Whether you love growing, love creating, or just want to liven up your outdoor space, a container garden is just the answer. So many of us nowadays are crammed into our homes and a garden is a luxury that few can afford. But there is always room for a bit of greenery; whether it's herbs and spices to add fresh flavour to your food, or putting a jungle on your windowsill, a container can enable growers to bring nature to the most inhospitable and smallest spaces. Frances Tophill covers the sustainable, crafty and culinary aspects of container gardening. From urns and troughs to chimney stacks and hanging baskets alongside what to grow inside them - bonsai to annuals, bulbs, grasses and bamboos, tumbling and creeping plants and flowers - there are also 40 ideas on how to pair plants and pots, including upcycling existing items and creating your own containers.

First published in 1942 (and retailing at 1s 6d) in response to the growing use of factory-made foods and essences, Wild Berries, Fruits, Nuts & Flowers demonstrated how tasty dishes could be made using the wild fruits and flowers of the countryside. Today there is a growing interest in foraging. People have become more connected with nature and are heading into the countryside and collecting edible plants, mushrooms and fruits. This is combined with an increasing desire to eat local seasonal produce in the interests of sustainability. This timely reissue of a classic of its kind is the perfect gift for the modern forager. It features 101 recipes for using wild berries, fruits, nuts, flowers, mushrooms and seaweed. Nothing is known about the original author, but this edition has a foreword by Barbara Segall, who suggested republishing this book.

The Little Book of Wild Gardening is a guide for anyone wanting to garden in a more sustainable, natural way. Working with nature benefits not just the garden, but also the gardener, wildlife and the wider environment. Divided into sections for different garden areas - including lawns, flower beds, edibles, trees and water features - The Little Book of Wild Gardening details how to embrace a natural approach to gardening for plots large and small. Introductory chapters explain how garden ecosystems can work, and how a healthy garden can mean savings in both work and resources for the gardener. There are plant profiles providing a variety of choices for a wilder approach, plus design tips and expertise in sustainable and wildlife-friendly gardening. From a sustainable veg patch to wildflower meadows, and from bat boxes to gravel gardens, the book includes projects and plants in a range of sizes and timescales so gardeners can create a bountiful and enjoyable haven that will benefit themselves, their local area, and all kinds of wildlife.

We don't need to poison the earth in order to grow better food, and what is harmful to the environment when improperly disposed of often can be turned back to the soil in a beneficial way through composting - if you know how. Here's how. Malcolm Beck's Garden-Ville is one of the largest commercial composting operations in the country. He shares his insight into the processes of decay that can transform everything from lawn trimmings to sewer sludge into life-giving earth. Coupled with Beck's insight into nature and practical advice are remarks from Charles Walters, author, founder of Acres U.S.A.

*** 'So you know you want to start gardening but you have no idea where to begin? ... Simon Akeroyd gives step-by-step guidance on everything from creating a cactus collection to growing fruit in hanging baskets. The book turns what is often a daunting task into bite-size steps that can often be done in an afternoon.' George Hudson, Evening Standard, favourite garden publications of the year Aimed at first-time gardeners, those in rented accommodation or anyone with limited outdoor space, this book teaches how to take stock of an environment and start a garden. With ideas for gardens, patio spaces, courtyards, balconies and interiors, these 50 easy-to-adopt ideas provide the steps to success for even the most inexperienced gardeners. Contents include: - Create a floral display with bulbs that last all year - Grow pet-friendly plants - Create a vegetable harvest in pots - Add height in flat spaces - Make a mow-free lawn - Hang plants around your home

Plant is a stylish, practical, modern guide to the world of house plants by the Guardian houseplant columnist, Gynelle Leon. House plants can change a home in an instant. A flash of colour, a calming influence, they are adaptable, affordable and - if you know how - easy to care for. In Plant, horticultural expert and author of Prick, Gynelle Leon, gives you all the knowledge you need to help your plants thrive. Featuring: - A plant gallery showcasing some of the very best house plants - A chapter of styling ideas to inspire you to show your plants and their best - A care guide with all you need to know to help your plants thrive

Not all weeds are ugly uncontrollable brutes. Yes, they can be difficult and intimidating, but by learning how to grow weeds in unexpected ways you will become a better gardener with a more interesting garden. This book profiles over 50 weeds and shows you surprising ways to grow them, no matter what your garden type: from borders to boxes, sunny to shady, poor soil to rich, tropical to formal, Japanese-style to prairies. With interviews, tips and advice from celebrated gardeners, learn how to let weeds flourish without taking control. Wild about Weeds is the must-have guide for modern gardeners that explains how to tame and nurture the most challenging of plants.

Tailored to meet the needs of the first time bonsai owner, this book is an extensive directory of every major bonsai type.
"Bonsai Basics explains in detail all the techniques needed to keep a bonsai alive and in good shape. Clear text and step-by-step illustrations ensure that even the most nervous newcomer can approach looking after bonsai with confidence. Filled with over 120 specially commissioned photographs and illustrations, the New Pyramid Bonsai Basics is an extensive directory of both indoor and outdoor trees and their characteristics."

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.

A handy, accessible guide to creating your own paradise plot where you can forage throughout the year Anna Locke condenses years of hands-on experience to walk you through the skills and techniques you need to design and plant a delicious, useful, and thriving garden in town or country that is also a haven for wildlife as well as for humans. She encourages us to see our gardens as part of a bigger, local food strategy that can help to generate abundance, health and resilience. This book provides: An overview of organic gardening techniques-great for the beginner A basic, accessible guide to designing your garden Insights into how to plant guilds and choose what is right for your space Valuable information on how 'weeds' can become harvests A choice of nutritious, seasonal plants for any sized plot Techniques to grow maximum food with minimal work Practices that reconnect you with Nature and enhance well-being Money saving tips to make a forager's garden available to anyone! The Forager's Garden demonstrates one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways possible to grow and harvest food.

In a time of climate change and mass extinction, who we garden for matters more than ever Our landscapes push aside wildlife and in turn diminish our genetically-programmed love for wildness. How can we get ourselves back into balance through gardens, to speak life's language and learn from other species? Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter, and not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities. Author Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives - lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political, it's social justice for all species marginalized today and for those facing extinction tomorrow. By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.

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.

The ideal, easy-to-use resource for growing healthy, resilient, low-maintenance trees, shrubs, vines and other fruiting plants from around the world - perfect for farmers, gardeners and landscapers at every scale. Illustrated with more than 200 colour photographs and covering 50 productive edible crops - from Arctic kiwi to jujebe, medlar to heartnut - this is the go-to guide for growers interested in creating diversity in their growing spaces. Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts is a one-stop compendium of the most productive, edible fruit-and nut-bearing crops that push the boundaries of what can survive winters in cold-temperate growing regions. While most nurseries and guidebooks feature plants that are riddled with pest problems (such as apples and peaches), veteran growers and founders of the Hortus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano, focus on both common and unfamiliar fruits that have few, if any, pest or disease problems and an overall higher level of resilience. Inside Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts you'll find: Taste profiles for all fifty hardy fruits and nuts, with notes on harvesting and uses Plant descriptions and natural histories Recommended cultivars, both new and classic Propagation methods for increasing plants Nut profiles including almonds, chestnuts, walnuts and pecans Fertilisation needs and soil/site requirements And much more! With beautiful and instructive colour photographs throughout, the book is also full of concise, clearly written botanical and cultural information based on the authors' years of growing experience. The fifty fruits and nuts featured provide a nice balance of the familiar and the exotic: from almonds and pecans to more unexpected fruits like maypop and Himalayan chocolate berry. Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts gives adventurous gardeners all they need to get growing. Both experienced and novice gardeners who are interested in creating a sustainable landscape with a greater diversity of plant life - while also providing healthy foods - will find this book an invaluable resource.

'To see a meadow in bloom is a great delight - it's alive and teeming with life, mysterious, dynamic . . .' So Christopher Lloyd began his much-admired instructive and celebratory account of meadows, first published in 2004. Few people knew more about meadow gardening than Lloyd, who spent much of his long life developing the flowering tapestries in his garden at Great Dixter, creating scenes of great beauty and a place of pilgrimage for lovers of wildflowers and wildlife. In Meadows he imparted that lifetime's learning, exploring the development and management of meadow areas, explaining how to establish a meadow in a garden setting, describing the hundreds of beautiful grasses, bulbs and perennials and annuals that thrive in different meadow conditions and detailing how to grow them. Lloyd's classic text remains at the heart of this new book, which also includes - as well as much stunning new photography - an extensive introduction by Fergus Garrett, Lloyd's head gardener.

Born in Florence in 1910, Pietro Porcinai grew up on the classic grounds of the Villa Gamberaia in Settignano where his father served as head gardener. Although he studied agriculture in college, Porcinai's true interest lay in the landscape architecture practice he founded in 1938. Early projects centered in the area of Arezzo, whose style reflected modernA ized traditional models. In the postwar era the office flourished, producing modern gardens of remarkable design and use of plants. In these works, Porcinai convincingly demonstrated the affinity between historical architecture and landscapes unA compromisingly modern. During his long and productive career he also consulted on autostrada planning, and designed public parks, memorials, and even a Pinocchio theme park-at times collaborating with noted architects such as Renzo Piano, Carlo Scarpa and Oscar Niemeyer. This book, the first English-language study on Pietro Porcinai provides a comprehensive and richly illustrated overview of his life and remarkable achievements.

Learn about the incredible range of useful shrubs for many different situations, large and small. World renown expert, Martin Crawford, includes common fruit bushes like currants and gooseberries, and many other less-known shrubs with edible fruits, nuts, leaves, or other parts. He takes us on a journey into the world of exotic spice trees, shrubs with medicinal parts, and plants that fix nitrogen to help fertilise other plants. All these can be grown in temperate climates, diversifying our diets, enabling us to design beautiful, productive gardens, as well as showing us how we can integrate agroforestry into our smallholdings and farms to create new income streams. Despite increasingly urgent calls from scientists, the not-fit-for-purpose economic and political systems we live in cannot be relied upon to implement the carbon emission reductions needed. This where we come into it: Whether we are farmer, gardener or plant dabbler, by planting shrubby plants that sequester carbon, we can minimise our carbon footprint and ideally live a carbon-negative life. On a broadscale, perennial and woody species are the way forward to reduce carbon emissions in agriculture. Woody crops sequester carbon in their biomass, but can also be grown in systems which allow for sequestration of large amounts of carbon into the soil.

Howard Resh is internationally known as a pioneering hydroponics researcher: previous editions of this book are known as the "Bible" of the industry. Comprehensive guide to soilless culture with extensively new and updated content - perfect for both commercial and hobby growers. Covers media, lights and nearly every method of hydroponic gardening, and provides charts, equations, and diagrams for easy understanding. Presents greenhouse environmental control systems and examples of sustainable greenhouse technology, and demonstrates uses of automation and robotics in harvesting, grading, and packing. Introduces indoor vertical farming, and vertical growing systems, as well as the expansion of tropical hydroponics and rooftop greenhouses. Provides information on automation in large-scale raft culture and nutrient film technique (NFT) operations in the growing of lettuce, leafy greens, and herbs.

How do you design a landscape book suitable for its intended uses? How can the natural qualities of a landscape be enhanced with new features and focal points? How can you make pedestrians stay on the footpath? What kind of plant, path or wall should you put where, and what sort of contract should you choose for your client's contractor? This refreshingly down-to-earth introduction to the vast subject of landscape design and construction answers all these questions, guiding new students through the many facets of professional practice and welding together the artistic, legal, financial, environmental and management issues which can seem so dauntingly disconnected. Illustrated with original drawings, photographs, sample plans and facsimiles, including a new colour plate section, this readable classic has been fully revised and updated throughout. It opens with a completely new chapter which explains design and aesthetic principles, explores the history of our relationship to landscape, and shows how design principles can be applied to influence reactions to the finished site. The author then considers different elements of hard landscape and their relative merits in different situations. The soft landscape section includes coverage of the effects of mass and form, natural and abstract planting, and the difficult subject of plant selection. A step-by-step guide through all the stages of managing a project, from initial discussions with clients, site inspection, surveying and quoting, through tendering, contracting, contractual agreements, development from concept design to final plans and drawings, as well as maintenance, now includes the current information on CDM regulations and provides readers with a plain-speaking reference on client management and contractual administration. Added to the guide to drawing and lettering is an extensive section on computer-aided design. A bibliography and list of useful organization are also included.

"An invaluable resource" Huw Richards If you want to grow your own food, become more self sufficient, zero waste or eco friendly, or even go fully off grid, Liz Zorab is the perfect guide to help you explore the world of green living and permaculture. Grounded is the story of her gardening journey: from bare field to bountiful feast; from poor soil to fertile abundance; from rookie errors to successful sustainability. Liz and her husband, Mr J, transformed a tired 0.8 acre field into a fertile homestead that provides 80% of their food and drink - with enough left over to stock a community veggie box scheme! An inspiring blend of practical tips and ideas with personal narrative and a good smattering of humour, Grounded will show you how to: ` Fill your garden without emptying your pocket ` Make the most of the space you have ` Be creative with resources ` Achieve more without exhausting yourself ` Become more resilient ` Enjoy the process as much as the results This is a tale of courage and imagination that will inspire you to grow your own productive paradise and live your dreams.