This is an exciting introduction to the global seed-swapping and grassroots gardening movement, exploring how we can rewild the world around us with beautiful wildflowers. As seedbombing and seed swapping become even more popular, passionate seed activist Josie Jeffrey presents an invaluable handbook to the practices, explaining how we can fill the world around us with beautiful wildflower blooms, as well as why we should care about our plant heritage. With an invaluable directory of all the best common seeds to save and swap, alongside essential seedbomb recipes to transform concrete oases into colourful wildlife havens, this timely handbook provides all the tools you need to start your very own green revolution. Endorsed by Kew, the Soil Association, Seedy Sunday UK, Dr Vandana Shiva, Satish Kumar and The Heritage Seed Library, these practices will transform any space into a riot of colour, and at the same time help enrich the environment around where they are growing. With essential husbandry and harvesting techniques and a step-by-step guide to creating your own seedbank, this is an empowering call-to-action every environmentalist or gardener will dig into.

This inspirational book from Kew Gardens' tree expert is the perfect guide to choosing and growing these essential garden mainstays. With authoritative advice from Kew tree expert Tony Kirkham and the Kew Gardens team, this is the ultimate companion to growing and planting trees. In addition, there are twelve tree-related projects to inspire every green-fingered gardener. There is a place in every garden for a tree, but before buying it is important to think about why and what you are planting and where. Do you want to plant for privacy, as a single ornamental specimen for seasonal interest or to attract wildlife? Such key considerations are discussed by the Tony Kirkham, Head of the Arboretum, Gardens & Horticultural Services at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He also explains the practicalities of growing a tree as well as describing and illustrating a wide range of trees in detail, for every size of garden. The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Trees is part of the Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing series, a collection of books from Kew's top experts filled with tips, projects and handy advice on a range of gardening issues. Other titles include Growing Herbs, Growing House Plants, Growing Vegetables, Growing Orchids and Growing Fruit.

Forage is a beautifully illustrated celebration of edible plants that can be found throughout the world. Anybody can enjoy the increasingly popular back-to-nature activity of foraging. In some countries these plants are now forgotten as food, but in others they are still celebrated for their value as nutritious, delicious ingredients and cooking with wild plants is increasingly being adopted by mainstream restaurants. Journeying through 50 globally populated edible plants, Forage explores the culture and history of our wild food. Stunning botanical illustrations by artist Rachel Pedder-Smith accompany each plant, alongside recipes inspired by the regions of the world where they are most celebrated.

The New Wild Garden combines new approaches to a more naturalistic design with the practical side of growing wildflowers and shows how to incorporate wildflowers, real meadows and a looser prarie-style planting into gardens and wild spaces. With serious concern into the decline of pollinators and habitats, meadows are currently the focus of enormous creativity. Gardeners, wildlife lovers, professional designers and seed manufacturers are all pushing the envelope of what can be grown, the pictorial effects that can be achieved, and the benefits that this provides for gardeners and wildlife. This book includes 15 step-by-step projects and an essential plant list, as well as offering inspiration to gardeners and an overview of the most influential movement in garden design over recent decades. In this book you can learn: * How to sow or plant meadow to suit your space * Planting plans for every plot size: from a container, small patch, allotment or an acre * How to grow and propagate more than 50 kinds of wildflowers * Understand and emulate the new natural style followed by designers * Meadow recipes for every soil, situation and wildlife habitat.

The definitive guide to hundreds of Britain's most outstanding gardens, in the care of the National Trust The National Trust has the finest collection of gardens in the United Kingdom. In this book, Stephen Lacey paints a vivid picture of the individual gardens, and places each one in its context within British horticultural history. All the major periods and styles of garden design are represented, from the formality of early gardens such as Hanbury Hall and Ham House, magnificent 18th-century landscapes like Stowe and Croome Park and the heady Victorian creations of Biddulph Grange and Waddesdon Manor to the famous plantsmen's gardens of the last century, such as Nymans, Hidcote Manor and Sissinghurst Castle. The text and pictures have been fully updated, with new entries including Allan Bank, High Close Arboretum and Wentworth Castle. Several gardens have undergone major redevelopment since the previous edition, while others have colourfully expanded the acreage open to visitors. Extensive tree planting, including reinstating a lost eighteenth-century avenue at Dyrham Park and recreating the pear tree arch at Rudyard Kipling's home, Bateman's, are just a few of the new and exciting additions to this classic guide to Britain's most outstanding gardens.

RSPB ID Spotlight Ladybirds is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 27 of our most widespread and familiar ladybirds by renowned artist Richard Lewington. - Species are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification - Artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field, or the chart can be fixed to the wall as a beautiful poster - The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our ladybirds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how we can support them The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.

Join two of the world's most influential garden designers, Piet Oudolf and Henk Gerritsen, as they describe their ideal perennials, bulbs, grasses, ferns and small shrubs for your natural garden. This comprehensive compendium classifies these 1200 plants according to their behaviour, strengths and uses. An ideal plant is one that is both beautiful and robust, performing reliably with very little input from the gardener - and without artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Rather than striving for big, bold masses of colourful blooms that are vigorously pruned back as soon as they have finished flowering, their innovative approach to gardening involves choosing plants chiefly for their form - leaves, flower heads and stems included - which means they retain their natural beauty through all the seasons. Find within: 1200 beautiful and reliable plants used by top garden designers Full descriptions and growing instructions Unique easy-to-follow classification according to growing behaviour and use in the garden Natural gardening, without artificial fertilizers or pesticides More than 250 full-colour photographs With these plants and expert advice, create a garden that will thrive with the life of the insects and birds it welcomes.

Twenty years ago, Dan Pearson was invited to make a garden at the 240-hectare Tokachi Millennium Forest in Hokkaido, Japan. Part of the intention was to entice city dwellers to reconnect with nature and improve land that had been lost to intensive agriculture and this was achieved along with much more. By tuning into the physical and cultural essence of the place and applying a light touch in terms of cultivation, this world-class designer created a remarkable place which has its heart in Japan's long-held respect for nature and its head in contemporary ecological planting design. The bold, uplifting sweep of the Meadow Garden mixes garden plants with natives while the undulating landforms of the Earth Garden bring sculptural connection with the mountains beyond. Under the skilful custodianship of Midori Shintani, the garden has evolved beautifully to reflect principles that lie at the heart of Japanese culture: observation of seasonal changes, practical tasks carried out with care and an awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things. This beautiful, instructive book allows us all to experience something of the Tokachi effect, gain expert insights into how to plant gardens that feel right for their location, and reconnect with the land and wildlife that surround us.

'Garden Book of the Year' - Garden Media Guild Awards 2022 The perfect gift for National Trust members this Christmas. Discover Britain's most beautiful and inspiring wild gardens, and how you can make your own. Winner 'Best Garden Book of the Year' Garden Media Guild Awards 2022 Despite our best efforts, and no matter how much we prune, tidy and shape our gardens, they are inherently wild. In fact, it is often the most unrestrained and untamed areas that add drama and romance. In this glorious celebration of exuberant, naturalistic planting, we take a walk on the wild side. Be transported to lush valleys and tropical jungles with exotic gardens shaped by Victorian plant hunters. Wander through beautiful bluebell woods, blossoming orchards and magical wildflower meadows, and explore prairie-style gardens inspired by North American grasslands. Discover special places influenced by natural landscapes, and sustainably managed spaces designed with wildlife in mind. You'll find out how wild play areas can help children to connect with nature and how immersing yourself in quiet woodland can immediately benefit your sense of well-being. A helpful guide also offers advice and tips on how to create and manage your own wildlife-friendly garden so that you can attract birds, bees, bats, bugs and many other wild and wonderful creatures.

An exploration of how plant behavior and adaptation offer valuable insights for human thriving. We know that plants are important. They maintain the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They nourish other living organisms and supply psychological benefits to humans as well, improving our moods and beautifying the landscape around us. But plants don't just passively provide. They also take action. Beronda L. Montgomery explores the vigorous, creative lives of organisms often treated as static and predictable. In fact, plants are masters of adaptation. They "know" what and who they are, and they use this knowledge to make a way in the world. Plants experience a kind of sensation that does not require eyes or ears. They distinguish kin, friend, and foe, and they are able to respond to ecological competition despite lacking the capacity of fight-or-flight. Plants are even capable of transformative behaviors that allow them to maximize their chances of survival in a dynamic and sometimes unfriendly environment. Lessons from Plants enters into the depth of botanic experience and shows how we might improve human society by better appreciating not just what plants give us but also how they achieve their own purposes. What would it mean to learn from these organisms, to become more aware of our environments and to adapt to our own worlds by calling on perception and awareness? Montgomery's meditative study puts before us a question with the power to reframe the way we live: What would a plant do?

Fully revised and updated by the author, this is the perennial and comprehensive guide to the art of wildlife gardening from the RHS, freshly illustrated and bursting with new ideas, ideas and projects. Gardening and wildlife make perfect partners. So many people are discovering that by choosing the right plants for nectar and fruit, providing some shelter and safety, a little extra food and water, and a nest box or two, any garden, balcony or backyard can be dramatically brought to life. This best-selling book was first published as How to Make a Wildlife Garden, and launched at the 1985 Chelsea Flower Show, making wildlife a mainstream issue for gardeners and the public. Now fully revised and updated by the author, this beautiful new freshly illustrated edition highlights the changes in garden wildlife over the past 35 years. Incorporating RHS research, updated best practice and addressing a multitude of controversial conservation issues, this stunning guide is also a celebration of the rich variety of wild plants and animals that can bring a beautiful garden to life. Packed full of practical advice from which plants to choose for bees, birds and butterflies, how to construct the ideal wildlife pond, where to position nesting boxes and how to enjoy wildlife in any size of outdoor space, this authoritative companion shows how wildlife gardening can make a stylish and enjoyable contribution to the environment, inspiring new gardeners while also delighting the very many owners of the best-selling original.

This practical pocket guide includes 194 edible fruits, nuts and seeds, flowers, greens and vegetables, herbs, roots, whole plants, fungi, seaweeds and shellfish that you can forage in the UK and Europe.

Each species account includes accurate artworks and concise descriptions outlining essential details to help you identify species in the field, as well as information on where you can find species and helpful tips on how to cook and bake with the food you forage.

The author's introduction offers practical advice on foraging safely and legally and outlines how to prepare and preserve your foraged foods, including making mead and jam, drying herbs, storing mushrooms for later use and how to safely prepare foraged shellfish. The helpful fold-out poster shows common edible species grouped by season and by habitat.

The perfect book for any gardener looking to get back in touch with their wild side.

The rewilding of public spaces and farmland is vitally important to conservation, but how can we support native species and provide rich habitats on our own doorsteps?

In this practical, beautifully illustrated guide horticulturalist and Gardener's World presenter Frances Tophill shows you how to plan and maintain a beautiful garden that will attract bees and birds as well as a throng of unsung garden heroes. Whether you have a small balcony or a large open space, discover the joys of welcoming natural ecosystems back into your garden - along with a host of new visitors.

In this book, Sharon Amos explains how to design and create a beautiful garden for little or no money, offering tips on bartering for clippings, getting a bargain at garage sales or neighbourhood fairs, digging up suckers or adapting wild species and controlling them in a garden environment. She provides a comprehensive directory of 80 plants including detailed advice on where and how to grow a wide variety of garden favourites, from snowdrops to poppies. With beautiful illustrations, Plants for Free is the perfect gift book for cultivating your garden on a budget of next-to-nothing.

There is something uplifting about having butterflies in your flowerbeds, frogs in your water feature and birds in your bushes, and knowing they're there because of you. Rich in detail and accessible in style, Gardening for Wildlife is the crucial companion to novices and expert gardeners alike. Adrian Thomas dispels myths and offers new insights and ideas, helping everyone understand what to do so gardens, large or small, can become ideal homes for wildlife. Building on the success of the award-winning first edition, this expanded and updated edition reflects the latest research and developments in nature-friendly gardening. The book serves as an expert guide to the practical aspects of this rewarding pastime and educates readers about the ecological principles involved, while exploding commonly held misconceptions that often deter people from pursuing a kinder approach to gardening. Adrian Thomas provides a detailed guide to the many and varied species that can contribute to a natural and healthy garden. Practical sections help you create entire habitats, such as woodland and meadow gardens, in your garden. And the massively expanded catalogue of the top 500 best garden flowers, shrubs and trees for wildlife, now includes colour photos of every species. If you love wildlife and want to encourage more to visit your garden, this inspirational book will help you sow the seeds and reap the rewards.

Douglas W. Tallamy's first book, Bringing Nature Home, sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being. In his new book Nature's Best Hope, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Tallamy advocates for homeowners everywhere to turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats and mitigate the effects of development and corporate agriculture. This home-based approach doesn't rely on the federal government and protects the environment from the whims of politics. It is also easy to do, and readers will walk away with specific suggestions they can incorporate into their own yards. Nature's Best Hope is nature writing at its best - rooted in history, progressive in its advocacy, and above all, actionable and hopeful. By proposing practical measures that ordinary people easily can do, Tallamy gives us reason to believe that the planet can be preserved for future generations.

Martin Crawford is an internationally acknowledged expert on growing perennial food systems. It features a selection of the 100 best trees to grow. It includes appendices with lists of suitable trees for specific situations. Martin Crawford has researched and experimented with tree crops for 25 years and has selected over 100 of the best trees producing fruits, nuts, edible leaves and other useful products that can be grown in Europe and North America. The appendices makes choosing trees for your situation easy, with lists of suitable trees for specific situations plus flow charts to guide you. If you want to know about and use the large diversity of tree crops that are available in temperate and continental climates, then this book is both fascinating and essential reading by an internationally acknowledged expert.

Britain's gardens are a vast, living landscape and the home to hundreds of species of birds. Learn to pay attention to these visitors to your own garden or local park and you'll have a front-row seat to the unfolding drama that is the garden bird's year. As dawn breaks across your back garden, if you were paying attention, you would notice that the robin and the blackbird are always the first birds to arrive. These ground hunters have large eyes, so don't mind the dim light of the early morning. And that's just the beginning of what you can learn watching your own back garden. Ornithologist Mike Toms has spent a year avidly observing his own garden, and the result is a comprehensive picture of the lives of garden birds. From the crowded yet quiet January garden populated by migratory fieldfares and bramblings, to the riotous gardens of spring, filled with songbirds competing for mates, the garden ecosystem changes throughout the year. Learn to spot these changes, to greet the arrival of the swifts in May and the new crop of fledgling goldfinches and blackbirds in June, and you'll find a new world opening up to you. A Garden Bird's Year is the perfect introduction to this world. Supremely readable, it explains biology and behaviour to paint a picture of the lives of common bird species, while also offering practical information for watching and feeding the birds in your own backyard. Toms details birds' preferences for particular plants, seeds and feeders, so you can learn to attract different species to your own garden. He also charts fascinating recent adaptations - urban birds sleep later than their rural counterparts, probably because cities are on average a few degrees warmer, and they sing either earlier or later, to avoid competing with local traffic; and the balance of migratory birds to Britain is being affected by the world's changing climate. Many species of garden birds are threatened, but there is much that each one of us can do to support them, to attract them, and to help them thrive through the year.