This is a book on aquatic plants written in accessible language, so that anyone interested in water plants can acquire useful knowledge about them. As far as possible botanical language has been used sparingly, and then only when absolutely necessary. There are nearly half a million aquatic species in existence, and therefore it is impossible even to attempt to cover a small fraction of this in a single volume. Therefore a selection consisting of over 350 commonly known species has been described within, to kindle the interest of the plant enthusiast and give a flavour of this specialised subject area. For ease of identification, the text is accompanied by 150 line drawings and photographs

Brassica vegetables are also known as cole crops, crucifers, and cruciferous vegetables. They belong to the genus Brassica and family Brassicaceae, the mustard family. Popular brassica vegetables include cabbage, chinese cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi (knolkhol), collard greens, and kale. Brassica vegetables are biennial in their growing habit but for commercial production they are grown as annuals. Brassica vegetables believed to be originated in the region comprising of Western Europe, the Mediterranean region and the temperate regions of Asia.

You need to read this book if: *You want to learn how to make cider in your kitchen with no equipment but a plastic bottle? *You want to learn about cider, how it is traditionally made all around the world and its fascinating history? *You want to learn how to cook with cider *You want to learn about cider's health giving qualities? *You want to know about apples, their fascinating origin and the different apple varieties that produce beautiful blossoms and fruit with wonderful flavours? If your answer is yes you owe it to yourself to find out more.

Generally cultivated crops are grouped into any of the three categories based on their growing cycle. These categories are annuals, biennials and perennials. Annuals complete both their vegetative and reproductive life cycles within a season or a year. Biennials complete their vegetative growth phase during first growing season or first year and produce seeds during the second season or second year. That is, biennials complete their life cycles within two seasons or within two years. While perennials are those crops which may take one or more years to complete their vegetative phase before embarking on a continuum of reproductive cycles, yielding economically significant crop produce. That is, perennials grow for several years without compromising on their economic value. Similarly, perennial vegetables are those crops that produce edible portion that can be used as a vegetable continuously for several years. Five most popular perennial vegetables are asparagus, rhubarb, jerusalem artichoke, globe artichoke and crosnes (chinese artichokes).

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum formerly known as Petroselinum hortense) is a biennial herbal spice crop belongs to the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). It can successfully be cultivated both in tropical and temperate climates. Commercially it is grown as an annual and its economically significant part is its aromatic leaves. Parsley is believed to be originated in the region comprising of Europe and western Asia.

Some freshly harvested leafy vegetables may be consumed as such in its raw form only after washing them. They may also be consumed after minimal processing such as chopping and adding in salads and in other raw food preparations. Such leafy vegetables which may be consumed in its uncooked state such as salads are called leafy salad vegetables. Their leaves and leaf stalks are used for consumption and therefore they are termed as leafy greens or leafy vegetables. They are consumed as salads and therefore known as salad vegetables. Five most popular leafy salad vegetables are lettuce, celery, chives, kale, and parsley. In addition to these vegetables, chicory, endive, garden cress, water cress and land cress, chervil etc may also be used as leafy salad vegetables.

Scientific name of spine gourd is Momordica dioica. Spine gourd is a cucurbitaceous vegetable which is closely related to bitter gourd. However, it is not bitter in taste as bitter gourd. As in case of other cucurbitaceous vegetables (cucurbits) which mainly include melons and gourds, spine gourd is also grown as a summer vegetable in tropical and subtropical countries. Zucchini is a type of summer squash grown as a summer vegetable for its tender, edible long fruits. It is the most popular, widely grown and economically important summer squash vegetable. Scientific name of zucchini is Cucurbita pepo. Gherkins are known as 'small cucumbers' as it belongs to the same family as cucumber. Scientific name of gherkin is same as that of cucumber i.e. Cucumis sativus, but cultivar is different. Gherkin is a cucurbitaceous plant grown for its small, prickly, cylindrical green fruits which are with thin green rinds and white flesh. Gherkin is a tropical gourd plant and is climbing in growth habit. Small immature fruits of gherkins are used for pickling and hence it is commonly called as pickling cucumber. There is another West Indian variety called Burr Gherkin (Cucumis anguria) which is slightly different from pickling gherkins.

A guide to the care and cultivation of dahlias for the home gardener or exhibitor

This is a small booklet of 26-pages which explains general GROWING PRACTICES for rhubarb plant. Rhubarb is popularly known as 'the pie-plant' because of its significance as a major ingredient in preparing pies. Botanical name of Rhubarb is Rheum rhabarbarum. Rhubarb is a cool season crop which is grown as an herbaceous, perennial vegetable. Rhubarb belongs to the family Polygonaceae. The economically significant portion of the plant is its fleshy leafstalks and the plant is normally grown for these fleshy leaf stalks (petioles) only. Color of petioles may be red, white or green depending upon the cultivar.

Chinese cabbages are a group of popular, temperate leafy vegetables belong to the same family as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, i.e. mustard family, also known as Cruciferae family or Brassicaceae family. Chinese cabbages are biennial in their growing habit but are grown as annuals for vegetable purposes. In case of biennial plants, vegetative growth phase is completed during the first year of growing while reproductive phase is completed during the second year. Since vegetative parts of the plants are used for vegetable purposes in case of cruciferous vegetables, these crops are normally grown as annuals.

PERRY PEARS (Rare and Heritage Fruit Cultivars #6)
Perry is a traditional alcoholic beverage made by the fermentation of juice from specific pears. It can be brewed at home. Some call this drink 'pear cider'. When perry is made from real perry pears it is a refreshing, light and delicate drink, rivalling high quality champagne.
Perry pears are cultivars selected for characteristics that make high quality perry. Early settlers sailed to new lands bringing these special fruits, thus distributing them across the globe.
Some of these unique, historic cultivars have survived through the years and been rediscovered by enthusiastic brewers. We list some of them here, along with what is known of their history, description, flavour characteristics and a few sources for trees.
This book is one of a series written for 'backyard farmers' of the 21st century. The series focuses on rare and heritage fruit in Australia, although it includes much information of interest to fruit enthusiasts around the world.
'Heritage' or 'heirloom' fruits such as old-fashioned varieties of apple, quince, fig, plum, peach and pear are increasingly popular due to their diverse flavours, excellent nutritional qualities and other desirable characteristics. They are part of our horticultural, vintage and culinary inheritance. To pick a tree-ripened heritage fruit from your own back yard and bite into it is to experience the taste of fresh food as our forefathers knew it.
During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries fruit diversity was huge, but in modern supermarkets only a limited range of commercial fruit varieties is now available to consumers.
Heritage, heirloom and rare fruit enthusiasts across the world are currently reviving our horticultural legacy by renovating old orchards and identifying 'lost', unusual and historic fruit varieties. The goal is to make a much wider range of fruit trees available again to the home gardener.
This series of handbooks aims to help.

Scientific name of Kale is Brassica oleracea var. acephala. Kale is an exotic temperate Cole crop which is mainly grown for its edible leaves. Scientific Name of Brussels Sprouts is Brassica oleracea var. Gemmifera. It is a tall- stemmed cole crop where axillary buds forming in the axis of each leaf are used as vegetables. Scientific Name of Celery is Apium graveolens. Celery is a popular leafy vegetable in many parts of the world and its edible portion is the long, thick, green fleshy petioles and associated leaves. Even though celery is a biennial plant belonging to the Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) family it is commercially grown as an annual crop.

PEACHES (Rare and Heritage Fruit Cultivars #8)
Of all the deciduous tree fruit varieties, the peach is ranked third in global economic importance after the apple and the pear.
This handbook lists and describes around 230 existing and 'lost' heritage peach cultivars, to help you choose those you would prefer to grow. It gives fascinating insights into the world of peaches, and some surprising facts about this delicious queen of fruits including, for each variety, the history, visual description, flavour, flesh characteristics, skin colour, type of pit or stone, chill and pollination requirements, and uses. An indispensable handbook for the peach enthusiast.
This book is one of a series written for 'backyard farmers' of the 21st century. It focuses on rare and heritage fruit in Australia, although it includes much information of interest to fruit enthusiasts around the world.
'Heritage' or 'heirloom' fruits such as old-fashioned varieties of apple, quince, fig, plum, peach and pear are increasingly popular due to their diverse flavours, excellent nutritional qualities and other desirable characteristics. They are the legacy of our ancestors; living heirlooms, part of humanity's horticultural, vintage and culinary inheritance. During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries fruit diversity was huge, but in modern supermarkets only a limited range of commercial fruit varieties is available to consumers.
To pick a tree-ripened heritage fruit from your own back yard and bite into it is to experience the taste of fresh food as our forefathers knew it.
Heritage, heirloom and rare fruit enthusiasts across the world are now reviving our horticultural legacy by renovating old orchards and identifying 'lost', unusual and historic fruit varieties. The goal is to make a wide range of unique fruit trees available again to the home gardener.
This series of handbooks aims to help.

FIGS (Rare and Heritage Fruit Cultivars #13) The taste of a tree-ripened, freshly-picked fig, is sublime. Never judge figs on the specimens available in supermarkets, which are often dry and inferior. A ripe, fresh fig should be tender and slightly soft. When you bite into it, a silky surge of juicy, rich flavour fills your mouth, tasting like jam eaten straight out of the jar - only infinitely more subtle and complex, with overtones of honey and wine. The interior of the fruit is packed with luscious flowerlets lapped in a sweet, glistening syrup. The fruit of the fig tree has been sought out and cultivated by man since ancient times, and is now widely grown throughout the temperate world, both for its fruit and as an ornamental plant. Hundreds of named fig cultivars now exist, but only a handful are commercially grown. Find out more about the amazing heirloom varieties within these pages. This book is one of a series written for 'backyard farmers' of the 21st century. The series focuses on rare and heritage fruit in Australia, although it includes much information of interest to fruit enthusiasts around the world. 'Heritage' or 'heirloom' fruits such as old-fashioned varieties of apple, quince, fig, plum, peach and pear are increasingly popular due to their diverse flavours, excellent nutritional qualities and other desirable characteristics. They are part of our horticultural, vintage and culinary inheritance. To pick a tree-ripened heritage fruit from your own back yard and bite into it is to experience the taste of fresh food as our forefathers knew it. During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries fruit diversity was huge, but in modern supermarkets only a limited range of commercial fruit varieties is now available to consumers. Heritage, heirloom and rare fruit enthusiasts across the world are currently reviving our horticultural legacy by renovating old orchards and identifying 'lost', unusual and historic fruit varieties. The goal is to make a much wider range of fruit trees available again to the home gardener. This series of handbooks aims to help.

Botanical name of curry leaf plant is Murraya koenigii. It belongs to the family Rutaceace, the citrus family. Curry leaf plant is tropical to subtropical in growth habit. It is grown as a perennial plant which when grown in an open space, grows into a small tree of up to 5 meters in height; while growing in containers and greenhouses, it grows into a small bushy shrub of up to 2.5 meters in height.

This is a booklet of 32-pages intended to provide basic information on growing practices for globe artichokes, crosnes (chinese artichokes), broccoli and chives.

This is a small booklet of 31-pages intended to provide basic information on growing practices for knolkhol (kohlrabi), lettuce and zucchini

PROPAGATING FRUIT PLANTS (Rare and Heritage Fruit Growing #1)
Anyone can easily multiply their own rare and heritage fruit trees and shrubs for selling, sharing or growing their own mini-orchard. This handbook shows you how.
Covering such topics as propagation by seeds, suckers, layers, cuttings, eye-cuttings, root-cuttings and division, this book utilises the vast knowledge of 19th century writer David Alexander Crichton. Crichton was the official Australian government expert and lecturer upon 'Fruit Culture'. His book The Australasian Fruit Culturist (1893) is well worth reading more than a century later.
This more recent handbook is one of a series written for 'backyard farmers' of the 21st century. The series focuses on rare and heritage fruit in Australia, although it includes much information of interest to fruit enthusiasts around the world.
'Heritage' or 'heirloom' fruits such as old-fashioned varieties of apple, quince, fig, plum, peach and pear are increasingly popular due to their diverse flavours, excellent nutritional qualities and other desirable characteristics. They are part of our horticultural, vintage and culinary inheritance. To pick a tree-ripened heritage fruit from your own back yard and bite into it is to experience the taste of fresh food as our forefathers knew it.
During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries fruit diversity was huge, but in modern supermarkets only a limited range of commercial fruit varieties is now available to consumers.
Heritage, heirloom and rare fruit enthusiasts across the world are currently reviving our horticultural legacy by renovating old orchards and identifying 'lost', unusual and historic fruit varieties. The goal is to make a much wider range of fruit trees available again to the home gardener.
This series of handbooks aims to help.

Tips and recipes for growing a bountiful vegetable garden in your own backyard From Seed to Table offers the personal experiences of home gardening from one couple in Pennsylvania. Starting with winter, the book follows each season from the garden to the table. Robert and Patricia Zick share their gardening and preserving tips along with recipes for produce from the backyard. The Zicks hope some of their experience will inspire others to grow their own food and to eat local food as much as possible. While not an exhaustive reference for all gardening, preserving, and cooking techniques, it is filled with firsthand accounts from an experienced gardener and a veteran cook.

CIDER APPLES (Rare and Heritage Fruit Cultivars #2)
Cider is a traditional alcoholic beverage made by the fermentation of juice from specific apples. It can be brewed at home.
This pleasant - and reputedly health-giving - drink has a long history. It is reported that when the Romans arrived in England in 55 BC, they found the local Kentish villagers drinking a delicious cider-like beverage made from apples. It is unknown how long the English locals had been making this apple drink prior to the arrival of the Romans.
Cider apples are cultivars selected for characteristics that make high quality cider. Early settlers sailed to new lands bringing these special fruits, thus distributing them across the globe. Some of these unique, historic cultivars have survived through the years and been rediscovered by enthusiastic brewers. We list some of them here, along with what is known of their history, description, flavour characteristics and a few sources for trees.
This book is one of a series written for 'backyard farmers' of the 21st century. The series focuses on rare and heritage fruit in Australia, although it includes much information of interest to fruit enthusiasts around the world.
'Heritage' or 'heirloom' fruits such as old-fashioned varieties of apple, quince, fig, plum, peach and pear are increasingly popular due to their diverse flavours, excellent nutritional qualities and other desirable characteristics. They are part of our horticultural, vintage and culinary inheritance. To pick a tree-ripened heritage fruit from your own back yard and bite into it is to experience the taste of fresh food as our forefathers knew it.
During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries fruit diversity was huge, but in modern supermarkets only a limited range of commercial fruit varieties is now available to consumers.
Heritage, heirloom and rare fruit enthusiasts across the world are currently reviving our horticultural legacy by renovating old orchards and identifying 'lost', unusual and historic fruit varieties. The goal is to make a much wider range of fruit trees available again to the home gardener.
This series of handbooks aims to help.

The book 'Bell Peppers' explains growing practices for bell peppers and their nutritional information. Bell peppers are one of the most popular capsicum vegetables in the world. They are rich in antioxidants and are considered as health-promoting vegetables.

This title helps you create a fragrant paradise to enjoy throughout the year, shown in 100 stunning photographs. You can make the most of scent around the garden by planting bulbs, annuals, perennials, herbs and small trees. You can choose beautiful plants that will calm, stimulate and uplift the body and spirit, such as butterfly bushes, honeysuckle, hyacinths, jasmine, lavender, lilac and roses. It describes scented schemes for many different garden styles, including cottage, Mediterranean and formal. It features an at-a-glance reference chart giving plant descriptions and a guide to their common names. Smell is one of the most powerful of our senses, and a glorious garden filled with subtle or intoxicating fragrances can affect our mood and wellbeing. This invaluable handbook describes the myriad plants that have scented qualities, whether it is in their flowers, leaves, fruit or bark, and explains how to use them effectively in different locations and garden styles. There is guidance on planting and harvesting for maximum fragrance, as well as advice on how to choose varieties that will provide interest throughout the year, and from morning until night. There is also a useful chart listing scented plants with their growing season and attributes.