charles Darwin). Authentic Victorian writings, design instructions, and illustrations guide the modern gardener on how to shape up, Victorian style. Gorgeously illustrated with over 200 beautiful color photographs plus illustrations, diagrams, and layouts of restorations and recreations, this book is sure to inspire and give the reader confidence to experiment. All who enjoy looking at and working in beautiful outdoor spaces will find this book irresistible.

With more than 200 lists of plants and garden resources, this guide has the answers on what to plant where and on how to handle the toughest of Texas conditions. William D. Adams and Lois Trigg Chaplin offer numerous recommendations, noting the best growing zones and bringing together helpful hints and information from dozens of gardeners, nurseries, and horticultural professionals across the state.