The four essays that make up this book take as their subject gardens of the Middle Ages and Renaissance whose traces are still visible, in varying degrees, at sites in Italy and France: Palermo and Rome, the Vaucluse and Hesdin. Traces only, as these gardens have long since been emptied of the life whose insistent motion gave them shape and in the intervening years have been transformed in such a way as to entangle and obscure significant moments of their past. Yet these moments were also refracted in other media - images and texts - that may be used to bring the past into focus again in the landscape itself. The following book attempts precisely this. Its modus operandi is an experiment, crossing the constitutive acts of the discipline of archaeology - excavation and reconstruction - with the protocols of the history of art, as it will involve, in a continuous circuit, both the identification and the interpretation of salient witnesses of the past. This experiment may derive from archaeology and the history of art, but its subject belongs to the field of landscape studies, which has truly burgeoned in recent years under the auspices of a provisional and yet ever-widening constituency of disciplines and initiatives, including garden history, cultural geography and environmental science, as well as anthropology and the histories of art and architecture, literature, material culture and performance. As landscape has become an increasingly independent field of inquiry, however, it has tended to take on the character of an autonomous form like that of the arts, whose methods of theory and criticism have become ensconced in the academy. This book will take a differnt path. The landscape it seeks to narrate, in four discrete episodes, stands not alone, as an independent and integral creation, but as an installation within a more enduring environment in much the same way that temporary "ambient architecture" - the architecture of the stage set, the showroom and the festival - stands within the framework of building and city. - from the Author's Prologue. 238 pages. Acknowledgments, prologue, notes, bibliography and index. 78 color and black & white illustrations. Art history, aesthetics, cultural studies, landscape studies.

In the first essay in "Garden Musings," this gardening writer states, "The evidence keeps racking up that I, the Hoosier-born offspring of several generations of farmers, chose through ignorance to garden in a delightful area combining the world's worst soil and an exasperating climate, all augmented by various man-made and natural catastrophes such as tornadoes, droughts, prairie fires, hail, drenching rains, ice-storms, late freezes, boiling summers, and seventy mile per hour winds. " Gardening, with all the pressures of struggle between the environment, wild animals, and the gardener, and particularly in the harsh Kansas weather, is not for the faint-hearted as demonstrated by the many essays in the book including Sweet (Corn) Pain, Weather-Weary, Midden Misery, and Soil Sorrows.

While the essays are full of useful personal observations about gardening style, plant information, and garden practices, the author also turns his wry eye on tumbling a number of gardening tenets and institutions as he turns his attentions on composting, lawn maintenance, and landscape designers who work primarily in junipers, Japanese barberry and Stella de Oro daylilies. The timing and content of programming of the Home and Garden Television Network and the lack of availability of G-rated gardening statues are other topics that don't escape this garden curmudgeon. Gardeners searching for practical advice or simply for winter-reading pleasure will all find fulfillment within these pages.

DO YOU DOUBT THE DAFFODIL is a bouquet of delightful and thoughtful bits of spiritual wisdom through the gardener's eye accompanied by engaging drawings and photographs. Belonging on the bedside table so you can go to sleep with it at night and awaken with it in the morning, this book is not a page-turner it's a book you want to get cozy with and revisit over a period of time.Each page is a spiritual journey of wisdom, play, challenges, quirky humor, and comfort that weaves a personal and uniquely different path for the reader. Written in garden metaphor, one walks through a garden and the garden of one's heart by reawakening to spring via newly sprouted seeds, grounding while smelling the tangy fragrance of pine, and experiencing the transformation in consciousness when an enclosure is held sacred. Bobbi Junod allows the reader to glimpse an inner landscape by witnessing her journey.If you are looking for a prize rose along your garden path, DO YOU DOUBT THE DAFFODIL provides the beauty and mystery that nature and spirit creates.

'Poignant ... A meditation on life, love and the importance of nature' IRISH TIMES Thirty-four years ago, when they were in their twenties, Niall Williams and Christine Breen made the impulsive decision to leave their lives in New York City and move to Christine's ancestral home in the town of Kiltumper in rural Ireland. In the decades that followed, the pair dedicated themselves to writing, gardening and living a life that followed the rhythms of the earth. In 2019, with Christine in the final stages of recovery from cancer and the land itself threatened by the arrival of turbines just one farm over, Niall and Christine decided to document a year of living in their garden and in their small corner of a rapidly changing world. Proceeding month by month through the year, this is the story of a garden in all its many splendours, and a couple who have made their life observing its wonders.

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

A Year Full of Veg is a month-by-month guide to cultivating the best seasonal veg. With her wealth of experience, Sarah Raven shares the most reliable and bountiful varieties to grow, her tried-and-tested favourite crops, and unusual vegetables, herbs and salads that you can't buy in shops. As well as planting inspiration, Sarah reveals expert tips and techniques for growing and harvesting flavourful crops from January through to December, all based on easy, efficient and productive techniques that ensure you'll always have something fresh to use in the kitchen. No matter how much outdoor space you have, you'll be inspired to grow at least a little of what you eat.

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

Originally published in the 1920s. One of the earliest titles ever published on fern gardening and culture. The author was a well known gardening expert with many books to her credit. Contents Include: Ferns in General - Fern Collecting - How to Form an Outdoor Fernery - Cultivation of Rock Ferns - Cultivation of Marsh Ferns - Ferns in Pots - The Fern House - The Fernery at the Fireside - Management of Fern Cases - The Art of Multiplying Ferns - British Ferns - Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns - Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns - Thirty Select Stove Ferns - Gold and Silver Ferns - Tree Ferns - Fern Allies. The book is well illustrated. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This comprehensive text contains a definitive guide on the cultivation of mushrooms. A fascinating and accessible treatise on the topic, this rare book constitutes a brilliant mycological handbook and contains everything one needs to know about the growing of mushrooms. Perfect for beginners and intermediate growers alike, Modern Mushroom Cultivation is a must-have for anyone with an interest in the subject. Chapters comprised herein include: Where Mushrooms can be Grown, Composts and Methods of Composting, Making the Beds, Methods of Pasteurizing the Compost, Mushrooms Spawn, Casing the Beds, Routine Management, Grading and Packing, and Diseases and Pests. This scarce book has elected for republication because of its immense educational value, and is proudly republished here with a new introduction to the topic.

An essential guide to to the multifaceted plant, from a passionate gardener.

Lavender for All Seasons covers everything you need to know about the basics of growing lavender. Inspirational crafts and recipes that follow the seasons of the year will empower readers to discover how to integrate lavender beyond the garden and into the apothecary, pantry, and crafting space. For over twenty years, gardening expert Paola Legarre has been implementing sustainable farming practices, nourishing soil life, avoiding herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, rotating plantings with cover crops, and encouraging pollinators and beneficial insects through diversified plant hedgerows, and companion planting. With Legarre as a guide, readers will discover:

   ·The basics of growing lavender in different zones and conditions
   ·Growing requirements for healthy plants, including advice on pruning, pest control, propagation, and more
   ·An array of the best lavender varieties including species and cultivars for cooking, essential oils, crafting, landscaping and more
   ·Incorporating lavender as a key pollinator plant in your garden  
   ·How to harvest and preserve lavender flowers for multiple uses, including techniques for drying and distilling
   ·Enjoying the harvest with delicious recipes incorporating lavender as an essential herb in the kitchen

This title shows you how and when to prune all the key plants in your garden, with step-by-step photographs. It clearly explains the different methods of pruning, such as deadheading, shaping, clipping and trimming. It describes specific pruning techniques for different types of plants, including roses, shrubs, climbers and hedges. You can learn how to restrict the size of evergreens, trim vines, rejuvenate conifers, train apple trees and shorten the growth on soft fruit bushes to maximize their yield. It includes an at-a-glance seasonal chart to remind you when to prune, and a list of plants' common names. Most plants benefit from a prune for healthy growth and visual appeal, but many gardeners approach the task with trepidation. This accessible handbook provides a clear, easy-to-follow guide through the complexities, explaining why we prune, and giving step-by-step instructions on the different techniques. There is also advice on selecting and using equipment, an extensive section on pruning specific types of plants, and two useful charts showing methods of pruning and seasonal pruning. The book contains all the information you need to keep your plants beautifully healthy, flowering and fruiting prolifically, and looking just as you want them.

Many gardeners today would like to create more wildlife-friendly gardens, but may feel restricted by their situation, or put off by assuming that they will have to make huge changes to an established plot. This practical book will scotch any myths about wildlife gardening, and encourage everyone, wherever they garden, to invite wildlife to share their outdoor spaces. There are practical ideas for gardens of all sizes and in varied situations, with a special chapter on wildlife gardening in towns: the smallest shady garden can support a range of wildlife and even a window-box or hanging basket in an urban apartment block can make a difference, if you ensure ingredients like extra food in winter, plants that sustain insects and bright or aromatic plants are planted to attract animals and keep them returning. From the best sites for ponds to the right plants to feed various fauna, this book should ensure both you and the wildlife enjoy your garden as fully as possible.

Originally published in 1896. A well illustrated practical treatise on propagating, growing, and exhibiting from the cutting to the silver cup. Many of the earliest gardening books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

RSPB ID Spotlight Ladybirds is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 27 of our most widespread and familiar ladybirds by renowned artist Richard Lewington. - Species are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification - Artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field, or the chart can be fixed to the wall as a beautiful poster - The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our ladybirds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how we can support them The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.