Create the garden of your dreams with ideas and advice from a leading light in the gardening world, Melanie Walker.

Whether you have a tiny urban courtyard or a roomy rural plot, Garden Style will inspire gardeners from every corner of South Africa to make the most of their garden and entertainment area.

Garden Style describes in detail how to achieve any of 19 distinct garden styles: from sweeping woodland and grassland gardens, through moon, rock and rose gardens, to compact courtyard and cottage gardens. It also covers the fundamentals of gardening, such as understanding garden habitats, basic design elements and water-wise gardening.

Each chapter includes sections on planning and planting, with a list of key plants suited to each style, plus lots of helpful tips and features on different aspects of gardening – and, of course, ample spectacular photos to inspire you.

The mostly edible garden of Babylonstoren in the Drakenstein Valley of the Cape Winelands has become a must-see for all visitors to the region. Not simply because it is beautiful, but because it offers a mesmerising range of experiences to both the day tripper and hotel guest, encompassing history, insight into the workings of a productive farm and food garden, and how the land can be cultivated along diversifi ed yet integrated principles.

As co-author Franchesca Watson says, ‘The way Babylonstoren expresses itself visually is inordinately charming. Every material is simple and intrinsic, nothing is smart or clever or tacky, everything is understandable and fi lled with sincerity; it is a generous place.’

This visually stunning coffee-table book covers every aspect of the 3.5-hectare garden: its design, Cape Dutch history, plants, cultivation methods and the people behind it all.

Do you live in an urban area and want to grow your own organic vegetables, but don’t know where to begin?

Jane’s Delicious Garden is perfect for you – whether you have green fingers or not. Packed with practical advice, time-saving tips, step-by-step instructions and personal anecdotes, this book is for beginners and gardening gurus alike.

With over 200 photographs and detailed information on how to prepare your garden for planting and growing nearly 100 vegetables and herbs, this guide will enable you to feed your family and friends with wholesome, organic food harvested from your own garden.

This guide profiles 101 garden birds likely to be found in gardens across southern Africa, informing readers about what to look and listen for, and where and when. It is also an inspirational guide to creating a bird-friendly garden that is also a reservoir of biodiversity, wherever you are in the region.

With an attractive layout and multiple colour images, it offers the following:

• Descriptions and photos of 101 garden birds
• How to get to know your local species, their feeding, breeding, calls and general behaviour
• How to design your garden to attract the widest range of birds and other wildlife
• The best plants and structures to provide food and shelter for birds
• Detailed lists of recommended trees, shrubs, climbers, aloes and grasses

This handy pocket guide introduces local gardening enthusiasts to some of southern Africa’s most beautiful, beneficial and easy- to-care-for indigenous plants, giving guidance on how best to use them and how to ensure that they flourish.

It offers:

• A selection of 145 garden-friendly, low-maintenance trees, shrubs and bedding plants perfectly adapted to our local soils and weather conditions
• Text that’s direct and simple
• Full-colour photographs that show plant details and ‘in context’ planting
• Icons indicating at a glance whether a species is evergreen or deciduous, frost-hardy, suitable for a sunny or shaded position, fast or slow-growing, water wise, fragrant and attractive to insects or birds.

An essential handbook for easy-care beautiful gardening.

The author, Glenice Ebedes, is the owner of Grounded Landscaping. She is a graduate of Lifestyle College and an active member of the Guild of Landscape Designers. She specializes in indigenous, wildlife-friendly gardens and her gardens regularly feature in magazines.

This comprehensive guide to vegetable gardening in South Africa, written especially for the home gardener, is based on vast practical experience and an intimate knowledge of local growing conditions.

Part 1 provides down-to-earth advice on location and layout of the vegetable gaarden;soils and nutrients; garden planning and crop rotation; tools and equipment; watering; cultivation and weed control; seed, sowing, transplanting, harvesting, and pests and their control; container growing, and the use of plastics in the vegetable garden. In part 2 the common as well as a number of unusual vegetables are fully discused. Invaluable information on cultivars, soil preparation, propagation, sowing, transplanting, harvesting, and pests and diseases are included. This is followed by short descriptions of the more widely used culinary herbs. Finally, the appendices give information on how to grow salad sprouts, and detailed and invaluable advice on exhibiting vegetables.

Whether your garden is a smallholding or a townhouse patio, The A - Z of Vegetable Gardening in South Africa is an essential handbook containing everything you need to know for the successfull production of your own top-quality vegetables throughout the year.

Foolproof mosaic projects for your garden, including planters, furniture, and ornaments

One of the most long-lasting and hard-wearing artforms, mosaic pieces are perfect to make the most of your outdoor room. Suitable for a tiny terrace or a large garden, the projects in Garden Mosaics show you how to decorate your outdoor space in the most charming, individual, and enduring way.

The extensive techniques section shows you how to choose and use the right tiles for your environment. The range of tiles on the market today is better than ever; and the book makes the most of the wealth of new materials available such as spangled tiles or inexpensive but authentic gold-leaf tiles. As you progress, you can develop your own creativity with tips on tile- and colourmatching that allow you to adapt the projects to make pieces completely unique to you and your garden.

All suitable for beginners, the 25 projects in the book range from simple decorative pieces, such as the enchanting, simple child’s footprints and butterfly stones to practical and sturdy weatherproof pieces, including a trompe l’oeil chequered mosaic tabletop and delightful planters that will add colour to your garden especially in winter. Some projects, such as the night light, can be finished in under two hours.

Do you love living in the city but dream about growing your own wholesome fruit and vegetables? South Africa’s organic gardening guru, Jane Griffiths, shows you just how easy it is to achieve a flourishing food garden, no matter how small your space.

Jane’s Delicious Urban Gardening is packed with inspirational ideas and practical information on all aspects of urban eco living.

In her trademark sensible and easy-to-follow style, Jane provides a wealth of tips and suggestions for:

• growing organic vegetables just about anywhere – from containers to edible walls, from raised beds to rooftops, from community gardens to neglected pavements
• planting and maintaining a space-efficient urban orchard
• converting an existing lawn or tennis court into an instant edible oasis
• keeping urban bees, hens and aquaponic tanks
• harvesting rainwater and recycling grey water
• introducing solar power into your home
• converting a chlorinated swimming pool into a wetland-filtered haven.

Illustrated with hundreds of beautiful colour photographs, Jane’s Delicious Urban Gardening is essential reading for anyone wanting to live a more sustainable, productive and healthy lifestyle in the city.

Gardening is every bit as creative as painting flowers in watercolour. And it is in bringing together various elements that a lot of the creativity lies.

This book gives you expert guidance to achieve this, with loads of examples from gardens all over the country. It shows you that a garden is in essence a combination of shapes, textures, colours and growth forms – the ultimate combination of combinations. Learn how to combine plants that are mutually supportive and create their own harmony or combine plants and elements for sameness, or for contrast. By bringing together selected plants and garden elements you create a more beautiful, more arresting and more powerful visual presentation than what could be done by using any of the combined elements individually. The creative scope and different permutations made possible by combinations cannot be quantified – what you can imagine, you can combine.

This book looks at combinations in four categories: colour, shape and form, texture, and the specific environment of the garden and its plants. More than 230 magnificent photographs will charm and inspire you and the information will show you how to use combinations skilfully and wisely. Maximise the appeal of your garden by making the most of its combinations.

In hierdie boek wys twee kenners jou hoe om dit reg te kry, met honderde voorbeelde uit tuine van regoor die land. Dit wys jou dat 'n tuin basies 'n kombinasie is van kleur, vorm, tekstuur en groeiwyses - in wese 'n kombinasie van kombinasies. Leer hoe om plante te kombineer wat mekaar aanvul en hul eie harmonie skep en hoe om plante en elemente te kombineer vir enersheid, of vir andersheid. Deur uitgesoekte plante en elemente saam te gebruik, skep jy 'n prentjie wat mooier, treffender en meer skouspelagtig is as wat elk van die gekombineerde elemente individueel sou kon doen. Die skeppende omvang van kombinasiemoontlikhede kan nie gekwantifiseer word nie - as jy jou 'n kombinasie kan voorstel, kan jy dit skep. In Kreatiewe kombinasies word in vier kategoriee na kombinasies gekyk: kleur, vorm en groeiwyse, tekstuur en die tuin en plante se spesifieke omgewing. Daar is meer as 230 foto's om jou te bekoor en inspireer en al die nodige inligting om slim en vindingryk met kombinasies te werk. Vergroot jou tuin se trefkrag deur die beste moontlike gebruik van die kombinasies daarin.

Combining information on modern advances with sage, common-sense advice of the past, cultivate a beautiful garden now.

This book is for anyone who has just discovered the joy of messing about in the soil, who are itching to see seeds germinate, who love inspiring ideas and easy DIY projects – but it’s also for seasoned gardeners who may have forgotten a trick or two. It keeps up with modern gardening trends, and conveys to the reader in a practical way everything the authors have learnt on muddy knees over many years.

Their outlook is wider than the purely organic or the purely indigenous methods of gardening – the authors put everything to the test and provide tried and tested advice on:

• the eco-impact of growing plants and the latest ways of doing this
• starting and planting a vegetable garden
• sustainable gardening – including compost-heap know-how and harvesting rain and grey water
• the value of trees and how to bring them into the garden
• developing a lush garden without spending a fortune
• which gardening tasks to do when
• using companion planting to discourage pests and promote growth, and much more

Whether your garden is on a farm or in the city, whether you’re old-fashioned or just google everything you want to know and learn, this book is just the guide for you. Combining information on modern advances to make gardening tasks easier with sage, common-sense advice of the past, it tells you how to cultivate a beautiful, fruitful garden now.

Although excited by the prospect of moving into their own home for the first time, many people are mystified by the prospect of what to do with their outdoor space. Frances Tophill's fuss-free, practical guide shows you how to create a space outside your own back door that's designed by you, built by you and enjoyed by you. Beginning with advice on getting to know your garden - what type of soil you have, what the drainage and light is like - then on getting to know yourself as a gardener - do you want a vegetable patch, an abundance of flowers or simply an extension of your indoor living space? - and then moving on to the practical design, including hard and soft landscaping and building materials and guidance, Frances guides you through different types of plants and how to source and plant them. There is also a section on aftercare, telling you the best way to keep your garden well cared for and easy to maintain throughout the year.

You know you should be doing something to help save our planet, but it sounds hard, something that you will tackle another day.

Going green all at once is too much for almost anyone to achieve. Instead, try to make just one change, or add one new sustainable habit, each week. After one year you will be amazed at how much you have accomplished.

A Greener Tomorrow will give you tips on simple things that you can start doing straight away – be it at work, at home, and in your garden. Let’s all do our part in saving this planet – allowing our children’s grandchildren to still live in a world that is beautiful.

A Greener Tomorrow contains over 150 bite-sized chunks of greening advice from the likes of eco-friendly South Africans Arthur Goldstuck; Ashley Hayden; Barry Ronge; Brand Pretorius; Bryan Habana; Casey B. Dolan; Caspe De Vries; Damon Galgut; Gary Kirsten; Jan Braai; Jane Griffiths; Jassy Mackenzie; John van de Ruit; Marc Lottering; Max du Preez; Michiel Heyns; Paige Nick; Romy Titus; Tanit Phoenix; Tony Leon and more.

The Botanical Bible tells the story of plants and flowers, beginning with an overview of the plant kingdom and the basics of botany, then offering strategies for gardening with purpose. Later chapters introduce seasonal eating, the healing properties of plants and the world of botanical art. This stunning gift book is part history, part science, part beauty book, part cookbook and part art book. It will appeal to anyone wanting to use plants and flowers in modern life, whether they are an accomplished gardener or are simply yearning for a more natural life. This comprehensive guide to plants, flowers and botanicals covers a host of practical uses, features vintage illustrations alongside the work of current artists, and is sure to be an inspiration to anyone interested in the natural world.

With over 40 projects to make your own creative containers, let Frances Tophill show you how to use often overlooked pots to their full potential and transform your garden - whether you've only got a modest balcony, small square of patio or just a windowsill. There is always room for a bit of greenery in your life. Whether it's growing herbs to add a fresh touch of flavour to your cooking or planting succulents to display on your windowsill, containers help you to bring nature to the most inhospitable and smallest of spaces. Frances covers a range of different planting schemes and types of container, from urns and troughs to chimney stacks and hanging baskets. She delivers expert advice on what to grow - from bonsais, bulbs and bamboos to tumbling and creeping plants and flowers - and shows you how to make a living wall, a pond in a metal trough or even your own bespoke containers. With Frances's creative ideas, you can transform any garden into a host of inspirational and unique pots and plants.

Elizabeth Moad shows you all the techniques you need to make simple, yet stunning, paper folded flowers. Origami, kirigami and even teabag folding are used to create 21 beautiful projects, including gorgeous greeting cards, gift box toppers, floral bunting and a fabulous festive wreath. Easy-to-follow step-by-step photographs; perfect for beginners as well as experienced papercrafters; packed with inspiration and ideas.

Laat Frances Tophill jou met meer as 40 projekte vir kreatiewe houers wys hoe om dikwels misgekykte potte ten beste te benut in jou tuin - of dit nou 'n beskeie balkonnetjie, 'n klein stoepie of net 'n vensterbank is.Daar is altyd plek vir 'n bietjie groenig-heid in 'n mens se lewe. Of jy nou iets vars by jou kombuistuin wil voeg of sukkulente op jou vensterbank wil uitstal, houers maak dit moontlik om die natuur in die kleinste en moeilikste plekkies in te bring. Frances dek 'n verskeidenheid plant-skemas en soorte houers - van kruike en troe tot gestapelde potte en hang-mandjies. Sy gee raad oor die beste plante vir houers, van bonsaibome en bolle tot rankplante en snyblomme. Leer hoe om 'n lewende muur te skep, 'n metaalpot vir 'n dammetjie te gebruik, 'n geut-pyp met aarbeie te beplant of selfs jou eie potte te maak. Met die kreatiewe idees in hierdie boek, kan jy enige tuin met net 'n paar houers in iets besonders omskep.

Flatervrye mosaïek projekte soos plantbakke, meubels en ornamente vir jou tuin

• Van eenvoudige projekte soos sierpanele tot ’n sprankelende waterverfraaiing en ’n mosaïektafelblad

• Uitvoerige bespreking van tegnieke, volledige aanwysings, patrone en wenke om ’n professionele afwerking te verseker

Mosaïek is ’n een van die duursaamste kuns vorme in die wêreld, wat dit perfek maak om die ruimte buite jou huis te versier. Die projekte in Mosaïek vir jou tuin is geskik vir alles, van ’n klein terras tot ’n groot tuin en wys jou hoe om jou buitenshuise ruimte op die mees bekoorlike, unieke en blywende manier te versier.

Die uitgebreide tegniek-afdeling toon hoe om die regte teëls vir jou omgewing te kies, asook hoe om dit te gebruik. Die groot verskeidenheid teëls wat vandag in die handel beskikbaar is, is beter as ooit tevore en hierdie boek benut dié skatkis nuwe materiaal, onder andere versierde teëls, of selfs goedkoop (dog outentieke) bladgoudteëls ten volle. Namate jy vorder, kan jy jou kreatiwiteit ontwikkel met wenke vir bypassende teël- en kleurskemas wat jou in staat stel om die projekte effektief aan te pak en kunswerke te skep wat heeltemal eie is aan jou en jou tuin.

Al 25 projekte is geskik vir beginners en strek van eenvoudige dekoratiewe stukke, soos die betowerende kindervoetspore en skoenlapperklippe, tot praktiese en stewige weerbestande stukke soos die geruite trompe l’oeil-tafelblad en bekoorlike plantbakke wat veral in die vaal wintermaande sal bydra tot die kleur in jou tuin. Sommige projekte, soos die kershouer, kan binne twee uur voltooi word.

Ever wondered how to make a garden attractive in December? Or what to do with that corner by the dustbin? Answers to these questions can be found in this compact and charming book of tips for the green-fingered, accompanied by Heath Robinson's highly inventive and humorous cartoons. First published in 1938, the book gives an insight into gardening trends on the eve of the Second World War while also addressing common concerns faced by gardeners. It features many typically elaborate contraptions such as the Combined Telescopic Spaderake for digging and raking at the same time, the Inebriate Roller for making wobbly garden paths and the Osoeezi Slugsticker. While some are patently ridiculous - a lawn is de-thistled and resown with the help of a barrel of grass seed strapped onto a small donkey - others are before their time, such as a special pump that can divert your bathwater into your garden hose, a contraption that is not wildly dissimilar to gadgets on the market today. Finally, the growing of vegetables inspires some sage advice: `with the right kind of upbringing, a marrow will attain astonishing dimensions, and can be used for boasting purposes.' Poking gentle fun at a British obsession with a detailed illustration on almost every page, this book will delight both aspiring and experienced gardeners alike.

With over 300 recipe ideas and many wonderful stories from the fruit garden, Tender: Volume II - A cook's guide to the fruit garden is the definitive guide to cooking with fruit from the presenter of BBC One's Simple Cooking. `When I dug up my lawn to grow my own vegetables and herbs I planted fruit too. A handful of small trees - plum, apple and pear - some raspberry, blackberry and currant bushes and even strawberries in pots suddenly joined my patch of potatoes, beans and peas. These fruits became the backbone of my home baking, the stars in my cakes and pastries and even inspired the odd pot of jam. More than this, I started to use them in new ways too, from a weekday supper of pork chops with cider and apples to a Chinese Sunday roast with spiced plum sauce. The hot family puddings and fruit ices we had always loved so much suddenly took on a delicious new significance.' With over 300 recipe ideas and many wonderful stories from the fruit garden, Tender: Volume II - A cook's guide to the fruit garden is the definitive guide to cooking with fruit from the presenter of BBC One's Simple Cooking.

In Remarkable gardens, the beauty of South African gardens is revealed by Craig Fraser and Nini Bairnsfather Cloete. Featuring sumptuous photographs and engaging text, this book combines history and horticulture to take its reader on a fascinating journey through 20 of the most magical private gardens in the country. A multifaceted kaleidescope of gardens is featured, from those that are carefully and formally landscaped to those left to their own free-spirited and natural devices; The gardens are located in a diverse group of regions and climates. These range from the majesty of the Cape Floral Kingdom to the Little Karoo, the Drakensberg mountains and KwaZulu-Natal; Conversations with the gardens’ owners illuminate their histories, with the trials, tribulations and triumphs of their personal journeys shedding light on the creation of each garden; Landscape elements featured in the book include water gardens, sculpture gardens, parterres, herb and vegetable gardens and farm gardens. While most of these gardens usually remain hidden from view, in Remarkable Gardens of South Africa their stunning scenery, rich history and intriguing diversity are explored with romantic, inspiring results.

Botanists are the trailblazers who first discovered how plants work and collected from around the world many of the species that we find in our gardens today. This informative and beautiful guide presents the stories of 35 plant collectors and gardening pioneers of the past and present, including Joseph Banks, Asa Gray and Marianne North. Arranged in chronological order, each profile covers one botanist, presenting their life story, discoveries and legacy, while special feature pages reveal their secrets, exploring the qualities that brought them success and showing what ordinary gardeners can learn from them. Illustrated with beautiful period botanical watercolours and vibrant photographs, RHS The Secrets of Great Botanists will provide inspiration and practical guidance for gardeners of all levels, from successful plant cultivation to adding interest to your garden.

'n Vars blik op inheemse tuinmaak, of jy nou geleidelik uitheemse plante met inheemses wil vervang, of van voor af begin en volledig op ons eie plante fokus. Hierdie plante verg minder werk as uitheemses, het gewoonlik minder water nodig, wil byna geen chemiese kunsmis en insekdoders he nie, en kos heelwat minder omdat jy hulle nie kort-kort hoef te vervang nie. Elke plant in die titel is spesiaal gekies omdat dit blom, soms besadig, maar meer dikwels baldadig. Benewens 'n nabyfoto en volledige beskrywing van byna 100 plantspesies is hier interessante inligting oor grondvoorbereiding, voeding, voortplanting en instandhouding.

Tegnieke soos origami, kirigami en selfs teesakkie-vouwerk word gebruik om 21 pragtige items te maak - onder meer flambojante groetekaartjies, lieflike tooisels vir geskenkbokse, vrolike blomvlaggies en 'n feestelike blomkrans. Duidelike stap-vir-stap foto's; vir beginners sowel as ervare papierhandwerkers; propvol inspirasie en idees.

This beautiful book by Rudi Adam not only guides newcomers in the cultivation of bonsai trees but also provides insights and inspiration for the more experienced. Supplemented by excellent drawings by a bonsai grower and informative step-by-step photographs for special techniques, the book is brimful of information and practical advice. The magnificent photographs have been taken over four seasons and show the trees in all their splendour. With detailed, informative captions, every image is not only a visual inspiration, but in itself a further learning opportunity. In addition to cultivation techniques, expert advice on tree selection, soil types, watering and training the trees there is also an extensive species guide with detailed information on growing and maintenance. This book will help you master bonsai and teach you the rules so that you can apply them or successfully break them in your endeavour to excel at the art.