Winner of the National Trust Outdoor Book of the Year 2011 The story of one man's unlikely quest to create out of a mountainous Welsh landscape a garden fit for inclusion in the prestigious Yellow Book - the 'Gardens of England and Wales Open for Charity' guide - in just one year. The son of two passionate gardeners, Antony Woodward was born with chlorophyll running through his veins. Unfortunately, growing up with Latin plant names took its toll, and he was ingrained early on with a profound loathing of both gardens and gardening. Buying Tair-ffynnon, a derelict smallholding 1,300 feet up in the Black Mountains of Wales, changed everything. Hooked by its beauty - when not buried in cloud - Woodward battles to meet the strict requirements of the famous 'Yellow Book' in this unlikely terrain. He finds himself driven by apparently inexplicable compulsions: wood chopping, hauling a 20-tonne railway carriage up a mountain, even beekeeping. Soon, his voyage along the rocky path to his own patch of paradise takes on a more personal tenor as he unearths the deep roots linking gardening and his childhood in this warm, funny and unlikely memoir. Beautifully written and effortlessly engaging, 'The Garden in the Clouds' is a compelling read for anyone who has ever gardened - or ever dreamt of doing so.

We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life: supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe. Just as the search for nutmeg and pepper drove the Age of Discovery, coffee beans fueled the Enlightenment and cottonseed sparked the Industrial Revolution. Seeds are fundamental objects of beauty, evolutionary wonders, and simple fascinations. Yet, despite their importance, seeds are often seen as commonplace, their extraordinary natural and human histories overlooked. Thanks to this stunning new book, they can be overlooked no more. This is a book of knowledge, adventure, and wonder, spun by an award-winning writer with both the charm of a fireside story-teller and the hard-won expertise of a field biologist. A fascinating scientific adventure, it is essential reading for anyone who loves to see a plant grow.

This book is the story of one garden and one family, over a 40-year time period. In their own words, Michael and Anne Heseltine describe the ups and downs of how they set about transforming and expanding a wild, overgrown and often dilapidated woodland into the magnificent garden they have today. Today, the garden at Thenford has an arboretum which contains more than 3,500 different species of trees and shrubs, including rare plants which were wild-collected by well known plantsmen including Roy Lancaster OBE, Allen Coombes, Keith Rushforth and Chris Chadwell. It is also well-known for its sculpture garden, which has an eclectic collection of work ranging from a white marble Tazza fountain to an enormous statue of Lenin. Beautifully illustrated with both professional photographs and private family images, this personal story of the creation of an extraordinary garden will delight horticultural experts and novices alike.

Piet Oudolf's personal account of his celebrated career in the context of the evolution of his own garden. An intimate look at the personal garden of the Dutch landscape designer renowned for his plantings at the High Line in New York City, and Lurie Garden at Chicago's Millennium Park. Hummelo - near the village of the same name in Gelderland in the eastern Netherlands - is visited by thousands of gardeners seeking inspiration each year. It is Piet Oudolf's home, his personal garden laboratory, a former nursery run by his wife Anja, and the place where he first tested new designs and created the new varieties of perennials that are now widely available. A follow-up to Oudolf's successful Landscapes in Landscapes - Hummelo tells the story of how the garden has evolved over the past three decades since Oudolf, Anja, and their two young sons moved onto the property, with its loamy sand and derelict, wood stove-heated farmhouse, in 1982. Text by noted garden author and longtime personal friend Noel Kingsbury places Hummelo in context within gardening history, from The Netherlands' counterculture and nascent green movement of the 1960s, to prairie restoration in the American Midwest, and shows how its development has mirrored that of Oudolf's own outstanding career and unique naturalistic aesthetic. Oudolf has long been at the forefront of the Dutch Wave and New Perennial Style movements in garden design, which have ecological considerations at their base. His work stresses a deep knowledge of plants, eschewing short-lived annuals in favor of perennials that can be appreciated for both structure and blooms in every season. He is credited for leading the way to today's focus on sustainability in garden design. The book will appeal to readers who favor beautiful, biodiverse, and ever-changing plantings: seed heads, grasses, sedges, and winter silhouettes. They will be drawn into its pages by lush photography, often demonstrating how Oudolf views his own work, and providing rare glimpses into his daily life. Short essays highlight important techniques, including scatter plants and matrix planting, and introduce other famed landscape designers - Karl Foerster, Henk Gerritsen, Rob Leopold, Ernst Pagels, and Mien Ruys - to create a full panorama of the movement Oudolf now leads.

Grow a few square feet of green no matter where you live. Meet the window box: by far the most accessible container garden for any skill level, space, or quality of light. Whether your window faces south where the sun floods in or north with nothing but shade, these indoor and outdoor projects show you how to easily arrange and cultivate succulents, herbs, cacti, vegetables, monstera, and more. Bright photography and instructions take you from understanding soil and watering needs to personalizing your own box, making this a great primer for anyone who is green to gardening.

This is the fascinating story of a small group of eighteenth-century naturalists who made Britain a nation of gardeners and the epicenter of horticultural and botanical expertise. It's the story of a garden revolution that began in America.
In 1733, the American farmer John Bartram dispatched two boxes of plants and seeds from the American colonies, addressed to the London cloth merchant Peter Collinson. Most of these plants had never before been grown in British soil, but in time the magnificent and colorful American trees, evergreens, and shrubs would transform the English landscape and garden forever. During the next forty years, Collinson and a handful of botany enthusiasts cultivated hundreds of American species. "The Brother Gardeners "follows the lives of six of these men, whose shared passion for plants gave rise to the English love affair with gardens. In addition to Collinson and Bartram, who forged an extraordinary friendship, here are Philip Miller, author of the best-selling "Gardeners Dictionary"; the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, whose standardized nomenclature helped bring botany to the middle classes; and Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, who explored the strange flora of Brazil, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia on the greatest voyage of discovery of their time, aboard Captain Cook's "Endeavour."
From the exotic blooms in Botany Bay to the royal gardens at Kew, from the streets of London to the vistas of the Appalachian Mountains, "The Brother Gardeners" paints a vivid portrait of an emerging world of knowledge and of gardening as we know it today. It is a delightful and beautifully told narrative history.

"From the Hardcover edition."

"When it sings, a garden will have the power to transport and to lead you to a place that is magical. It is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty." In Natural Selection, Dan Pearson draws on ten years of his Observer columns to explore the rhythms and pleasures of a year in the garden. Travelling between his city-bound plot in Peckham and twenty acres of rolling hillside in Somerset, he celebrates the beautiful skeletons of the winter garden, the joyous passage into spring, the heady smell of summer's bud break and the flaring of colour in autumn. Pearson's irresistible enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge overflow in a book teeming with tips to inspire your own space, be it a city window box or country field. Bringing you a newfound appreciation of nature, both wild and tamed, reading Natural Selection is a deeply restorative experience.

Gain some new ideas along with the principles and history of Japanese stone gardening with this useful and beautiful garden design book. Japanese Stone Gardens provides a comprehensive introduction to the powerful mystique and dynamism of the Japanese stone garden--from their earliest use as props in animistic rituals, to their appropriation by Zen monks and priests to create settings conducive to contemplation and finally to their contemporary uses and meaning. With insightful text and abundant imagery, this book reveals the hidden order of stone gardens and in the process heightens the enthusiast's appreciation of them. The Japanese stone garden is an art form recognized around the globe. These meditative gardens provide tranquil settings, where visitors can shed the burdens and stresses of modern existence, satisfy an age-old yearning for solitude and repose, and experience the restorative power of art and nature. For this reason, the value of the Japanese stone garden today is arguably even greater than when many of them were created. Fifteen gardens are featured in this book: some well known, such as the famous temple gardens of Kyoto, others less so, among them gardens spread through the south of Honshu Island and the southern islands of Shikoku and Kyushu and in faraway Okinawa.

This title provides everything you need to know to create and maintain a stunning garden throughout the year, with 10 inspirational and practical books. Planning and maintaining a successful garden - one that meets the needs and aspirations of the owner - is an enjoyable and creative process. The skills required can be mastered by everyone and are clearly explained in this beautiful set of books. The tasks involved in creating and improving a garden are divided into manageable units, to help you maximize the potential of your site. So if you dream of borders of colourful and scented blooms, a healthy green lawn, a patio in which to relax, or even low-maintenance ideas to lessen the workload, here are the skills to guarantee success. These handy books also make it easy to devise planting schemes that incorporate year-round colour, architectural shapes and different plant textures into the garden. There are plenty of schemes for colourful, fragrant, and even edible, hanging baskets and window boxes, as well as ideas for filling space with annuals, and incorporating perennials and shrubs into your garden design.With over 1200 colour photographs and accessible and informative text by respected horticultural experts, this comprehensive set of gardening guides will give inspiration and practical suggestions to improve any garden situation.

Vegetables are more than just food for humans: they've been characters, companions, and even protagonists throughout history. "How Carrots Won the Trojan War" is a delightful collection of little-known stories about the origins, legends, and historical significance of 23 of the world's most popular vegetables. Curious cooks, devoted gardeners, and casual readers alike will be fascinated by the far-fetched tales of their favourite foods' pasts. Readers will discover why Roman gladiators were massaged with onion juice before battle, how celery contributed to Casanova's conquests, how peas almost poisoned General Washington, why some seventeenth-century turnips were considered degenerate, and, of course, how carrots helped the Greeks win the Trojan War (hint: carrots enabled the soldiers to stay inside the Trojan horse without a break).

The intimate Monk's Garden at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston embodies the design principles that inform the work of noted landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. In Designing a Garden, Van Valkenburgh presents the design of the Monk's Garden at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, an intimate, walled garden that Laurie Olin has described as a masterpiece, and not a minor one. The book documents the evolution of the garden's design, which is based on the concept of meandering paths through a dreamlike woodland to create a contemplative space. Sketches and models show how the idea was worked out, and lush photographs reveal the completed garden through the seasons. Van Valkenburgh's text explores the origins of his love of landscape and plants in his family farm in Upstate New York and how this has influenced his intuitions as a designer. He shares the full background story of the Monk's Garden, focusing on the experimental nature of design work as well as the challenges and satisfactions of the small scale and the historic and cultural context. Designing a Garden provides a unique first-person account of the design process from the most prominent landscape architects in the country.

"Texas Gardener's Handbook" is filled with need-to-know information from popular Texas gardening experts. Each includes his or her collective wisdom in a complete guide for Texas gardeners. In addition to hundreds of proven plants, this resource has monthly to-do calendars for each of more than ten plant categories, from annuals to vines. Full-color photos and expert advice assist gardeners with the proper care and timing for everything from planting to watering. Information on gardening with less water addresses the challenges of gardening in Texas.

Elevate your own green space and become a more confident and creative gardener with lessons from experienced National Trust gardeners in this comprehensive horticultural guide. 'An accessible, informative guide for beginners, but full of ideas and tips for seasoned gardeners.' - Sunday Mirror Elevate your own green space and become a more confident and creative gardener with lessons from experienced National Trust gardeners in this comprehensive horticultural guide. The National Trust looks after hundreds of beautiful gardens of every imaginable shape and size across Britain - from the grandest country estate to the smallest cottage garden. They manage such internationally renowned gardens as Sissinghurst and Hidcote. National Trust garden staff receive countless questions from visitors about plants growing in the gardens and techniques that can be tried at home. This in-depth guide will pass on their wisdom and provide the answers you are looking for. This book is packed with images of National Trust gardens of all types, spanning over 300 years of horticultural heritage, to inspire keen amateur gardeners and aspirational novices to realise their green-fingered ambitions. Written by expert gardener Rebecca Bevan, with the help of National Trust gardeners, the National Trust School of Gardening will make you feel confident about developing your garden rather than overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail. From herbaceous borders to gardening sustainably, roses and climbers to growing under glass, each chapter provides snippets of horticultural history, examples of best practice from National Trust gardens, unique gems of wisdom from talented NT gardeners, and lots of easy-to-follow practical advice. Featuring a wide range of National Trust gardens both large and small, formal and informal, famous and undiscovered, high maintenance and low key. The topics covered and the insightful practical guides shared are easily applicable to private gardens, enriching even the tiniest urban spaces.

The easy way to succeed at urban gardening

A townhouse yard, a balcony, a fire escape, a south-facing window--even a basement apartment can all be suitable locations to grow enough food to save a considerable amount of money and enjoy the freshest, healthiest produce possible.

"Urban Gardening For Dummies" helps you make the most of limited space through the use of proven small-space gardening techniques that allow gardeners to maximize yield while minimizing space.Covers square-foot gardening and vertical and layered gardeningIncludes guidance on working with container gardening, succession gardening, and companion gardeningOffers guidance on pest management, irrigation and rain barrels, and small-space composting

If you're interested in starting an urban garden that makes maximum use of minimal space, "Urban Gardening For Dummies" has you covered.

'Gardening is the best medicine for the mind' - the Guardian Gardening, like mindfulness, is a way of finding a sense of calm in an otherwise chaotic world, a simpler existence, even if it is only for a few minutes. Both forge a connection to the world around us, to nature and wildlife, which can bring pleasure and peace. In this beautifully illustrated guide to gardening for mindfulness, horticulturalist and mindfulness practitioner Holly Farrell provides a blueprint for a more contemplative way to garden, including projects, meditations and inspiration. Projects for the mindful gardener, including growing something from seed, planting a tree and creating a mandala, put the theory of mindfulness into practice, while plant lists and design ideas aim to enhance mindfulness in the garden through the senses. Easy to follow and beautifully packaged in a new format, this is the perfect book for keen gardeners, devotees of mindfulness, or simply those looking for calm in a busy and hectic world.

Small enough to take to the garden center or nursery, this book contains all the gardening information you need to decide which plants to select and how to care for them in your regional garden

Everything cultivated begins with a seed, and with more than 50,000 copies sold, Rodale's The New Seed Starters Handbook has been the source for expert information on raising healthy seedlings since its release in 1988. This revised version of the staple seed book is an easy-to-use reference that gives readers the most up-to-date information on how to start seeds successfully and grow their favorite plants from year to year. The New Seed Starters Handbook presents step- by-step guides to starting plants from seed, which allows for earlier harvests, greater variety, and healthier seedlings. It a Iso presents an encyclopedia of more than 200 plants-including vegetables and fruits, garden flowers, wildflowers, herbs, trees, and shrubs-with details on how to start each from seed. This is the perfect guide for gardeners of every level -from novice to veteran.

Plants thrive thanks to back-sparing and thrifty techniques for propagation, fertilization and transplanting, plus tips on beneficial fungi and bugs, magical mulches, edible weeds, water-wise wildflowers and native plants. Design-wise, make a spectacular entrance with a living gate, or see how easy it is to create a vertical or rooftop garden, a whimsical water garden or a stone courtyard. Home-crafted concrete troughs stuffed with succulents stand strong alongside dry-stack stone walls, and simple ideas for playhouses, gazebos and backyard benches will keep readers busy through all seasons. Sow Simple invites all gardeners, whether they have a large acreage or a tiny urban oasis, to have fun, experiment and see how wonderful it can be to spend time in the garden.
To contact the authors and find out more about their latest gardening adventures, please visit their blog: everydayeden.com