Urban gardener, plantrepreneur, and Netflix star "Farmer Nick" Nick Cutsumpas combines sustainability, science, and philosophy to coach new plant owners on how to find the right houseplants for their space and help them thriveDespite the abundance of resources on caring for houseplants, many people continue to struggle with their plant care or don't even know where to begin on the journey to plant parenthood. An increasing number of young urbanites are filling their apartments with plants only to realize that they don't know what it takes to care for them long term. That's because knowledge isn't enough, and most people need a shift in plant perspective before they can start changing their behavior-houseplants are nature, not just furniture. This is why most people need a coach, someone to encourage them, give them the right game plan, and help them achieve their houseplant potential. Enter Nick Cutsumpas-plant coach, urban gardener, and Netflix personality-whose mission is to give people the knowledge and confidence they need to create their own green spaces. Plant Coach is his comprehensive guide for the everyday plant owner who wants to alleviate the stress of plant ownership while doing the best for their plants and the planet. Cutsumpas reframes what it means to be a plant parent by viewing the home as an ecosystem, introducing unconventional and sustainable plant tactics that go beyond the basic requirements of water and sunlight. Just as he does for his clients, Cutsumpas shares project ideas and coaches new plant owners on how to select and care for plants that are right for their space and lifestyle with deep insight and lighthearted fun. At the same time, he inspires readers to care for the planet, using houseplants as a stepping stone toward sustainability and environmental action.

In 1903, after a fire completely destroyed her family home in Norfolk, UK, the 27- year-old Constance helped her mother redesign their house and recreate the garden. It was an experience from which she never looked back, going on to become an internationally recognised garden expert and connoisseur. A rich woman herself, she was attracted to the most spectacular and extravagant gardens in the world. From Shalimar Bagh, Lahore, to Nishat Bagh, Srinagar, to La Granja near Madrid, Constance earned her reputation studying Mughal and Moorish gardens as well as those in Great Britain, France, Italy and northern Europe. Between 1910 and 1955 she wrote about them, painted and photographed them and lectured on them. She produced two successful illustrated books, and numerous articles for magazines, including Country Life, Vogue, The Burlington Magazine, Harpers Bazaar, and The Times. When she died in 1966, she left paintings, photographs, diaries, press cuttings and scrapbooks to her grandchildren. It is upon this fascinating and hitherto unseen archive of memorabilia that Constance Villiers Stuart: In Pursuit of Paradise is based.

Bees are vital for the future of the planet, for without their dedicated pollinating skills many crops would eventually fail. This delightfully illustrated book is a homage to bees, revealing many facets of their lives, including homes, flight patterns and defence. It also describes how to attract bees to your garden and, essentially, the art of talking to them! The lives of bees are interwoven with our own, but how much do you know about them? Which scents do bees prefer? How do bees transport pollen? How far can bees fly? Do specific colours attract bees? Do bees prefer native flowers? Then there is honey - a near-miraculous elixir that in earlier generations was an integral part of life as a sweetener and food preserver. It can be fermented with water and yeast to create mead, a drink that has been enjoyed for thousands of years. This book is dedicated to bees and to ensuring that they continue to live in harmony with humans in bee-friendly gardens. Click on the image to look inside:

The Middle East is well-known for its historic gardens that have developed over more than two millenniums. The role of urban landscape projects in Middle Eastern cities has grown in prominence, with a gradual shift in emphasis from gardens for the private sphere to an increasingly public function. The contemporary landscape projects, either designed as public plazas or public parks, have played a significant role in transferring the modern Middle Eastern cities to a new era and also in transforming to a newly shaped social culture in which the public has a voice. This book considers what ties these projects to their historical context, and what regional and local elements and concepts have been used in their design.

'Delightful... Pavey writes with warmth and spirit, and brings this space to life' Penelope Lively 'Captivating and grounded... If this book was not as much a pleasure to write as it is to read, I'll eat my hat and gardening glove' Observer After years spent living amid the thrum of London, Ruth Pavey yearned to reconnect with the British countryside and she endeavoured to realise her long-held dream of planting a wood. Touring to the West Country in the late 1990s, Pavey found herself in the Somerset Levels. On seeing this expanse of reclaimed land under its wide, soft skies she was struck by its beauty and set-out to plant a wood, tree by tree. She bought four acres, and over the years transformed them into a haven where woodland plants and creatures could flourish an emblem of enduring life in a changeable world. A Wood of One's Own is the story of how she grew to understand and then shape this derelict land into an enduring legacy a verdant landscape rich with wildlife. Interwoven with Pavey's candid descriptions of the practical challenges she faced are forays into the Levels' local history, as well as thoughtful portraits of its inhabitants both past and present. Accompanied throughout by the author's evocative hand-drawn illustrations, A Wood of One's Own is a lyrical, beguiling and inspiring story; a potent reminder of nature's delicate balance, and its comforting and abiding presence.

Orchids of South Africa is the first field guide to local orchids to be published in over 30 years, and presents the more than 450 orchid species found in the region, including Lesotho and Swaziland.

A comprehensive roundup of orchids in their natural habitat, the book features:

- multiple photos for each species

- distribution maps

- flowering time-bars

- succinct text, enabling sure identification of these fascinating plants.

An illustrated introduction discusses orchid structure, ecology and conservation status.

Informative, colourful and easy-to-use, Orchids of South Africa is the authoritative update enthusiasts have been waiting for.

This step-by-step guide will answer all of your questions about how to create beautiful gardens designed to welcome beneficial pollinators across the South. Combining up-to-date scientific information with artful design strategies, Danesha Seth Carley and Anne M. Spafford teach gardeners of all levels to plan, plant, and maintain successful pollinator gardens at home and in shared community sites. Everyday gardeners, along with farmers, scientists, and policy makers, share serious concerns about ongoing declines in pollinator populations, and here Spafford and Carley deliver great news: every thoughtfully designed garden, no matter how small, can play a huge role in providing the habitat, nourishment, and nesting places so needed by pollinators. This book explains all you need to be a pollinator champion. Covers USDA hardiness zones 6, 7, 8, and 9, including twelve southern states; Explains what makes pollinators happy-bees, for sure, and many others, great and small; Brings science and art together in gardens of all types, including urban, food, container, community, school, and large-scale gardens; Provides step-by-step instructions, from choosing locations, preparing soil and garden beds, selecting the best plants, designing, landscaping, and sustaining your garden through the seasons, and much more; Richly illustrated with photographs, design plans, and handy charts and lists.

Plan your landscape or garden with more than 100 native plants that benefit birds, bees, and butterflies in Northern California. The presence of birds, bees, and butterflies suggests a healthy, earth-friendly place. These most welcome guests also bring joy to those who appreciate watching them. Now, you can turn your yard into a perfect habitat that attracts them and, more importantly, helps them thrive. Professional nature photographer and botanist George Oxford Miller provides all the information you need in this must-have guide for Northern California. Learn how to landscape and create pollinator gardens with native plants. The book begins with an in-depth introduction to native pollinators and to birds. It's followed by a "field guide" section to more than 100 native plants that are widely available to utilize, are easy to care for, and provide great benefit to birds, bees, and butterflies. The species are organized by level of sunlight needed and then by plant types. Each species includes full-color photographs and information about hardiness zones, what they are most likely to attract, soil requirements, light levels, and George's notes. As an added bonus, you'll make use of blooming charts, tips on attracting specific species, and more! Plus, the invaluable garden plans and projects show you just what to do and can be customized to suit your own specific interests. Plan, plant, and grow your beautiful garden, with native plants that benefit your favorite creatures to watch and enjoy.

'This book is a chance to slow down and find stillness. Self-care in the most beautiful, creative ways.' - Fearne Cotton Fifty imaginative ideas for crafts that encourage a sense of joy and mindfulness. Includes a foreword by Melissa Hemsley. The Joy Journal For Grown-ups invites you to experiment, play and unlock your creative potential with a range of simple crafts that can bring a little more calm into your everyday life. Using store-cupboard ingredients and easily foraged supplies, this beautifully illustrated handbook includes new and inspiring ideas for adding a personal touch to celebrations, creating unique gifts, and making stunning keepsakes. Whether you are a beginner or confident crafter, bestselling author Laura Brand gently guides you through a host of delightful projects including beautiful flower-pressed candles, scented body butter, and origami hearts. She invites you to carve out 'me time' and enjoy shared creative experiences with friends that can help us to feel more connected and harness the freedom of play from childhood. Imaginative, engaging and easy to follow, this gorgeous, step-by-step guide features all the encouragement you need to find inspiration, awaken your creativity and brighten your mood.

The Idea of the Cottage in English Architecture is a history of the late Georgian phenomenon of the architect-designed cottage and the architectural discourse that articulated it. It is a study of small buildings built on country estates, and not so small buildings built in picturesque rural settings, resort towns and suburban developments. At the heart of the English idea of the cottage is the Classical notion of retreat from the city to the countryside. This idea was adopted and adapted by the Augustan-infused culture of eighteenth-century England where it gained popularity with writers, artists, architects and their wealthy patrons who from the later eighteenth century commissioned retreats, gate-lodges, estate workers' housing and seaside villas designed to 'appear as cottages'. The enthusiasm for cottages within polite society did not last. By the mid-nineteenth century, cottage-related building and book publishing had slowed and the idea of the cottage itself was eventually lost beneath the Tudor barge-boards and decorative chimneystacks of the Historic Revival. And yet while both designer and consumer have changed over time, the idea of the cottage as the ideal rural retreat continues to resonate through English architecture and English culture.

Grow amazing plants from the comfort of your own home.

This book will teach you the basics of growing fruit, vegetables, herbs, and the very best indoor flowers, as well as tips and tricks to reuse your food scraps and reduce your waste as you experiment with seeds.

Did you know that you can grow a beautiful houseplant from an avocado seed? Or regrow lettuce in a matter of weeks, just in an inch of water? And you can create a windowsill of delicious herbs simply from cuttings?

You don't need a complicated toolkit to start sowing; just spades of enthusiasm and any spare containers you have lying around your home. And here's the best part: as your windowsills begin to burst with greenery, you will reap the health benefits too - from anti-oxidants to air purifiers, as well as plants which aid good sleep, your plants will transform every aspect of your lifestyle.

This gorgeous book celebrates the joy of creating something from scratch and infusing the home-grown mentality into all aspects of your lifestyle, from your mealtimes to your home d�cor and your wellbeing. So, just pick up a pot and start sowing your own!

The first major illustrated monograph in many years on the history of gardens, landscape design, and architecture, focusing on both the Western and Eastern traditions and their influences. Ambitious in scope and lavishly illustrated, this book surveys every period in garden design and landscape architecture, from classical antiquity and the medieval cloisters to the latest trends in modern design. Captured here are two millennia of garden history--the most comprehensive garden photo documentary ever undertaken by a single author. From the Roman gardens at Hadrian's villa to the modern work of landscape architects, historical and contemporary gardens are showcased with special attention to the relationship between gardens and houses. The informative text reveals the evolutions, transformations, influences, and trends that characterize these beautiful landscapes, putting into context their aesthetic appeal. Gardens are unique, reflecting the landscape, flora, and climate of their environments as well as the heritage, history, architectural styles, and influences of society. From the fountain gardens of Persia to the prairie-style gardens currently popular, from the Zen gardens of Buddhist temples to the Impressionist gardens in Giverny, the huge variety of gardens is a testament to our age-old desire to tame and refashion nature. This gorgeously photographed book will captivate travelers and garden admirers alike and inspire gardeners with ideas for design, horticulture, and use.

Marco Frascari believed that architects should design thoughtful buildings capable of inspiring their inhabitants to have pleasurable and happy lives. A visionary Italian architect, academic and theorist, Frascari is best-known for his extraordinary texts, which explore the intellectual, theoretical and practical substance of the architectural discipline. As a student in Venice during the late 1960s, Frascari was taught and mentored by Carlo Scarpa. Later he moved to North America with his family, where he became a fulltime academic. Throughout his academic career, he continued to work on numerous architectural projects, including exhibitions, competition entries, and designs for approximately 35 buildings, a small number of which were built. As a means of (re)constructing the theatre of imaginative theory within which these buildings were created, Sam Ridgway draws on a wide selection of Frascari's texts, including his richly poetic book Monsters of Architecture, to explore the themes of representation, demonstration, and anthropomorphism. Three of Frascari's delightful buildings are then brought to light and interpreted, revealing a sophisticated and interwoven relationship between texts and buildings.

Natural swimming pools rely on the correct balance of living plants and micro-organisms to clean and purify the water. They are easy and less costly to maintain than chemical pools. Chlorine and other common pool chemicals that are hazardous to human health are not used. Natural pools are safe places for children to play and birds to drink, and are a dramatic example of ecological design, combining the natural and man-made worlds while creating beauty. These pools offer enjoyment not only in the warm months, but during winter, when they can be used for ice skating. Often the focal point of a garden, a natural swimming pool blends into the environment, flowing into the surroundings with plants and rocks. It reflects the changing seasons and enhances the environment naturally. This book is a necessary resource for people who consider a natural swimming pool. It shows how the natural system works to provide environmental, health, and safety benefits. Drawings, diagrams, and charts help explain their planning, design, biology, materials, construction, planting, and maintenance. Over 300 beautiful color photographs of natural pools will inspire your own water garden, where you can swim in harmony with nature.

Brighten your garden all year round with a wide variety of bulbs. Ideal for first-time gardeners, Grow Bulbs contains everything you need to bring year-round colour into your garden with bulbs. Learn how to plant, care for, and divide your bulbs, create stunning displays including naturalistic drifts and eye-catching containers, and choose from a huge range of bulbs, corms, and tubers with the book's handy seasonal directory. Packed with practical, jargon-free know-how, this easy-to-use guide has everything you need to know to help your garden Grow.

Zero-cost, low effort and a long term solution to your fresh produce needs! Huw Richards set himself a challenge - to be self-sufficient by growing his own fruit and veg for free for a year. He succeeded, and now wants to help you do the same. Grow your own food in your home garden, allotment or container and look forward to a bountiful harvest year-round. You can plant fruit and veg at home without spending a penny and Huw Richard's shows you how. Packed with tried-and-tested advice, this gardening book covers: - Finding a space to grow - in the garden or on a terrace or balcony - and sourcing the materials you need - Deciding what to grow your crops in (the ground, a raised bed, or containers) - Clear growing instructions on more than 30 species of popular annual and perennial crops - Huw Richards' 52-week journal of how he grew his own food for free for a year without spending a penny - Advice on how to go about selling your produce to raise money to expand your growing area Author Huw Richards is a man on a mission. He is passionate about teaching you how to garden and grow your own food. Years of experience and trying different things has taught Huw how to garden with little money (or without a garden) and he shows you how to do the same! Grow Food for Free teaches you how to produce no-cost, low-maintenance fruit and veg - and finding low-cost ways to overcome common gardening worries. Learn about the space you need and how to prepare it, make your own compost, tackle weeds, pests, and diseases, and how to get hold of your first set of seeds! Discover strategies to expand your garden. Can't afford a raised bed? Try repurposing an old wooden pallet. Don't have money to buy lots of different seeds? Look in your kitchen cupboards for food that you can plant. This home gardening book shows you everything you need to barter, borrow, repurpose, and propagate your way to a bountiful harvest without burdening your bank balance!

Take your love of plants to the next level and start growing some food with this modern, easy-to-follow guidebook that shows you everything you need to know to grow edible plants all year round!

Did you know you could grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs in containers? Well, now you can take your houseplants to the next level by growing home-grown produce and seasoning that will taste delicious in all of your favorite dishes.

How to Grow Your Own Food identifies 50 common, easy-to-grow edible plants from herbs to vegetables, along with detailed care instructions and beautiful illustrations of each plant. You’ll find everything you need to know about building your container garden including:

• How to choose the right size container for each plant
• How to water (and feed!) your plants for optimal growth
• When to harvest your crops for the best flavor
• And much more!

It’s time to turn your decorative plants into ones that will keep you happy and healthy! No matter how much or how little space you have in your apartment, you can enjoy everything—from basil to onions to strawberries—with this practical guide to container gardening.

Veronica Fowler's comprehensive step-by-step manual shows you not only how to install your water garden, but maintain it entirely on your own."Backyard Water Gardens" teaches you how to install liners, pre-formed shapes, containers, and aboveground pools and fountains. From there, it helps you choose plants, add them to your garden, fertilize, prune, divide, and ward off pests and diseases. But Fowler's book goes far beyond the basics, covering all the maintenance and troubleshooting of water feature hardscapes--from a rip in a liner, to a damaged pool, to maintaining equipment and filters (including seasonal maintenance for winter care). Veronica Fowler's "Backyard Water Gardens" allows you to fully enjoy the convenience and versatility of water gardening, all while maintaining it with ease for years to come."Backyard Water Gardens" is truly an all-inclusive manual, encompassing every style, type, and size of water feature imaginable. No matter the "feel" you wish to convey in your garden--casual, formal, or whimsical--Fowler's book enables you to create it with confidence. Your range of hardscape options is incredibly vast, from small, container-sized fountains that complement any space with added sound and movement, to large in-ground or aboveground ponds and streams. Larger installations not only provide soothing, rejuvenating sights and sounds; they can also house fish and plants and passively attract natural wildlife to your backyard.

A beautifully illustrated history of the world famous landscape garden at Stourhead, created by generations of the Hoare banking dynasty. Cross the south lawn at Stourhead and descend through the ancient and rare trees. Soon you will see a great lake appear, decorated with classical temples and arched bridge that lunges to the other side of the water. Continue on and you will find a mystical, jagged grotto; a gothic hideaway; gods, muses and saints. This is how Henry Hoare - known as Henry the Magnificent - would have approached the garden he designed with Henry Flitcroft. Did he imagine himself as a journeying Aeneas, or was he recreating a Claud Lorrain landscape? This is the first history - in colour - of a unique landscape created by generations of the Hoare banking family. It follows its evolution, describing how flights of folly, individual flair and tastes, combined with careful stewardship, have formed a national treasure and one of the finest example of the English landscape garden. The book includes a foreword by James Stourton and newly commissioned photography by renowned garden photographer Marianne Majerus.

This book is a comprehensive, beautifully illustrated colour guide to the plants which farmers, growers and gardeners can use to improve soil structure and restore fertility without the use and expense of agrichemicals. Information based on the latest research is given on how to use soil conditioning plants to avoid soil degradation, restore soil quality and help clean polluted land. There are 11 chapters: 1 to 6 cover soil health, nitrogen fixation, green manures and herbal leys, bacteria and other microorganisms, phytoremediators and soil mycorrhiza (plant-fungal symbiosis). Chapter 7 has plant illustrations, with climate range and soil types, along with their soil conditioning properties and each plant is presented with a comprehensive description opposite a detailed illustration, in full colour. Chapters 8 to 10 examine soil stabilisers, weeds and invasive plants, and hedges and trees and the final chapter, contains 5 case studies with the most recent data, followed by an appendix and glossary. The book allows the reader to identify the plants they need quickly and find the information necessary to begin implementation of soil regeneration.

An exploration of how plant behavior and adaptation offer valuable insights for human thriving. We know that plants are important. They maintain the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They nourish other living organisms and supply psychological benefits to humans as well, improving our moods and beautifying the landscape around us. But plants don't just passively provide. They also take action. Beronda L. Montgomery explores the vigorous, creative lives of organisms often treated as static and predictable. In fact, plants are masters of adaptation. They "know" what and who they are, and they use this knowledge to make a way in the world. Plants experience a kind of sensation that does not require eyes or ears. They distinguish kin, friend, and foe, and they are able to respond to ecological competition despite lacking the capacity of fight-or-flight. Plants are even capable of transformative behaviors that allow them to maximize their chances of survival in a dynamic and sometimes unfriendly environment. Lessons from Plants enters into the depth of botanic experience and shows how we might improve human society by better appreciating not just what plants give us but also how they achieve their own purposes. What would it mean to learn from these organisms, to become more aware of our environments and to adapt to our own worlds by calling on perception and awareness? Montgomery's meditative study puts before us a question with the power to reframe the way we live: What would a plant do?