"A flower is not a flower alone; a thousand thoughts invest it."
Daffodils signal "new beginnings, "daisies" innocence." Lilacs mean "the first emotions of love, "periwinkles "tender recollection." Early Victorians used flowers as a way to express their feelings--love or grief, jealousy or devotion. Now, modern-day romantics are enjoying a resurgence of this bygone custom, and this book will share the historical, literary, and cultural significance of flowers with a whole new generation. With lavish illustrations, a dual dictionary of flora and meanings, and suggestions for creating expressive arrangements, this keepsake is the perfect compendium for everyone who has ever given or received a bouquet.

Making a garden that can withstand summer drought without being watered is the dream of many who wish to garden in harmony with the environment. In this classic work on gardening in dry climates, first published in 2008, Olivier Filippi offers practical advice to achieve this goal based on his, and his wife Clara's, experience of working with mediterranean-region plants for over 30 years. The first part of the book examines the behaviour of plants that face drought in their natural habitat. What is drought and how do plants manage to survive when little water is available? The second part is concerned with gardening techniques in a dry climate. How do you prepare the soil, when do you plant, how do you maintain a dry garden? The third and longest part describes in detail no less than 500 rewarding plants that are marvellously well adapted to dry gardens. This book is essential reading for gardeners who live in one of the world's mediterranean climate zones and will also be of interest to gardeners in areas where drought is becoming a recurring problem. Armed with a new palette of plants and liberated from the hose and the sprinkler this book invites you on a pioneering adventure that paves the way to a new style of gardening.

This is a garden book unlike any other because it will help make your garden better. Knowing what makes gardens work, helps you understand why your garden isn't working for you. Correct what's wrong, make the right changes to improve your garden. Redesigning all or part of the garden is made simpler, know what questions need asking, avoid making mistakes and understand how to combine plants to create beautiful borders with a unique but really simple method. Learn how to ensure your garden is better at looking after itself, so your free time is not spent gardening! Lastly change some gardening habits the world no longer needs, know your garden is good for the planet too. This is a book that shows how your garden can be made better.