|
Books > Gardening > General
A revised and updated edition of Andrew Lawson's classic work
Andrew Lawson has an artist's eye, a scientist's training and long
experience as both a gardener and a photographer of gardens. In
this book he calls on all his skills and practical knowledge to
illuminate the complex subject of using colour in the garden and to
demonstrate the extraordinary power of colour to change the sense
of space, to suggest coolness or warmth and to evoke different
moods. The Gardener's Book of Colour shows how to put colours
together in garden beds, borders and containers, explaining how to
construct harmonizing and contrasting schemes and exuberant
displays of mixed colour. All the major schemes are supported by
keyline drawings giving full planting details. In addition,
illustrated plant directories, arranged by colour and flowering
season, provide cultivation details for over 850 plants, enabling
you to assemble the right plants for your chosen scheme and to
carry that scheme through the year. Authoritative and accessible,
The Gardener's Book of Colour will stimulate your imagination and
put exciting new ideas within your grasp. Whether you want an
instant splash of brilliant seasonal colour or a sumptuous border
with subtle year-round appeal, this book will show you how to
achieve it.
Susannah Seton reminds us in "Every Garden Is a Story" that reader
and gardener alike have much to learn from their gardens. The
poignant and touching stories - from her father's quest for a
seven-headed sweet pea to cancer survival and magical portraits of
moon gardens - take readers on a journey through garden beds, along
the way reinforcing how to care for themselves and their loved ones
by caring for the Earth. "Some of the most touching stories remind
us that we don't have to have a big yard or a lot of money to have
a garden." - from the foreword by Carolyn Rapp. "Every Garden Is a
Story" is a thoughtful and inspiring gift for any gardener.
In House + Flower, Cynthia Zamaria immerses the reader in her
creative process sharing how she infuses gardens, flowers and other
elements of nature into sensitive home design. Through engaging
photography and a welcoming narrative, this book inspires us to
celebrate living environments as expressions of our personal style
while also embracing a home's unique soul. With a passion for
character-filled spaces, carefree floral displays, and an
appreciation for vintage and artisanal objects, Cynthia's approach
is timely, yet timeless. Readers are invited to see the potential
in their own homes through the reimagined interiors and exteriors
of the many Toronto-area residences she and her husband, Graham,
have restored over the years. 'Here are houses found, embraced,
personified and embodied by the spirit of the author. Cynthia gives
the same generous passion to her homes as she does to her readers.'
- Deborah Needleman, Author of The Perfectly Imperfect Home and
co-author of the Domino Book of Decorating
From the best-selling, award winning author of No Dig Organic Home
and Garden, Stephanie Hafferty offers a pathway to low cost, zero
waste and as plastic free living as possible. She shows you the
advantages and pleasures of cooking seasonally and making organic
products for you and your family's health and happiness. Learn how
to be resourceful, creative and inspired by what is seasonal and
close to hand for a 100% organic home. Make your own: *Main meals,
sides, soups and salads *Store cupboard ingredients like flavoured
salts, vinegars, herb mixes, essences *Drinks (including cordials,
teas and liqueurs) *Soaps, balms, cleansers, toothpaste and much
more!
In Japanese gardens, composition follows from placement of the
first stone; all elements and plantings become interconnected.
These eight essays on Kyoto gardens similarly begin with keen
description and build into richly meditative excursions into art,
Buddhism, nature, and science. Landscape architect Marc Keane shows
how Japanese gardens are both a microcosm of the natural universe
and a clear expression of our humanity, mirroring how we think,
worship, and organize our lives and communities. Filled with
passages of alluring beauty, this is a truly transcendent book
about "experiencing" Japanese design.
Marc Peter Keane has lived in Kyoto for 17 years and is author
of "Japanese Garden Design." He designs residential, company, and
temple gardens.
Wave Hill, a world-renowned public garden in the Bronx, boasts a
classic horticultural craftsmanship unrivaled among other public
gardens in the United States. But it also embraces a design spirit
that is daring and innovative. Every year brings changes to Wave
Hill: new combinations of colours, textures, and forms, along with
innovative themes and constant experimentation. A stroll through
the garden has the power to thrill, stir, and uplift the soul.
Nature into Art, lovingly written by Thomas Christopher, brings
this splendid, sensory experience home by honoring the unsurpassed
beauty of Wave Hill. Nature into Art explores the different areas
of the garden - the flower garden, the shade border, the wild
garden, the conservatory, and more - and gives home gardeners
helpful information on the plants, techniques, and design choices
that define this iconic space. Filled with stunning, ethereal
photography by Ngoc Minh Ngo, Nature Into Art will enchant readers
and inspire home gardeners everywhere to practice the Wave Hill way
of gardening.
Destructive bushfires are increasing in frequency and intensity
around the world. For people living in fire prone areas there are
no reliable guides about which plants have low flammability and
which are frighteningly flammable. Safer Gardens is that guide,
with over 500 plants assessed, based on fire research from around
the world. Readers can look up a plant in the Plant Flammability
Table to get an idea of its flammability then turn to the A-Z for
more detailed information. The book contains advice about ways to
create a more firesafe garden, including the need to carefully
manage the use of mulch and hedges. This is citizen science,
written by a gardener for other gardeners. Complex and potentially
confusing science is made comprehensible and usable, to help you
make your garden and hence your house safer. To find out more go to
the www.firesafergardens.com website. It gives a good cross-section
of the issues covered in the book, including sample pages from the
Plant Flammability Table and the A-Z.
The 'Victoria Library for Gentlewomen', a series of books 'Under
the Patronage of HM the Queen and HRH the Princess of Wales',
edited by W. H. Davenport Adams (1828-91), provided information and
advice on various topics for those who aspired to gentlewomanly
status. Davenport Adams himself was a journalist and author of
popular science and history works, but little is known of the two
authors of this 1892 work. Edith L. Chamberlain was a minor
novelist who had also published a book on the dialect of west
Worcestershire, and Fanny Douglas worked with Davenport Adams on
other titles in the series. This book follows the fashion of late
nineteenth-century works (often by women) which combine
descriptions of gardens and gardening with historical and literary
references. It is unusual in that its final chapter describes ways
for educated 'gentlewomen' to enter gardening as a profession - a
radical suggestion for the period.
Our penchant for keeping house plants is an ancient practice dating
back to the Pharaohs. House Plants explores the stories behind the
plants we bring home and how they were transformed from wild plants
into members of our households. A billion-dollar global industry,
house plants provide an interaction with nature, and contribute to
our health, happiness and wellbeing. They also support their own
miniature ecosystems and are part of the home biome. Featuring many
superb illustrations, House Plants explores both their botanical
history and cultural impact, from song (Gracie Fields's Biggest
Aspidistra in the World), literature (Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra
Flying) and cinema (Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors) to
fashion, technology, contemporary design, and painting.
Don't Just Plant Your Garden...Plan It Fifth-generation homesteader
Melissa K. Norris has found gardening to be one of the easiest and
most complex things there is. It really is as simple as plopping a
seed into the soil, giving it adequate light and water, and
watching it grow. But if you want to get the most out of your
garden and produce more food each year, you need a plan to help you
stay on track. This indispensable guide includes everything you
need to plan your garden, execute your plan, and record your
results, saving you time and hassle-and allowing you to have fun
with the process. You'll discover a series of charts and worksheets
to identify which gardening zone you are in, which crops make sense
for your family, and how much you'll need to plant. Then you'll
refer to a set of monthly instructions based on your gardening zone
and put together a customized plan using yearly, monthly, and
weekly charts to help you stay on track. The more you use this
planner, the more you will get out of your garden, and the more
you'll enjoy providing your family with healthy, organic fruits and
vegetables all year long.
This delightful memoir is the story of a life well lived-a Hong
Kong doctor who worked as a surgeon for over fifty years and who
later turned his hand to his other great passion, gardening. At
times amusing, at times heartbreaking, and at other times
educational and instructive, Arthur van Langenburg describes
real-life cases and the medical causes of illnesses, including many
incredible stories of life-saving operations that will keep you
riveted to your seat. Interspersing these chapters are tales from
his fascinating personal life, and reflections on his journey to
becoming an expert gardener. Throughout the book is woven the
metaphor of the author's journey to Ithaka, as described in a
moving poem of the same name that charts a path for how to live a
life 'full of adventure, full of discovery'. Beautifully written in
a lively, engaging style, this book is sure to win the hearts of
many, as van Langenberg's sparkling personality and fascinating
insight shines through on every page. Arthur van Langenberg has
lived in Hong Kong all his life except for four years in Macau
during World War II and two years in Britain undergoing medical
training. He has practised surgery for some fifty years, first at
the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, and then in
private practice. His lifelong interest in reading and gardening
has helped him morph from surgeon to gardener and writer, finding
fulfilment and a simpler way of life over the years. "Arthur van
Langenberg is well known among the gardeners in Hong Kong. However,
they may not know how respected a surgeon he is, in particular his
caring approach to patients. This book will give them a glimpse of
the medical aspect of this seasoned gardener . . . The real-life
stories that he has recorded are so captivating. I am sure that
given Arthur's writing skill, he could turn each story into a
single volume." Chow Shew Ping, Professor Emeritus, University of
Hong Kong "The real-life cases at the scalpel's edge are riveting.
Less dramatic but no less engaging are the episodes on what life
was like when learning to master the scalpel and developing the
clinical sense of when to wield it or not ... Senior colleagues
will surely recognise the characters in the book, with a smile." Dr
Rose Mak, Chairperson, Management Committee, Hong Kong Museum of
Medical Sciences Society
|
|