'Essential guide . . . an invitation to a year of happy visiting' Robin Lane Fox, Financial Times The Garden Visitor's Handbook is the famous yellow 'bible' for anyone interested in gardens and the 2022 edition is now available. Its 744 pages contain descriptions of the 3,700 gardens opening to visitors throughout England and Wales this year, and offers people unique access to the most beautiful gardens in the country. Most are privately owned and never otherwise accessible, so the book offers a magical entre to these wonderful domains. Funds raised at the gardens on their open days come from admissions, teas and plant sales and are donated to the National Garden Scheme which in turn donates the net proceeds every year to a group of nursing and health charities. Currently these donations total GBP3 million annually and, since its foundation in 1927, the National Garden Scheme has given away a whopping GBP60 million. The main beneficiaries include some of Britain's best-loved charities including Macmillan, Marie Curie, the Queen's Nursing Institute, Hospice UK, Carers Trust, Parkinson's UK and Horatio's Garden.

Every new gardener has to start somewhere - and the process can be intimidating. Knowing when and what to plant, how to care for the plants once they're in the ground, and how to keep pests and diseases away is a lot to take on. Luckly, Daryl Beyers - an expert from the New York Botanical Garden - has written what will be a go-to resource for decades to come. The New Gardener's Handbook is a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of gardening, based on the introductory gardening class that Beyers teaches at NYBG. Readers will learn about soil, plant selection, propagation, planting and mulching, watering and feeding, pruning, and weeds, pests, and diseases. The information applies to both ornamental and edible plants. Featuring inspiring photography and helpful illustrations, The New Gardener's Handbook gives home gardeners a foundation upon which they can grow, and encourages them to apply the lessons they've learned in an intuitive, natural way.

Gardening doesn't have to be difficult, and Kate Frey - expert gardener and designer - makes it easier than ever with her new book, Ground Rules. Frey distills the vital lessons gardening into 100 simple rules that, if followed, will yield a gorgeous, healthy, and thriving home garden. New home gardeners will discover tips on garden design, care and maintenance, healthy soil, and the best ways to water. They'll learn how create a garden that encourages birds and butterflies, how to how to choose healthy plants at the garden center, how and when to re-pot a container, and much more. With bite-size chunks of expert information and nearly 100 inspiring photographs, Ground Rules packs a lot of value into its playful package and will be a go-to resource for gardeners everywhere.

Christopher Lloyd has been writing a weekly column in "Country Life" since 1963 and, until now, this wealth of garden literature has been denied to a wider public. There are many garden writers, but few whose work can be considered to have the status of literature. There is only one who has achieved this at the same time as delivering horticultural information which enlightens even the most erudite of plantsmen, and that is Christopher Lloyd. His prose is exciting; his knowledge is vast; his ideas are provocative, and what is the true test of a writer who has transcended his medium, he makes you laugh out loud. In this selection from the storehouse of Christopher Lloyd's prose it will be apparent to what a high degree he has influenced gardening in our times. The book will capture the essence of Christopher Lloyd and of his garden at Great Dixter.

This book relates stories of everyday life revolving around small-scale urban gardens in Central Havana and focusing particularly on that of Marcelo, a seventy-four-year-old revolutionary and gardener. The urban gardens are contested spaces: though monitored and controlled by Cuban state institutions, they also offer possibilities of crafting life in resistance. The experiences the authors narrate are not 'thick descriptions,' linked to larger political issues, but rather rhizomatic observations that highlight the relationships between humans and non-humans within the nature-culture debate. Using these experiences, the authors argue that 'the political' reaches beyond the affairs of state and governance and should be seen as an all-encompassing part of life. The authors thereby invite the social sciences to focus on the microscopic and the day-to-day to illuminate how the political affairs of lives can be imagined differently.

A Sunday Times bestseller Even great gardeners like Monty Don are always learning and always experimenting. The Complete Gardener brings you right up to date on how Monty gardens today. This extensively revised new edition covers what Monty believes are the most important aspects of gardening today. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned gardener, it's time to get your green-fingered hands dirty! A comprehensive gardening guide that no gardener should be without: - An introductory chapter that explains the essentials of organic gardening practice - A structure chapter that shows you how to define space in your garden with hard landscaping and natural options, such as trees, hedges, and topiary - Discover all different types of flowering plants explaining how to design with them, combine, plant, and care for them - How to grow fruits and vegetables with in-depth crop-by-crop explanations and which tried-and-tested varieties to choose from Packed with beautiful illustrations and practical gardening tips, Monty reveals the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs while respecting the needs of the environment. He covers everything from planning the space and crop rotation to pruning fruit canes and staking peas. Join Monty in his garden at Long Meadow! Over half of the photos included in this updated edition were shot at his renowned personal garden over the course of a year. Discover how he created this beautiful garden, and how you can do the same in your own. Design Your Dream Garden Although organic techniques have always been at the core of his practice, this new edition has a new emphasis on gardening for wildlife and the impact of global warming on the garden. This is a go-to guide for anyone seeking Monty's gardening advice and the perfect gardening gift for any plant lover, regardless of their experience or budget.

Peek into hundreds of private backyards, where artists have crafted the most charming and intimate areas! Discover delightful dens hidden in the foliage or tucked on tiny terraces with beautiful vistas. Explore innovative ideas for designing and decorating private porches, patios, pagodas, and decks that provide the perfect space for outdoor living and the intimacy of a small room. This book is packed with inspiration for spaces that provide escape, relaxation, meditation, and a small refuge for gathering. Share a glass of refreshment beneath generous branches of a nearby tree, laze about in a hammock, or stretch out on a bench and admire the tranquility of a pond, while relishing your secret hideaway. This book is sure to motivate all who tire of life's everyday hassles to create their own intimate outdoor space.

This book takes you through hundreds of beautiful garden landscapes lavish with ornaments. A great variety of marble and stone walkways, garden walls, tiered fountains, statuary, classical architectural ruins, birdbaths, sundials, urns, garden furnishings, and iron gates are found, tucked away amidst lush plantings, European palaces, Italian villas, country manor houses, and elegant estates. See gardens of Italy, Texas, New England, Pennsylvania, New York, South Carolina, and Florida that are a feast for the eyes. This book will sow seeds for many gorgeous gardens of the future.

In this book the author describes the way her garden evolved and how, without meaning to do so, she let it take over her life. She suggests moving away from planning, regimentation and gardening with the mentality of a stamp-collector. Frequently funny and always stimulating, she writes of the alchemy of gardens, of the 19th-century plant-collectors and plant illustrators and of the gardening philosophers, all fertilizing great thoughts along with their hollyhocks. She won the 1988 Sinclair Consumer Press Garden Writer of the Year Award.

Grow a garden bountiful and beautiful
The Massachusetts Gardener's Companion is the only guide focused on cultivating a successful garden in the Bay State. Whether you're an experienced green thumb or an inquiring novice, whether you live in the Berkshires, in the central hills, in the Boston area, or on the Islands, this easy-to-understand guide will help you grow bountiful vegetables, abundant flowers, and lush lawns.
You will learn:
What's in your Massachusetts soil and how to improve it
Tips for extending your growing season
The plant varieties best suited to your climate
How to deal with the challenges of hilly, seaside, or city gardening
Ways to combat pests and plant diseases found in the state
Local sources of seeds, tools, and hands-on assistance with gardening questions
In short, how to succeed in your Bay State garden

'Giggles, gardens and good grub - I love these girls and I love this book' Davina McCall Rhubarb Rhubarb collects the witty, wide-ranging correspondence between Leiths-trained cook Mary Jane Paterson and award-winning gardener Jo Thompson. Two good friends who found themselves in a perfect world of cupcakes and centrepieces, they decided to demystify their own skills for one another: the results are sometimes self-deprecating, often funny, and always enlightening. Jo would find herself one day panicking about what to cook for Easter lunch: a couple of emails with Mary Jane and the fear subsided, and sure enough, a delicious meal appeared on the table. Meanwhile, Jo helped Mary Jane combat her irrational fear of planting bulbs by showing how straightforward the process can be. The book is full of sane, practical advice for the general reader: it provides uncomplicated, seasonal recipes that people can make in the midst of their busy lives, just as the gardening tips are interesting, quick and helpful for beginners. Mary Jane shares secrets and knowledge gathered over a lifetime of providing fabulous food for friends and family, while Jo's expertise in beautiful planting enables the reader to have a go at simple schemes with delightful results.

Do you know every gardening technique and rule of thumb off pat? Or do you occasionally straighten up from your digging to try and remember exactly what you're meant to be doing? How deep should you plant these bulbs? Was it now you were supposed to prune this rose, or in February? Can you compost this weed? Is it OK to plant out these seedlings now? It's such a pain having to go indoors, kick off your boots, shed your outdoor clothes and start looking up the answer to your question in some great gardening tome. And that's where The Gardener's Pocket Bible comes in. Now, you can stay in the garden and look up all those essential facts and figures in an instant. At your fingertips you'll have all the answers to your on-the-spot questions such as: Which plants do you need to protect from frost? When should you cut the hedge? What plants need staking, and when? How can you get rid of greenfly without using pesticides? This indispensible little guide will tell you what you need to know, when you need to know it - and will save you thumbing through gardening encyclopedias when what you actually want to do is get on with the gardening. This beautiful hardback edition has both dust-cover and gold embossing on the spine making it the perfect gift. Every Pocket Bible is lovingly crafted to give you a unique mix of useful references, handy tips and fascinating trivia that will enlighten and entertain you at every page. There is a Pocket Bible for everyone... Other titles in the series: The Outdoor Pocket Bible, The Camping Pocket Bible, The London Pocket Bible, The Camping Pocket Bible and The Railway Pocket Bible.

Cultivate your passion to grow In a 1625 essay, Francis Bacon called gardens "the purest of human pleasures," and what was true then is even more so today--gardening can give you a serene refuge from the short-lived (and noisy!) distractions of modern life and a fertile basis for satisfaction that will bear fruit long into the future. To help you get started on your own leafy paradise, the new edition of Gardening Basics For Dummies grounds you thoroughly in the fundamentals of soil, flowers, trees, and lawns--and helps you get to know the names of what you're planting along the way! In a friendly, straightforward style, professional horticulturist Steven A. Frowine distills 50 years of gardening experience to show you how to start growing your expertise--from planning out your own mini-Eden and planting your first annuals, bulbs, and perennials through to laying the perfect lawn, raising tasty crops, and even introducing fish to your landscape! He also digs into the grubbier side of horticultural life, making sure you're as prepared as any seasoned farmer to deal with pests, weeds, and other challenges the earth will throw up at you. Create your ideal garden plan Become an expert on common flora with definitions and descriptions Know how to look after your soil Get creative with butterfly and children's gardens Whether you're beginning with a tiny garden in a box, or beautifying your property with tree-lined groves and flowery bowers, this is the ideal introduction to the intense pleasure of gardening and will make you happy to reap what you've sown!

"Walpole's achievement has to be saluted all the more when it is realized that single-handedly he determined (or distorted) the writing of landscape architecture history to this day' John Dixon Hunt in Greater Perfection: the practice of garden theory" By a mile, this is the most brilliant and most influential essay ever written on English garden history. For two centuries it mapped the whole landscape of the subject. However, the author was partial in the highest degree. Horace Walpole believed in progress, in modernisation, and the superiority of everything English to almost everything that had gone before. He had a special dislike of Baroque gardens, as exemplified by Versailles, which for him symbolised absolutism, tyranny, and the oppression of nature.

Bring a Sensory Garden to life in a structured therapeutic horticulture program! Intergenerational gardening programs bring the generations together. This book presents a tested, hands-on, easy-to-use activity plan that benefits the development of relationships between adults over 70 and school-age children. It shows how to limit frustration for both groups, how to plan activities that are functional and non-contrived, and how to assure that the interaction between elders and children is rewarding and pleasant for both. The activities rely on inexpensive, readily available tools and resources available throughout the growing season. While other books have discussed designing a Sensory Garden for people with disabilities, Generations Gardening Together applies the Sensory Garden design to a specific population, with a focus on the human senses that are stimulated by the garden. This unique sourcebook shows you, step-by-step, how a Sensory Garden can come alive in a structured therapeutic horticulture program. Generations Gardening Together shows how to create a Sensory Garden that will stimulate young and old gardeners alike. It outlines a six-week program curriculum that has been used and developed over ten years to use gardening as a program to bring generations together. You'll learn therapeutic techniques that benefit elders by promoting self-esteem, creating feelings of pride, competence, and satisfactionboth from creating a garden and through passing on their knowledge and wisdom to the younger generation, inspiring them to use both their long-term and short-term memory skills, increasing physical stimulation, and providing the comfort of familiar plants and their aromas, which can trigger memories of people, places, and vocations. The activities in the book also benefit children through the establishment of a safe environment where people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can come togetheran ideal social situation in which youth can seek the wisdom of elders. Children learn important lessons about accountability, nurturing, and responsibility, for working in a garden teaches youth about life, death, hope, patience, and beauty. Each activity session described in Generations Gardening Together includes the following information: titledescribes the content of the program general statement of purposeidentifies the intent of the program goal(s)outlines the expected outcome(s) of the activity program proceduresprovides a detailed description of each step and the order of the program's activities evaluationincludes what and how therapeutic program goals are to be measured and recorded materials and equipmentidentifies all the necessary equipment and supplies needed to facilitate the program activity This important resource shows how to provide appropriate (separate) orientation to seniors and children, what to emphasize and what to avoid in creating a program in your community, how to create garden themes that reflect the interests of the participants (ethnic foods, bird and butterfly gardens, planting to attract wildlife, etc.), how to decide what activities are appropriate for the developmental level of the participants, and much more. Generations Gardening Together is an essential resource for therapeutic recreation specialists, occupational therapists, therapeutic horticulture professionals, activity coordinators, master gardeners, and anyone working in an environment where elders and children come together.

Cancer is a leading cause of death among adults. Research has shown that the chances of developing cancer can be reduced by lifestyle changes. Increasing numbers of people are turning to the use of dietary vegetables, medicinal herbs, and plant extracts to prevent or treat cancer. Their ready availability as over the counter supplements has contributed to an explosion in the use of herbal extracts and related compounds for health enhancement. The spectacular growth of the multi-billion dollar functional food and nutraceutical business, touting health claims sometimes based upon limited research data, underscores the need for this up-to-date reference. This book brings together a leading group of experts on the different aspects of nutrient supplementation, foods, and plant extracts in cancer prevention and treatment. Their conclusions and recommendations present the most current knowledge from which to springboard future research and create a scientific database for accurate health claims.