You can grow all the fruit and vegetables your family needs, raise animals for meat and eggs, keep fish and bees, and even produce firewood on a plot of land of just one acre or less - alongside your work and family life. Whether you have a garden, a paddock or perhaps the corner of a field, Sally Morgan guides you through: How to lay out your plot - including fencing and polytunnels or greenhouses Managing soil fertility Growing fruit and vegetables throughout the year Keeping livestock: poultry, pigs, sheep and goats Producing fish with aquaponics Filled with practical advice, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to be more self-sufficient and live a more sustainable life.

INTRODUCTION: AGRICULTURE has been defined by the Bishop of Newcastle as A controversy with weeds. The growth of weeds certainly constitutes one of the chief troubles of the tiller of the soil, for weeds are too often luxuriant where a good cultivated crop is awaited. The average farmer is quite familiar with the ordinary tillage operations which conduce to clean farming, and the gardener is able by intense cultivation to keep down weeds, but there are many methods which may be successfully employed in combating a given species which are not generally known. The agricultural Press testifies almost daily to the fact that information on the best means of eradicating weeds is badly needed by all concerned in the growth of crops, and I have long been convinced that the subject was deserving of special treatment. Careful thought quickly crystallised into the idea that a volume dealing with weeds and their destruction, and summarising under one cover the information scattered in many volumes published in this and other countries, would be of practical value. I hope, therefore, that the following pages will supply a real need, and prove useful to all engaged in the various branches of agriculture. It would be a great pleasure to me should the critic complain that the use of the word Common in the title of this volume is misplaced, as one of the artists, who experienced some difficulty in obtaining certain species for illustration, humorously suggested The term, however, appears to fit the text. In the third week of August of the past year, when examining a field of standing wheat, I spent about ten minutes collecting such weeds as were most easily found within an area of perhaps little morethan 100 square yards. In this small plot were quickly gathered the following twenty-nine species, eighteen of which were already illustrated for the pages of this book Convolvulus arvemis Senecio vulgar is Polygonum Convolvulus Galium Aparine Polygonum Aviculare Vicia sativa Matricaria inodora Rumex sp. Tussilago Farfara Plantago major Mentha arvensis Lychnis alba Sinapis arvensis Euphorbia exigua Sonchus arvensis Stellaria media Alopecurus agrestis Agrostis sp. Papaver sp. Ranunculus arvensis Triticum repens Poa annua Viola sp. Veronica sp. Potentilla Anserina Myosotis sp. sEthusa Cynapium Scandix Pecten- Veneris Alchemilla arvensis Most of these species are troublesome weeds, and it may be added that those marked with an asterisk were abundant. In a wheat field in which the crop was already cut were found thirteen species of weeds, several being serious pests and in a field of peas was an almost overwhelming quantity of Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis, Black Bindweed Polygonum Convolvulus, and Perennial Sow Thistle Sonchns arvensis, besides many other weeds...

This early work is an absorbing read for any amateur or professional gardener. Contents Include: Preface; Introductory; The Cultivation of Herbs; The Harvesting of Herbs; The Drying of Herbs; Uses of Herbs; Herb Gardens and Farms; and Short Notes on Individual Herbs arranged alphabetically. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

An entertaining and practical collection of tips and tricks to outsmart all kinds of garden pests, written by one of Britain's most influential gardeners. If you have ever waged war against squirrels to prevent them from ransacking your garden, you will know that they are wily beasts, who can find loopholes in the most cunning of defences. In this comprehensive guide, Anne Wareham recommends a host of ingenious anti-pest stratagems to protect your garden from a range of foes. Includes: * advice on dealing with all kinds of creatures, from rabbits, deer, snails and slugs to mites, beetles and bacteria - as well as weeds, the weather, people and much more * Advice is also offered on how to resist fatuous horticultural trends and ignore so-called experts. * Admitting that some pests can't be beaten, the book also advises when you should grow a different plant rather than prolonging the fight. * Author Anne Wareham is a well-known gardening expert and has been described by the Telegraph as one of Britain's most influential gardeners. Entertaining and practical, this is an honest book of advice that will be appreciated and enjoyed by amateur and professional gardeners alike. Ideal for father's day.

There is no shortage of books on how to look after houseplants but no one has shown us how and when and why these plants came to be in our homes. Catherine Horwood's combination of social history, plant history and the history of interior design explains why, as Flanders and Swann sung in the 1950s, 'the garden's full of furniture / and the house is full of plants.' In this fascinating book we learned how potted plants are as much subject to fashion as pieces of furniture. For the Victorians, it was the aspidistra in the front parlour, the Edwardians loved a palm, and, for today's millennials, no home is complete without the ubiquitous fiddle-leaf fig. This book show that there is little new when it comes to plants in the home. In the mid-18th century, Wedgwood created a market for special bulb pots and in the 1950s, some of Terence Conran's earliest designs were for houseplant containers. Across the ages, the choice of potted plants has been influenced by the layout of houses, the levels of dirt and pollution and the equipment to hand. Now, with so much choice, we seem happy to treat houseplants as disposables. This book gives a better understanding of the miracles that were once achieved with indoor plant displays, inspired by Sir Hugh Platt's 1608 vision of a garden 'within doores'. This new edition has been revised with new material added to bring the history of the houseplant and its massive explosion in popularity right up to date.

This book defines and describes the ancient craft of bonsai, explaining the best trees and shrubs to use as well as the importance of size, proportion and aesthetics. The art of display is also examined, with useful advice on pots and containers, as well as how to display bonsai indoors and outdoors. The techniques of this precise art form are clearly described, and there is guidance on tools, propagation, and soil types, as well as on basic pruning, shaping and wiring. An invaluable bonsai directory provides information on a variety of popular species, while a chapter on caring for bonsai gives advice on general maintenance, as well as coping with pests and diseases. A unique section describes 15 of the most popular styles and includes how-to instruction on how to achieve each example.

"Rhododendrons & Azaleas" profiles over 4,000 varieties of this highly popular and striking plant. Illustrated with 1,100 color photographs, each entry includes a description of the plant and flower color; notes on hardiness, height and spread, and flowering time; advice on cultivation and proven performers; and the name of the parent plants, the raiser, and similar varieties. Practical advice is also given on rhododendrons in the landscape, maintenance and husbandry, pests, diseases, problems and disorders, propagation, and buying and collecting rhododendrons, along with a brief history and a guide to their classification.

John Harris, head gardener at Tresillian Estate in Cornwall, imparts his abundance of horticulture knowledge, specifically focusing on how to garden using the moon's cycles. Humans and the world around us have been governed by the waxing and waning of the moon since the planet came into being. Over the centuries different civilizations have embraced these natural cycles, and so lunar gardening has been around for as long as man has pulled food from the soil; once practiced by the Incas and Native Americans, this tried and trusted method has been largely forgotten. John Harris, head gardener at Tresillian Estate in Cornwall, has been using Moon Gardening for over forty years. The methods he uses can be implemented anywhere. You do not need fancy tools, expensive seeds, or substantial acreage; instead, you simply need time, patience, and care to create breath-taking results. This is gardening at its most natural and organic. The Natural Gardener charts John's story from a rudderless young lad in a Cornish village to being charged with the salvation of the long-neglected gardens at Tresillian. As he shares how to follow the simple principles of moon gardening, he imparts his abundance of horticultural knowledge from years spent working in harmony with the soil, providing a timely link back to nature and the reassuring regularity of the seasons.

This book provides an empirical analysis of the concept of play as a form of spatial practice in urban public spaces. The introduced City-Play-Framework (CPF) is a practical urban analysis tool that allows urban designers, landscape architects and researchers to develop a shared awareness when opening up this window of possibility for adventure. Two case studies substantiate and illustrate the development process and testing of the framework in Canberra, Australia, and Potsdam, Germany. The appropriation of public spaces that transcend boundaries can facilitate an intrinsic connection between people and their immediate environment, towards a more joyful ontological state of human existence in which imagination, co-creation and a sense of agency are key elements of the design approach. The framework presents an alternative understanding of public spaces and public life, reflecting on theory and its implications for practice in a post-pandemic world in dense urban centres. A bridge between theory and practice, this book explores possibilities on what future design ought to be when openness and ambiguity are consciously integrated parts of practice and process. The book presents a valuable discussion on public space and play for academic audiences across a wide range of disciplines such as landscape architecture, urban design, planning, architecture and urban sociology, which is informative for future practice.

As long as there have been gardens, box has played a part. In A Gardener's Guide to Box, experienced box specialist, Jenny Alban Davies, describes the use of box in a wide range of garden designs and situations. Along with useful information about the nurture of box plants as well as how to maintain clipped box in an optimal state from year to year, this book also explains the best way to grow healthy box, with the most up-to-date advice on its care. Topics include: designing with box in different styles and in small as well as large gardens; descriptions of twenty Buxus species and cultivars, with notes about their use in the garden; how to keep box topiary planted in containers healthy, and advice on controlling pests and diseases. Whether you are planning to plant a knot garden, dealing with a recent attack of blight or caterpillar, growing a box hedge from cuttings or creating your own topiary shape from an untouched plant, this book will give you the know-how to do it.

How clever would it be to grow all the ingredients for an entire tasty dish in one garden pot? Well now you can, with The One-Pot Gourmet Gardener, which takes 25 contemporary and classic recipes and shows how to grow their ingredients in one chic container. Grow each recipe in one pot and serve them in another! The container recipes are arranged by eating event from picnics to snacks to main courses and puddings, with drinks and dressings to accompany. Enjoy refreshing chilled Gazpacho, followed by tasty Courgette and Fennel Tart with healthy Micro-Veg Salad, topped off with delicious Summer Pudding, and washed down with Pimms Jelly. The one-pot recipes are for beginners and more experienced gardeners and cooks, and include a full step by step masterclass to sowing, growing and harvesting. Jason Ingram won Photographer of the Year at the Garden Media Guild Awards, 2014

My Rainbow Unicorn Garden is bursting with crafts and activities perfect for children. Created with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK's leading gardening charity, this amazing book is packed with fun things to make and do both indoors and outdoors. It's time to get your green-hooves ready with your favourite rainbow unicorn friends! Grow flowers and vegetables, from sunflowers to pumpkins Create sweet-smelling petal jars to give your room a lovely fragrance Make your own mini rainbow unicorn garden Discover the wonderful secrets of gardening with creative, colourful unicorns! These unicorns are off on a garden tour to learn all about plants, wildlife and top gardening tips. The unicorns can't wait to start exploring - and you can join them! This book is packed with fun facts and activities, so you can become a gardening expert, too. Step-by-step gardening activities - perfect for families to enjoy the garden together Easy-to-follow instructions for growing your own plants Colouring in, spot-the-difference, and make your own paper rose wreath!

This book is two things: the product of my lifelong work conceiving, developing, and growing the E-Myth way into a business model that has been applied to every imaginable kind of company in the world, as well as a product of Tony's extraordinary experience and success in applying the E-Myth to the development of his equally extraordinary enterprise, Super Lawn Technologies, Inc.

Elevate your own green space and become a more confident and creative gardener with lessons from experienced National Trust gardeners in this comprehensive horticultural guide. 'An accessible, informative guide for beginners, but full of ideas and tips for seasoned gardeners.' - Sunday Mirror Elevate your own green space and become a more confident and creative gardener with lessons from experienced National Trust gardeners in this comprehensive horticultural guide. The National Trust looks after hundreds of beautiful gardens of every imaginable shape and size across Britain - from the grandest country estate to the smallest cottage garden. They manage such internationally renowned gardens as Sissinghurst and Hidcote. National Trust garden staff receive countless questions from visitors about plants growing in the gardens and techniques that can be tried at home. This in-depth guide will pass on their wisdom and provide the answers you are looking for. This book is packed with images of National Trust gardens of all types, spanning over 300 years of horticultural heritage, to inspire keen amateur gardeners and aspirational novices to realise their green-fingered ambitions. Written by expert gardener Rebecca Bevan, with the help of National Trust gardeners, the National Trust School of Gardening will make you feel confident about developing your garden rather than overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail. From herbaceous borders to gardening sustainably, roses and climbers to growing under glass, each chapter provides snippets of horticultural history, examples of best practice from National Trust gardens, unique gems of wisdom from talented NT gardeners, and lots of easy-to-follow practical advice. Featuring a wide range of National Trust gardens both large and small, formal and informal, famous and undiscovered, high maintenance and low key. The topics covered and the insightful practical guides shared are easily applicable to private gardens, enriching even the tiniest urban spaces.

This is a new edition of a classic of early 17th-century food writing. The book was written by the Italian refugee, educator and humanist Giacomo Castelvetro who had been saved from the clutches of the Inquisition in Venice by the English ambassador, Sir Dudley Carleton in 1611. When he came to England, he was horrified by our preference for large helpings of meat, masses of sugar and very little greenstuff. The Italians were both good gardeners, and had a familiarity with many varieties of vegetable and fruit that were as yet little known in England. He circulated his Italian manuscript among his supporters, dedicating it to Lucy, Countess of Bedford, herself a keen gardener and patron of literature. Gillian Riley's translation of this hitherto unpublished document has been recognised as being fluent, entertaining and accurate from its first appearance in 1989. Castelvetro takes us through the gardener's year, listing the fruit and vegetables as they come into season, with simple and elegant ways of preparing them. Practical instructions are interspersed with tender vignettes of his life in his native city of Modena, memories of his years in Venice and reminiscences of his travels in Europe. He writes of children learning to swim in the canals of the Brenta, strapped to huge dried pumpkins to keep them afloat; Venetian ladies ogling passers-by from behind screens of verdant beanstalks; sultry German wenches jealously hoarding their grape harvest; and his intimate chats with Scandinavian royalty about the best way to graft pear cuttings and discomfort the Pope. English cooking was on a cusp. It had yet to absorb the new ways of Europe, although some of the best practice of Dutch and French gardening was having its effect on our diet. But there were still many new styles of cooking and recipes to absorb, as well as new plants to enjoy (for instance broccoli), and new ways to set them out on the table. This treatise anticipates many of the changes that were to come about over the next one hundred years. Castelvetro urges that we should eat more salads with the same enthusiasm that was evinced by John Evelyn in his book on salad-stuff of 1699. This edition is printed in two colours, has a graceful typography (using the Galliard typeface) and generous layout, and is equipped with a knowledgeable and informative introduction by the translator.

Alvar Aalto and The Art of Landscape captures the essence of the Finnish architect's landscape concept, emphasising culture and tradition, which characterised his approach to and understanding of architecture as part of the wider environment. From the forests of his youth to sights from his travels, Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) was influenced by outdoor landscapes. Throughout his career, he felt the need to shape the terrain and this became a signature of his architecture. Divided into five chapters, this book traces Aalto's relationship with landscape, starting with an analysis of his definitions and descriptions of landscape language, which ranged from natural references and biological terms, to synonyms and comparisons. It includes beautifully illustrated case study projects from the 1950s and 1960s, discussing Aalto's transformation of different landscapes through topography, terracing and tiers, ruins and natural elements, horizon outlines, landmarks, and the repetition of form. Featuring archival sketches, garden drawings, and plans, the book also contains Aalto's text 'Architecture in the Landscape of Central Finland' from 1925 in the appendix. This book provides fascinating, untold insights into Aalto's relationship with landscape and how this developed during his lifetime, for scholars, researchers, and students interested in architecture and landscape history, landscape art, and cultural studies.