Greenhouses fuse together cultures and countries under one glass roof. In their debut book, photographers India Hobson and Magnus Edmondson take you on a worldwide journey through their favourite botanical spaces.

The Haarkon Greenhouse Tour began as a self-initiated adventure in Oxford s botanic garden four years ago. Since then, Magnus and India have visited countless locations in the UK, Europe, America, Asia and beyond in search of dream glasshouses and greenhouses, capturing dramatic palm houses, tropical hothouses and private potting sheds along the way.

Divided into seven thematic chapters History, Specimen, Community, Research, Pleasure, Hobbyist and Architecture the featured spaces in Glasshouse / Greenhouse are depicted via a series of photo-essays that draw out the style, plant collections and character of each space.

Steven and Susan show how to create a range of useful structures and furnishings, both large and small, at relatively little expense by using mostly recycled materials. The first chapters show the kinds of materials used and their possible uses; the next demonstrate some basic making skills. The book then showcases a variety of projects, including structures like a garden shed/studio and a recycled deck, as well as smaller items of garden furniture, such as garden chairs and tables, as well as various forms of storage. Each project includes step-by- step construction techniques with illustrations.

Water will bring a garden miraculously to life, drawing the eye more than any other feature. When still, its shimmering reflections create a peaceful mood, while moving water animates the garden scene and delights with its mesmerizing sounds. In this definitive guide, Alan shows you how to design and make a water feature to suit any size and style of garden, from a large wildlife pond, stream or rill to the tiniest pebble or wall fountain. * Easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step diagrams * A-Z directory of Alan's recommended pond and waterside plants * Guide to choosing and caring for fish * Key tips on encouraging wildlife to your pond * Season-by-season guide to pond maintenance

Do you want your outdoor space to look as stylish and as well designed as your home? RHS Design Outdoors will give you the ideas and know-how you need to make that happen. Award-winning designer Matt Keightley has curated a collection of 35 gardens, created either by him or by other leading contemporary designers, that will provide the inspiration to transform your outdoor space. Gardeners features include award-winning designers Jo Thompson, Tom Stuart Smith, Tony Woods, Charlotte Rowe and Andrew Wilson. For each case study there is a detailed plan, information on the plants and materials used and a wealth of gorgeous photography by leading garden photographer Marianne Majerus. The designs are organized into five categories: Showstoppers at Home - high-design concepts that are nonetheless achievable; Family-friendly - gardens that incorporate play areas and socialising; Minimalist - spaces with larger areas of hard landscaping and bold, restrained planting; Plants First - gardens where more than half of the outdoor space is planted; and Other Spaces - roof terraces, basement areas and front gardens. This wide array of garden styles means that there is inspiration for all types of garden, and for all types of gardener.

In a sense this book is a garden-based autobiography of Britain's most famous birdwatcher. The main narrative covers Bill's personal relationship, not only with his present garden, which was described by the Daily Mail as "Probably the most bizarre back garden in Britain", but also with the gardens he has known throughout his life. The first was what he has called "a sink full of mud" in industrial Rochdale in the 1940s. Next came a larger garden on the edge of Birmingham which he used as a bird ringing station, sometimes helped or hindered by his granny, who often trimmed the lawn with a pair of scissors!In Tales of Ludicrous Bird Gardens there are plenty of eccentric stories about garden characters such as the 'feng shui fox', who constantly rearranged the ornaments, 'Limpy', the one-legged single-parent Great Tit, and one memorable nightmarish occasion when over 50 rats came to visit! This book is NOT an instructional guide on 'How to be a ludicrous gardener' although it may well prove inspirational to others to have a go, or to warn them on what to avoid. Bill abhors decking, large concrete patios, and above, all leaf-blowers.As well as neighbours who whinge about the parakeets! What is certain about Tales of Ludicrous Bird Gardens is that Bill's entertaining take on gardening for birds makes compelling reading.

The phrase "designed landscape" is generally associated with the great parks and gardens of the post-medieval period, with grand country houses surrounded by parkland, such as Chatsworth and Longleat. However, recent research has made it clear that its origins lie much further back than that, in the middle ages, and numerous examples have been identified. This book offers the first full-length survey of designed medieval landscapes, not just the settings for castles, but for palaces, manor houses and monastic institutions. Gardens and pleasure grounds gave their owners sensory enjoyment; lakes, ponds and walkways created routes of approach that displayed residences to best effect; deer parks were stunning backdrops and venues for aristocratic enjoyment; and peacocks, swans, rabbits and doves were some of the many species which lent these landscapes their elite appearance. Richly illustrated with plans, maps, and photographs of key sites showing what can still be seen today. Oliver H. Creighton is Associate Professor in Archaeology, University of Exeter .

Even the smallest garden can be an important haven for wildlife, and this authoritative guide enables everyone to explore this wealth on their back doorstep. It covers all the main animal groups - including pond life - likely to be found in a garden in Great Britain and Ireland. Detailed descriptions and information on life history, behaviour and occurrence are provided for more than 500 species, as well as practical information on creating a pond for wildlife, making nestboxes and feeding birds. Richard Lewington, acknowledged as one of the finest natural history artists in Europe, has teamed up with his brother Ian, one of our most respected bird artists, to provide nearly 1,000 superbly detailed colour artworks to complement the text. Presented in an accessible, easy-to-use format, this fully updated and expanded edition covers everything from blue tits to bumblebees and hedgehogs to hawkmoths.

In high-end restaurants and in the home, more and more cooks have discovered the joy of using natural, foraged ingredients. But, what few realise is that you don't necessarily have to go rootling in hedgerows or woodlands to find them. Many of our own gardens contain an abundance of edible and medicinal plants, grown mainly for their ornamental appearance. Most gardeners are completely unaware that what they have actually planted is a rather exotic kitchen garden. The Garden Forager explores over 40 of the most popular garden plants that have edible, medicinal or even cosmetic potential, accompanied by recipes, remedies, and interesting facts, and illustrated throughout in exquisite watercolours by Lizzie Harper. This beautifully illustrated book redefines how we look at our gardens and unleashes the unknown potential of everyday plants - making it a must-have for anyone interested in gardening, cooking, or foraging.

Naturalistic planting design offers an exciting alternative to traditional garden making. Rich in plants, sustainable and good for the environment, naturalistic gardens are also beautiful, uplifting places that resonate with the energy of the natural world - but they can be challenging to get right. In this seminal book, leading exponent of the technique Nigel Dunnett shares his peerless ecological and horticultural wisdom and fascinating working methods to ensure success with every project. By following a simple set of rules and principles in a unique `Planting Design Toolkit' discover how to read the landscape and create `designed plant communities' that are layered to sustain interest throughout the year. Learn how to design planting that captures the spirit of nature, fosters immersive, emotionally engaging experiences and reduces the need for maintenance. The information is in-depth, practical and generously supported by a wealth of case studies, illustrations, plans and diagrams. This is the essential go-to guide for anyone wishing to join the adventure and plant the naturalistic way.

Wild flowers are a great passion for Carol, and for the TV show this year she's travelling the length and breadth of the country to find the most exquisite flora occurring naturally in our woodlands, hedgerows, meadows and moors, and then she sets off in search of their cultivated cousins, and shows us how to grow them in our own gardens. In her accompanying book, Carol delves into the story of each plant, full of myth, legend and country lore, and as always shares her practical expertise, passing on hints and tips, including which variations to go for, how and where to plant, and what with, for the most spectacular results. Containing thirty two of Britain's favourite wild flowers and their home-grown descendents, structured by season and illustrated with Jonathan Buckley's amazing photographs, this book of botanical wonders will inspire, surprise and inform gardeners of all levels.

With the erosion of native wildlife habitats, gardens increasingly provide an invaluable source of food and shelter for Britain's fauna and flora. The Wildlife Garden is the essential guide to attracting birds to your bushes, butterflies to your buddleia and a whole array of other creatures into your garden - even if you only have a window box. Whether you just want to make an existing family space more wildlife friendly or go the whole hedgehog and turn your back garden into a mini nature reserve The Wildlife Garden will show you how to do it. There is full information on what plants are best for wildlife, on how to make refuges for insects and homes for bats, on making a pool for frogs, all whilst adding scent and colour to your surroundings.

This original and authoritative book is presented in a practical yet inspirational way. Dan Barton shares with us his expert knowledge and two decades of research, giving both detailed step-by-step horticultural instructions and a fascinating insight into the creative process of Bonsai, to provide a genuine understanding of the subject. As well as giving the essential descriptions of stock, equipment, basic care, and training techniques, the book includes new methods of achieving quicker results, a Bonsai calendar showing routing tasks on a month-by-month basis, and the use of modern materials, all of great value to today's Bonsai enthusiast. Beautifully illustrated throughout with strikingly original and instructive photographs, line drawings, and working schedules, The Bonsai Book is a must for would-be Bonsai enthusiasts and experts alike, and its fabulous presentation makes it an ideal gift.

It was 11pm when I checked my email for the last time and turned off my phone for what I hoped would be forever. No running water, no car, no electricity or any of the things it powers: the internet, phone, washing machine, radio or light bulb. Just a wooden cabin, on a smallholding, by the edge of a stand of spruce. In this honest and lyrical account of a remarkable life without modern technology, Mark Boyle explores the hard won joys of building a home with his bare hands, learning to make fire, collecting water from the spring, foraging and fishing. What he finds is an elemental life, one governed by the rhythms of the sun and seasons, where life and death dance in a primal landscape of blood, wood, muck, water, and fire - much the same life we have lived for most of our time on earth. Revisiting it brings a deep insight into what it means to be human at a time when the boundaries between man and machine are blurring.

The 18th-century phenomenon of the English Landscape Garden was so widespread that even today, when so much has been built over or otherwise changed, one is never far from an example throughout England. Although seemingly natural, the English Landscape Garden was generally the result of considerable contrivance, effort and design skill, the result of `the art that conceals art'. It might involve digging lakes, raising or levelling hills, and planting trees, sometimes in vast numbers. Nature was arranged and shown to best advantage. The English landscape garden took many forms, and the variety of manifestations was and remains remarkable. A great number survive, if sometimes in modified form, and can be visited and appreciated. The book is structured so as to give the background to, and motivation for, creating the landscape garden; to summarise the chronology of its development; to chart the most significant writers and theorists; and to consider the range of the many forms it took. The story of the landscape garden is complex, multi-layered and constantly changing in emphasis for such an apparently simple and straightforward construct. This book will help to uncover some of the richness that lies behind a meaningful part of the environment. The book can be regarded as a companion to the volume already published by Historic England, The English Landscape Garden in Europe.

Charles Dowding draws on his years of experience, to show how easy it is to start a new vegetable garden. Any plot -- whether a building site, overgrown with weeds or unwanted lawn -- can be turned into a beautiful and productive vegetable area. Charles's no-nonsense and straightforward advice is the perfect starting point for the beginner or experienced gardener. The book takes you step-by-step through: * Planning and early stages * Clearing the ground * Mulch - what, why, how? * Minimizing digging * Sowing and planting across the seasons * Growing in polytunnels and greenhouses It is filled with labour-saving ideas and the techniques that Charles uses to garden so successfully, and is illustrated throughout with photos and tales from Charles's first year in his new vegetable garden.

Water lilies are inextricably linked to the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, Egypt and the Far East, where they were highly valued, just as precious metals or gemstones, their properties were thought to be medicinal, spiritual and purely aesthetic; they have been represented in architecture, printed textiles, religious paintings and illustrations, cited in mythology, folklore, mysticism and the creative imagination. This volume meticulously records our enduring love affair with the most beautiful and exotic of plants, the water lily. It is a comprehensive and detailed account of their introduction into European culture, largely through the passion and devotion of one man, Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac (1830-1911), whose lifelong work in the field of propagation, cultivation and commercialization of water lilies inspired a generation of horticulturists, artists and poets to create the words and images that are deeply embedded in our culture today. Claude Monet, for example, used lilies from Latour-Marliac's nursery to create his garden in Giverny. The work Latour-Marliac did gave rise to development of specialist lily nurseries and growers across Europe and North America; in fact, Latour-Marliac's nursery still exists today, owned by Robert Sheldon, an American who shared Latour-Marliac's passion for water lilies and water gardening and has been the force behind the nursery's continued success today.

"One of Britain's greatest living naturalists." - Chris Packham. The Essential Guide to Creating a Beautiful Garden Haven for Dragonflies. With stunning colours and phenomenal flying abilities, dragonflies are extraordinarily beautiful - and vital to our eco-system. Ruary Mackenzie Dodds, Britain's leading dragonfly expert, offers top tips on how to attract these amazing insects to your garden. From creating a pond and choosing the right plants, to long-term pond care and even help with identifying dragonfly species, Ruary is buzzing with ideas for how to make your garden a wonderful sanctuary for both you and dragonflies to enjoy.

No dig organic gardening saves time and work. It requires an annual dressing of compost to help accelerate the improvement in soil structure and leads to higher fertility and less weeds. No dig experts, Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty, explain how to set up a no dig garden. They describe how to: Make compost, enrich soil, harvest and prepare food and make natural beauty and clean ing products and garden preparations. These approaches work as well in small spaces as in large gardens. The Authors' combined experience gives you ways of growing, preparing and storing the plants you grow for many uses, including delicious vegetable feasts and many recipes and ideas for increasing self reliance, saving money, living sustainably and enjoying the pleasure of growing your own food, year round. Charles' advice is distilled from 35 years of growing vegetables intensively and efficiently; he is the acknowledged no dig guru and salad expert both in the UK and internationally. Stephanie, a kitchen gardener, grows in her small, productive home garden and allotment, and creates no dig gardens for restaurants and private estates.She presents truly delicious seasonal recipes, made from the vegetables anyone can grow. She also explains how to use common plants you can grow and forage for to make handmade preparation for the home and garden.

1,2,3 ... Garden With Tanya And Anna
This book is for anyone who has just discovered the joy of messing about in the soil, who are itching to see seeds germinate, who love inspiring ideas and easy DIY projects - but it's also for seasoned gardeners who may have forgotten a trick or two. It keeps up with modern gardening trends and conveys to the reader in a practical way everything the authors have learnt on muddy knees over many years. Their outlook is wider than the purely organic or the purely indigenous methods of gardening - the authors put everything to the test and provide tried and tested advice on: the eco-impact of growing plants and the latest ways of doing this; starting and planting a vegetable garden; sustainable gardening - including compost-heap know-how and harvesting rain and grey water; the value of trees and how to bring them into the garden; developing a lush garden without spending a fortune; which gardening tasks to do when; using companion planting to discourage pests and promote growth, and much more. Whether your garden is on a farm or in the city, whether you're old-fashioned or just Google everything you want to know and learn, this book is just the guide for you. Combining information on modern advances to make gardening tasks easier with sage, common-sense advice of the past, it tells you how to cultivate a beautiful, fruitful garden now.

Gardening For Butterflies
Eco-friendly gardening is fast catching on. Butterflies are visible signs of a healthy garden, and, with their whimsical flight patterns and glorious colours, they are among the most alluring of our aerial visitors. Gardening for butterflies shows how to attract these beautiful insects, giving step-by-step instructions for planning and planting a garden that will cater for the greatest number and diversity of butterflies. Using a Durban garden as a case study, it includes a recommended layout and plant lists for this area, as well as for other regions around the country. The book showcases 95 garden butterflies and moths, showing their full life cycle, including pupa, eggs and caterpillar. Stunning photography and point-form text ensure accurate identification of each stage in the cycle, and an interesting introduction discusses such topics as the extraordinary process of metamorphosis and the curious habits of these mercurial insects. Whether you’re tempted to undertake a full-scale transformation of your garden to attract butterflies, make smaller adjustments to it, or if you simply want to identify those insects already visiting your space, this book will amaze and enchant you.

Churchill was born amidst the splendour of Blenheim Palace but, ever a restless spirit, he owned, rented and was provided with many houses, both grand and relatively modest, over the course of his long life, including country retreats, town apartments and, as a statesman, Admiralty House, 10 and 11 Downing Street and Chequers. But it was his own house at Chartwell that will be for ever associated with his name. From Blenheim to Chartwell charts the life of Winston Churchill through the houses he lived in and the gardens he made. It culminates with the full story of his purchase, alteration and creation of Chartwell, Kent, his home for more than forty years before and after the war, and which is now, in keeping with his intentions, owned and run by the National Trust. Gardening expert and author Stefan Buczacki has researched Winston Churchill's homes and gardens, discovering a side to the great leader that is largely unknown - that of a man steeped in Victorian values who cared deeply for his personal staff and behaved with the utmost integrity and honesty in all his business dealings. Based on extensive and scholarly archive study, this well illustrated book brings to light an array of previously unpublished details and reveals a fascinating side to Britain's greatest war leader. Also by Stefan Buczacki and Unicorn: Earth to Earth: A Natural History of Churchyards 987-1-910787-74-8.

A great source of reference for the natural gardener, this comprehensive compendium classifies 1200 plants according to their behaviour, strengths and uses. Join pioneering garden designers Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf as they describe their ideal perennials, bulbs, grasses, ferns and small shrubs, explaining that an ideal plant is one that is both beautiful and robust, performing reliably with very little input from the gardener. 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.