Conventional wisdom says to garden from the bottom up, turning over the soil every spring until your back aches. Ironically, this does such a good job aerating that gardeners spend the rest of the season pulling weeds and replacing the suddenly energized (and easily used up) nutrients. Mother nature, on the other hand, gardens from the top down-layering undisturbed soil with leaves and other organic materials. In following this example and synthesizing the work of other perceptive gardeners, Lee Reich presents a compelling new system called weedless gardening.
"The Weedless Garden" is good for plants and it's good for people. It protects the soil, contributes to plant health, reduces water needs, cuts down on a gardener's labor, encourages earthworms and, of course, mitigates weed problems by keeping the seeds dormant. Four basic tenets form the system's backbone-minimize soil disruption; protect soil surface; avoid soil compaction; use drip irrigation-and the way to get there is simple. For a new bed or established garden, layering is key, and the perfect material to use is also among the most common-newspaper. Add organic mulch and compost on top, and plants are growing in rich, self-generating humus. From vegetable gardening to flower gardens to planting trees, shrubs, and vines, "The Weedless Garden" works everywhere-allowing the gardener to work quite a bit less.

Learn how to de-stress, relax and connect with the wildness you can find on your doorstep even in urban and suburban settings Increasing workload, nervous tension, trouble sleeping? Wondering whether there is more to life? You're not having a mid-life crisis. Like so many others, you are feeling the call of the wild. Today's urban living makes it easy for us to feel divorced from nature. This practical book is filled with 52 varied and inspiring activities illustrated with beautiful colour photographs that will get you out and about whatever the weather. Featuring a combination of creative, culinary, herbal and mindful projects, all with nature at their heart, you'll be surprised how much wildness you can find on your doorstep when you know where to look. Organised by month, Urban Wild's simple, seasonal, step-by-step activities open the door to nature in urban and suburban landscapes to help you increase your potential for health and wellbeing and take your first steps on a journey of discovery towards a lifelong connection with the natural world.

The colours, shapes, and scents of flowers are as ravishing to the senses as to the soul. But it's all too easy get things wrong: colours that clash, flowers that bloom at the wrong time, plants that fail to thrive. Enter The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Guide by expert gardener Jenny Rose Carey. She tells you exactly how to get started, how to combine plants for the most spectacular effects, and how to keep your garden going from year to year. Whether you're interested in dramatic color combinations, how best to use a favorite flower, or how to create a garden for a specific purpose, such as nourishing pollinators, you'll find the answers in this friendly, information-packed book. As Jenny herself says, "Don't be afraid - just have a go!"

The Informed Gardener Blooms Again picks up where The Informed Gardener left off, using scientific literature to debunk a new set of common gardening myths. Once again, Linda Chalker-Scott investigates the science behind each myth, reminding us that urban and suburban landscapes are ecosystems requiring their own particular set of management practices. The Informed Gardener Blooms Again provides answers to questions such as: --* Does using drought-tolerant plants reduce water consumption?-* Is it more effective to spray fertilizers on the leaves of trees and shrubs than to apply it to the soil?-* Will cedar wood chips kill landscape plants?-* Should I use ladybugs in my garden as a form of pest control?-* Does aerobically brewed compost tea suppress disease?--Every year Chalker-Scott receives hundreds of e-mails from around the world on these and related topics. Her advice, based on more than twenty years of experience in the field of plant physiology, has helped home gardeners, landscape architects, and nursery and landscape professionals to develop scientifically based sustainable landscaping practices.--Linda Chalker-Scott is an urban horticulturist and associate professor at Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University. She is the author of The Informed Gardener, winner of the Best Book Prize from the Garden Writers Association. She is the editor and co-author of Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens, the Washington State editor of MasterGardener magazine, and author of the online column "Horticultural Myths." She has a new blog at gardenprofessors.com.--"Buy this book and I guarantee you'll save money. Linda Chalker-Scott prunes the advertising hype behind many garden additives -- Epsom salts, peat mulch, gypsum, water crystals, compost tea, and more. Her commonsense approach, heralding scientific rigor and challenging 'junk science' is a must read for every serious gardener." -Suzy Bales, author of Garden Bouquets and Beyond--"An essential tool in deciphering both eco-myths and advertising copy. It helped me to distinguish the greenwashing from the truly 'green.' And to be guided by actual research findings? What a concept One that advertising copy writers and eco-advocates alike don't want us to follow." -Susan Harris, author of Sustainable-Gardening.com and GardenRant.com--"Linda Chalker-Scott is a scientist with a mission -- evidence-based gardening. Happily she is also the most interesting, entertaining, knowledgeable, and useful garden writer I've come across. Home gardeners will learn practices that are more effective, safer, and -- believe me, this is no small thing -- cheaper." -Constance Casey, former New York City Parks Department gardener and regular gardening and natural history contributor to Slate.com---Praise for The Informed Gardener: --"A no-nonsense, no-hype, nothing-to-sell-but-the-truth voice that straddles an important line between hearsay gardening and scientific fact in ornamental horticulture." -Ketzel Levine--"This enjoyable book should find its way into the hands of almost every gardener. Highly recommended for public libraries with gardeners ready to tackle the literature, as well as academic and special libraries with interests in horticulture and gardening." -Library Journal--"A succinct and easy-to-navigate resource . . . Chalker-Scott's instructions are clear enough for even a first-time gardener to follow." -The Bloomsbury Review--"Chalker-Scott's approach is unique in that she speaks about gardening as a genuine expert-with academic credentials-who debunks numerous myths.... in a manner that is easy for us laypeople to understand and absorb...Her conclusions are good advice for all of us to follow." -Washington State Grange News--"In her first book she takes on common garden myths about fertilizer, mulch, transplanting, staking, compost tea, watering and many more potentially confusing topics. She skillfully debunks them with current research as well as her experience in extension horticulture." -Seattle Times--"An informative, helpful guide to sustainable landscaping, with valuable emphasis on cutting through many of the myths and misunderstandings that now surround this increasingly hot topic." -Seattle Post-Intelligencer--" Linda Chalker-Scott's] book does great service in helping the urban gardener move past common practices that hinder instead of help, looking to nature itself as the ultimate teacher of truths." -Cascadia Weekly--"Linda Chalker-Scott is gardening's version of television's MythBusters. Ok, so she isn't so keen on blowing things up, but she does use scientific research to explain why many traditional horticultural practices aren't suitable for urban landscapes." -Tacoma News Tribun

The vast North Woods, a land magnificently arrayed in the deep greens of pine, spruce, and fir and the brilliant blues of crystal clear lakes, spans the area from Minnesota to Maine and from Michigan to Hudson Bay. With a little help fromCanoe Country Flora, keen explorers will discover a world full of life and wonder in the plants that thrive in this beautiful lake country. Canoe Country Flora, a friendly field guide, introduces you to ninety-six of the most common trees, shrubs, wildflowers, fungi, ferns, lichens, and other plants you're likely to encounter during your travels north. Detailed line drawings and brief plant profiles help you recognize what you're seeing, while "Sparky" Stensaas's intriguing tales draw you into a deeper study of the plants's natural and cultural histories. Each plant is made identifiable and memorable by fascinating facts, handy checklists, diagrams and charts, and interesting activities that help adults and children learn by discovery. Use this book as a companion to Canoe Country Wildlife or alone as your guide to a unique North Woods adventure.

Nature on the Doorstep reveals the simple pleasures of paying attention to the natural world in one's own backyard over the course of a year. In weekly letters, Angela Douglas shares the joys and curiosities of a decidedly ordinary patch of green in upstate New York cultivated through the art of "strategic neglect"-sometimes taking a hand to manage wildlife, more often letting nature go its own way. From the first flowers of spring to cardinals singing in the winter, Douglas shows us the magic of welcoming unexpected plant and animal life into one's backyard. A paean to the richness we find when we stop to look and let be, Nature on the Doorstep celebrates the role humble backyards play both in conservation efforts and in an expanded appreciation of the living world.

As the number of visitors to historic gardens has increased dramatically in recent years, demand has grown for information about the history both of individual gardens and of garden styles. This alphabetical glossary of over five hundred entries explains and illustrates such terms so that readers of garden literature and visitors to gardens may appreciate more fully what they are reading about or seeing. A final chapter outlines the work of leading British garden designers from John Evelyn to Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe.

If you are one of those people who haven't got time to hang around waiting for your garden to mature, then this is the book for you. It offers stylish and desirable rapid results for the time-poor and is ideal for anyone starting to garden or tackling a long-neglected plot. Look inside for garden facelifts you can achieve in a couple of hours - or a weekend at most. Discover the designer tips that will win your garden first-in-show prize every time. Find speedy garden fixes for instant results as well as long-term pleasure. See how to add maximum drama with minimum effort. Find out which plants your garden needs to pack a punch. Learn the simplest ways to keep your garden looking good all year long. No matter whether your garden's cricket-pitch size or just a window box, these handy tips, quick fixes and pearls of wisdom are exactly what you need to make your plot the envy of your friends.

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.

Adored for their charming shapes and colors, respected for their resilience and adaptability, and just plain fun to have around--succulents are the hottest home gardening trend today. A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Gardening is a friendly guide to popular succulents, walking novices through all the basics, like: Choosing your succulents--from Hens and Chicks (Echeveria) to bristly flowering cactus varieties Mixing the right soils for your succulents and preparing the growing environment Easy potting and transplanting techniques Succulent care--including watering, fertilizing and providing the right amount of sun for each variety Understanding peak periods as well as seasonal traits and needs, so you can have a beautiful succulent garden year-round This book contains all sorts of helpful tips on what to look for when buying a plant, how to troubleshoot when your succulent shows signs of distress, how to trim the leaves and stems, and how to start new plants from cuttings. Clear diagrams and at-a-glance fact sheets for each variety, as well as inspirational photos of attractively and happily-housed succulents, fill the pages of this book. Now is the time to give succulents a try! Let A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Gardening be your guide to get you started and grow your indoor garden one succulent at a time.

Companion planting has a long history of use by gardeners, but the explanation of why it works has been filled with folklore and conjecture. Plant Partners delivers a research-based rationale for this ever-popular growing technique, offering gardeners dozens of ways they can use scientifically tested plant partnerships to benefit the garden as a whole. Through an enhanced understanding of how plants interact with and influence each other, this guide suggests specific plant combinations that growers can use to improve soil health and weed control, decrease pest damage, and increase biodiversity, resulting in real and measurable impacts in the garden.

A practical, easy-to-follow manual, Gardener's Fitness includes conditioning exercises, postural guidance for moving correctly and safely, therapeutic stretches to relieve discomfort, and a variety of gentle exercises designed to relax tired muscles and restore energy after laboring in the garden. Pearlman explains each exercise through simple directions and photographs. She also provides solid information on precautions to take in the gardening environment, where both major and minor dangers lurk: the sun, insect bites and bee stings, inclement weather, and many others.

A swimming pond is beautiful all year round, for it lives and changes with the seasons. Plants, animals, and the water make it an experience for young and old. A swimming pond has practical advantages: it is easy to care for and needs no expensive technology or chemicals. The swimming-pond ecosystem regenerates itself. Swimming ponds fit into every type of garden, whether natural or structured design. The pond should suit the style of your garden and blend into the surroundings. In this book, swimming-pond owners speak from experience, tell of the planning and building phases and how swimming ponds enrich their garden pleasure. This book becomes a source of inspiration for all who dream of having a swimming pond.

"Explains how your garden can be a thriving, balanced community that gives more to your landscape than it takes." --Douglas W. Tallamy, author of The Nature of Oaks and Nature's Best Hope The birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects that inhabit our yards and gardens are overwhelmingly on our side--they are not our enemies, but instead our allies. They pollinate our flowers and vegetable crops, and they keep pests in check. In Garden Allies, Frederique Lavoipierre shares fascinating portraits of these creatures, describing their life cycles and showing how they keep the garden's ecology in balance. Also included is helpful information on how to nurture and welcome these valuable creatures into your garden. With beautiful pen-and-ink drawings by Craig Latker, Garden Allies invites you to make friends with the creatures that fill your garden--the reward is a renewed sense of nature's beauty and a garden humming with life.

Tending our gardens is a lifelong pleasure. As we age, our energy and physical abilities become more limited. But gardens are magical, evolving places, with the potential to keep us young at heart, physically fit, out in the fresh air and full to the brim with joy and expectation. This ground-breaking book shows how easy it is for older people to carry on gardening. The different kinds of garden set-up are considered first, along with planning decisions and how best to keep safe and comfortable. An informative chapter looks at the main gardening activities and appropriate equipment, especially those that answer physical limitations. Different styles of garden are then presented: flower, vegetable, fruit, raised, herb, patio, vertical and indoor gardens, each one including projects and techniques, from building a raised bed to growing potatoes in containers. The final chapter is a directory that profiles the many planting choices available. Packed with projects, garden plans and step-by-step sequences designed for older gardeners who may not be able to exert themselves in the same way as they once could, this will appeal to active gardeners in their early retirement through to seniors with more limited abilities, and show how gardening can be a lifelong pleasure.

"This gorgeously-illustrated book makes the link between getting out in the garden, and the enrichment that can come as a result." - PlantBased mag "Clea sows a series of meditation techniques about tending the earth wholeheartedly, and shows you how to embrace gardening as a spiritually-enriching hobby to help reconnect you to nature." - Soul & Spirit mag "It promises to lift your soil and your soul! We love." - Woman's Own *BOOK OF THE WEEK* "Clea Danaan is on a gentle mission to help more people fall in love with the Earth." - NFU Countryside "We adore her beautiful little book, Mindful Thoughts for Gardeners, which will inspire you to reconnect with nature, help you live consciously through your planting, and accept unavoidable gardening pitfalls!" - Green Parent Mindful Thoughts for Gardeners reminds us how this spiritually enriching activity lovingly reconnects us to nature every day. Rooting each blossoming thought in deep ecology and conscious living, we unearth the power inherent in mindfully lifting the soil; it lifts our souls as well. This beautifully illustrated little book sows a series of 25 meditations about tending the Earth wholeheartedly, including: * Seeds, soil and roots * Small gardens * Plants and wildlife * Recycling in the garden * Community gardening * Permaculture * Seasons Author Clea Danaan explores the interconnectedness of nature in this carefully crafted small volume that any green-fingeredgrower will want to dig into. If you like this, you might also be interested in Seedbombs, Love Bees, Mindful Thoughts for Walkers and Nature Tonic.

The earliest record of an enclosed space around a homestead come from 10,000 BC and since then gardens of varying types and ambition have been popular throughout the ages. Whether ornamental patches surrounding wild cottages, container gardens blooming over unforgiving concrete or those turned over for growing produce, gardens exist in all shapes and sizes, in all manner of styles. Today we benefit from centuries of development, be it in the cultivation of desirable blossom or larger fruits, in the technology to keep weeds and lawn at bay or even in the visionaries who tore up rulebooks and cultivated pure creativity in their green spaces. George Drower takes fifty objects that have helped create the gardening scene we know today and explores the history outside spaces in a truly unique fashion. With stunning botanical and archive images, this lavish volume is essential for garden lovers.

Gardeners across the nation are seeing clear signs of trouble in their home gardens, no matter the size-like many aspects of life on our warming planet, gardening practices need updates. In the Southeast, gardeners are under pressure to deal with increasing weather extremes, shifting hardiness zones, and seasonal unpredictability. Such environmental conditions are increasingly tough on plants as well as insects, pollinators, birds, and mammals. In this lively and heartening guide, Barbara J. Sullivan offers an essential, easy-to-use resource for adapting to the new realities of climate change. This book will empower southerners to grow beautiful gardens while using gardening practices that contribute to solutions for our shared environment. Surveys the science behind climate change and gardening Covers USDA hardiness zones 5a to 9b, which include thirteen southeastern states Gives advice on planning and installing gardens that will not only thrive but also help address critical environmental challenges Covers key topics ranging from designing a climate-friendly garden that will attract songbirds and pollinators to weaning off gas-powered tools to using water wisely Features a wealth of color illustrations, charts, and tables brimming with recommended native plants for the region

Parks are essential to our well-being; this has never been clearer than it is today, and a recent surge of park development offers us much to celebrate. Parks of the 21st Century presents 52 parks in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, and China that have turned despoiled and polluted land (including former factories, railroads, and industrial waterfronts) into beneficial landscapes. Landscape architects have been referred to as the first environmentalists, and Parks of the 21st Century shows how parks are being designed as proactive, dynamic green spaces. The High Line in New York is an early example of how an obsolete railroad could be transformed. Opened in 2009, it now attracts nearly 8 million visitors a year. In addition to providing public open space, these renewed landscapes offer economic revitalization and large-scale environmental improvement. Among the parks featured in this book are designs by well-known professionals such as James Corner Field Operations, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Kongjian Yu/Turenscape, and Catherine Mosbach.