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Books > Health, Home & Family > Gardening > Specialized gardening methods
The first edition of Gaia's Garden sparked the imagination of America's home gardeners, introducing permaculture's central message: Working with Nature, not against her, results in more beautiful, abundant, and forgiving gardens. This extensively revised and expanded second edition broadens the reach and depth of the permaculture approach for urban and suburban growers. Many people mistakenly think that ecological gardening--which involves growing a wide range of edible and other useful plants--can take place only on a large, multiacre scale. As Hemenway demonstrates, it's fun and easy to create a "backyard ecosystem" by assembling communities of plants that can work cooperatively and perform a variety of functions, including: Building and maintaining soil fertility and structure Catching and conserving water in the landscape Providing habitat for beneficial insects, birds, and animals Growing an edible "forest" that yields seasonal fruits, nuts, and other foods This revised and updated edition also features a new chapter on urban permaculture, designed especially for people in cities and suburbs who have very limited growing space. Whatever size yard or garden you have to work with, you can apply basic permaculture principles to make it more diverse, more natural, more productive, and more beautiful. Best of all, once it's established, an ecological garden will reduce or eliminate most of the backbreaking work that's needed to maintain the typical lawn and garden.
This charming, beautifully photographed beginner's guide from a trusted bonsai expert covers all the basics to keep your bonsai alive and happy. Jonas Dupuich, founder of the #1 bonsai blog in the U.S., shares his passion and expert advice with anyone looking to learn more about bonsai in this modern, entry-level guide to an ancient art. Filled with photos of stunning, inspiring trees, The Little Book of Bonsai provides simple, clear, effective guidance on bonsai care, including wiring, watering, pruning, pests, disease, tools, repotting, fertilizing, and more. Dupuich covers indoor and outdoor bonsai care, selecting the right container, displaying your bonsai, and choosing different species with clear, step-by-step photos to help you cultivate your trees with confidence. With its stylish, full-color design and fresh take on a captivating pastime, The Little Book of Bonsai makes a gorgeous gift for oneself or for others.
Creating and maintaining a beautiful garden that is safe and natural is becoming increasingly popular as we begin to understand the benefits of adopting an organic way of life. The Organic Garden is an indispensable guide to using organic methods to create flourishing ornamental and wildlife gardens. There is also a vital section on kitchen gardening that reflects our growing interest in eating and producing fresh, healthy and chemical-free vegetables, herbs and fruit. Christine and Michael Lavelle give clear advice on creating and caring for a natural garden, showing how to adopt an organic approach to each garden task, whether this is soil preparation, weeding and weed control, watering and feeding, or pruning and propagation. There is also helpful practical information on dealing organically with pests and diseases in both the garden and the greenhouse. The book looks in turn at different aspects of organic gardening, from creating spectacular lawns and decorative beds and borders in the ornamental garden, through attracting a host of beneficial creatures to the wildlife garden, to growing a wealth of crops in the kitchen garden. An easy-to-use directory of vegetables, herbs and fruit provides clear, at-a-glance information on growing a wide range of healthy produce, with advice on sowing, planting, harvesting and storing. With its wealth of inspirational and practical photographs, useful step-by-step information and well-informed text, The Organic Garden Book is a comprehensive guide for both first time and experienced gardeners, whether you wish to start an organic garden from scratch or use organic methods in an existing garden.
The Pacific Northwest abounds with native plants that bring beauty to the home garden while offering food and shelter to birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. Elegant trilliums thrive in woodland settings. Showy lewisias stand out in the rock garden. Hazel and huckleberry number among the delights of early spring, while serviceberry and creek dogwood provide a riot of fall color. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest is the essential resource for learning how to best use this stunning array. Close to 1,000 choices of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and grasses for diverse terrain and conditions, from Canada to California, and east to the Rockies 948 color photographs, with useful habitat icons Fully updated nomenclature, with an index of subjects and an index of plant names (common and scientific) New to this edition: chapters on garden ecology and garden science Appendix of Pacific Northwest botanical gardens and native plant societies Glossary of botanical, horticultural, and gardening terms With enthusiasm, easy wit, and expert knowledge, renowned botanist Art Kruckeberg and horticulturist Linda Chalker-Scott show Northwest gardeners, from novice to expert, how to imagine and realize their perfect sustainable landscape.
Mediterranean garrigue landscapes are extraordinarily beautiful: alternating mounds of silver and green, textured leaves, flashes of colour and intoxicating scents combine to delight the senses and rival any cultivated garden with half the work. This book offers inspiration and expert advice on growing the plants and adopting a new more natural way of gardening. Mediterranean plants are diverse and adapted to a wide range of environments and weather conditions. They are of course ideally suited to regions which experience long periods of seasonal drought but many will also withstand periods of high rainfall and extreme cold making this book essential reading for temperate-zone gardeners seeking the Mediterranean look. Some understanding of plant ecology is essential for success and Filippi shares his expert knowledge acquired from decades of research. How a plant interacts with its environment, other plants, and other living things indicates what it needs to flourish in a garden setting. Filippi's pioneering approach makes for a much closer relationship between gardener and nature that puts few demands on natural resources. Over 400 fascinating photographs capture the effortless beauty of natural plant communities and show gardeners how different gardens can be.
"Edible Forest Gardens" is a groundbreaking two-volume work that spells out and explores the key concepts of forest ecology and applies them to the needs of natural gardeners in temperate climates. Volume I lays out the vision of the forest garden and explains the basic ecological principles that make it work. In Volume II, Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier move on to practical considerations: concrete ways to design, establish, and maintain your own forest garden. Along the way they present case studies and examples, as well as tables, illustrations, and a uniquely valuable "plant matrix" that lists hundreds of the best edible and useful species.
The new movement in contemporary gardening is about going back to the wilderness, creatively landscaping with native plants to enrich their environments and seamlessly merge with their natural surroundings. Politely rejecting traditional manicured, hedged and pruned gardening aesthetics to invite an alternative kind of beauty: wildly bursting with indigenous plants, old-growth trees, vibrant patches of wildflowers and perennials, succulents, un-pruned bushes and ornamental grasses. New York City s Highline is a famous example and this landscaping approach is becoming increasingly popular for private homeowners. This book surveys twelve such breath-taking gardens captured by award winning photographer Andre Baranowski. The featured gardens range from small private residencies to large properties, by renowned landscapers such as Oehme van Sweden, Fernando Caruncho, Jorge Sanchez, and Piet Oudolf. The texts detail each project s approach and the hurdles presented by its landscape, providing the reader with an array of instructional ideas from an insider s mindset. Guaranteed to be a boundless source of inspiration and treasured by lovers of gardens worldwide.
Sufficient' is a book to inspire, educate and encourage a process of change towards a simple, gentle and sustainable way of living. Many of us want to make a shift in our lives by slowing down and consuming less, embracing artisan foods and championing human-scale organic growing methods as safe, compassionate and pleasurable. This book is a guide to starting that process, however and wherever you currently live in the world. 'Sufficient' is a passionate approach to understanding why changes need to be made and how they can be achieved in a fun and life-enhancing way. It encourages the practice of sustainability, taking it from its niche following and bringing it into the mainstream consciousness via a practical every day manual.
The soul of a famous garden, revealed. Before it was restored, the High Line was an untouched, abandoned landscape overgrown with wildflowers. Today it is much more than that; it's a central plaza, a cultural centre, a walkway, and a green retreat in a bustling city that is free for all to enjoy. But above all else, it is a beautiful, dynamic garden with plantings designed by Piet Oudolf, one of the world's most extraordinary garden designers. Gardens of the High Line, by Piet Oudolf and Rick Darke, offers an in-depth view into the planting designs, plant palette, and maintenance of this landmark achievement. It reveals a four-season garden that is filled with native and exotic plants, drought-tol-erant perennials, and grasses that thrive and spread. It also offers inspiration and advice to home gardeners and garden designers looking to recreate its iconic, naturalistic style. Featuring stunning photographs by Rick Darke and an introduction by Robert Hammond, the founder of the Friends of the High Line, this large-trim, photo-driven book is a must-have for anyone who appreciates the nature of design.
Scientist/gardener Carol Deppe combines her passion for organic gardening with newly emerging scientific information from many fields -- resilience science, climatology, climate change, ecology, anthropology, paleontology, sustainable agriculture, nutrition, health, and medicine. In the last half of The Resilient Gardener, Deppe extends and illustrates these principles with detailed information about growing and using five key crops: potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and eggs. In this book you'll learn how to: -Garden in an era of unpredictable weather and climate change -Grow, store, and use more of your own staple crops -Garden efficiently and comfortably (even if you have a bad back) -Grow, store, and cook different varieties of potatoes and save your own potato seed -Grow the right varieties of corn to make your own gourmet-quality fast-cooking polenta, cornbread, parched corn, corn cakes, pancakes and even savory corn gravy -Make whole-grain, corn-based breads and cakes using the author's original gluten-free recipes involving no other grains, artificial binders, or dairy products -Grow and use popbeans and other grain legumes -Grow, store, and use summer, winter, and drying squash -Keep a home laying flock of ducks or chickens; integrate them with your gardening, and grow most of their feed. The Resilient Gardener is both a conceptual and a hands-on organic gardening book, and is suitable for vegetable gardeners at all levels of experience. Resilience here is broadly conceived and encompasses a full range of problems, from personal hard times such as injuries, family crises, financial problems, health problems, and special dietary needs (gluten intolerance, food allergies, carbohydrate sensitivity, and a need for weight control) to serious regional and global disasters and climate change. It is a supremely optimistic as well as realistic book about how resilient gardeners and their vegetable gardens can flourish even in challenging times and help their communities to survive and thrive through everything that comes their way -- from tomorrow through the next thousand years. Organic gardening, vegetable gardening, self-sufficiency, subsistence gardening, gluten-free living.
Discover everything you need to know to grow your garden in containers. Even if you only have a balcony or small patio, you can grow more than you ever thought possible in pots, wall planters and hanging baskets! This is your no-fuss guide to container gardening. Are you interested in making your outdoor space greener but don't know where to start? This urban gardening guide for beginners will help you choose and care for more than 80 different plant varieties, all specially chosen for their ability to thrive in containers. Discover the quickest way to bring nature into your home all year round! From suntraps to shady corners, this easy gardening guide will show you how to brighten up even the trickiest areas with beautiful plants. You don't have to be a horticulture expert to get started, this indispensable reference book will take you through every single step! It includes: - Tips on how to care for more than 80 different container plant varieties - Packed with practical, jargon-free know-how and simple gardening techniques - Easy-to-follow format to help grow your gardening knowledge Let It Grow! Gorgeous, full-colour photography provides plenty of inspiration and styling ideas! Expert tips and step-by-step instructions on every page help make sure that you care for your plants in the right way for them to flourish. Grow Containers shows you how to leverage every square inch of your gardening space. It's perfect for first-time gardeners, especially renters and small homeowners with paved-over gardens. Complete the Series: Make your green-fingered dreams a reality with the Grow series from DK. Learn how to sow, grow and harvest vegetables successfully in Grow Easy Veg, or discover how to garden more sustainably in Grow Eco-Gardening. Alternatively, there are more titles to explore such as Grow Pruning & Training and Grow Houseplants.
A Bucket List Tour of Europe's Private Gardens. Acres of white-blooming garden rooms on the island of Mallorca. A seven-tiered wonder of stone, plants, and water above Germany's Rhine River. The Garden of Cosmic Speculation in a quiet Scottish valley. These sumptuous landscapes are just three of the fifty destinations you'll visit on this exclusive tour of Europe's most beautiful private gardens. From Belgium to Ireland, Scandinavia to Wales, Carolyn Mullet is your guide through intimate retreats normally off-limits to visitors. Short profiles introduce the intriguing owners and rich histories of each garden and the land they inhabit. Among the featured gardens are works of eminent designers such as Tom Stuart-Smith, Andy Melengier, and Louis Benech. Whether you love exploring faraway places or creating your own landscape haven at home, Adventures in Eden is the ideal armchair getaway - glimpses into personal garden artistry that are sure to spark inspiration.
Maria Thun, a pre-eminent expert in biodynamic cultivation methods - sometimes referred to as "premium organic" - has here compiled over 100 of her best gardening tips based on 50 years' research. Find out: * how to produce abundant and tasty crops; * how special preparations can transform your soil and produce; * how the moon affects planting and growth; * the difference between 'root', 'leaf', 'blossom' and 'fruit' plants; * what the best storage methods are; and much more. Accompany the author on a journey through the seasons and discover lots of new tips and suggestions. There is a wealth of advice here for gardeners seeking to manage nature responsibly and successfully.
A beautifully illustrated history of the world famous landscape garden at Stourhead, created by generations of the Hoare banking dynasty. Cross the south lawn at Stourhead and descend through the ancient and rare trees. Soon you will see a great lake appear, decorated with classical temples and arched bridge that lunges to the other side of the water. Continue on and you will find a mystical, jagged grotto; a gothic hideaway; gods, muses and saints. This is how Henry Hoare - known as Henry the Magnificent - would have approached the garden he designed with Henry Flitcroft. Did he imagine himself as a journeying Aeneas, or was he recreating a Claud Lorrain landscape? This is the first history - in colour - of a unique landscape created by generations of the Hoare banking family. It follows its evolution, describing how flights of folly, individual flair and tastes, combined with careful stewardship, have formed a national treasure and one of the finest example of the English landscape garden. The book includes a foreword by James Stourton and newly commissioned photography by renowned garden photographer Marianne Majerus.
Bonsai, the practice of growing miniaturized trees in shallow containers, can transform even the tiniest outdoor space into a beautiful landscape, or create points of interest both indoors and out. The selection of plants that can be developed into bonsai ranges from conifers, maples and bamboos to leafy and flowering trees and shrubs, and hardy indigenous species that are adapted to local conditions. With its wealth of sound advice and helpful tips, this book will guide novices through their first steps, as well as offer new ideas and insight to experienced practitioners of this captivating botanical art.
Make the most of your balconies and windowsills with this handy gardening guide from the author of the award-winning RHS Grow Your Own Crops in Pots. RHS Little Book of Small-space Gardening is packed with practical information and inspirational ideas for anyone who wants to grow plants in a variety of outside spaces, from balconies to stairways, windowsills to doorsteps. Look inside to discover a host of creative step-by-step projects, such as speedy salads, wildlife pots, fragrant baskets and green garden walls. Handy plant profiles tell you what's best to grow in a variety of conditions, such as wind, shade and drought. Whether you choose to start with a simple pot or tackle a more ambitious project, with this beautifully illustrated book you'll soon see how even the smallest spaces can be amazing growing spaces.
Have you just joined the cactus craze? Do you want to know how to make your little bundle of spikes thrive, flower and breed? This quirky pocket-sized book is your essential guide to pleasing your prickly pet. Your cactus may be surviving, but is it happy? There's so much more to these little green plants than just keeping them alive. Happy Cactus gets right to the point with practical advice from potting to propagating. Unearth the secrets of different cacti and succulents, with profiles on more than 105 popular varieties - from the cute, flowering pincushion cactus to the wacky prickly pear, discover what makes your plant unique and how it might behave when treated with a little bit of love. Find out where to put it, when to water it, what to feed it, what to look out for and how to encourage its distinctive traits, from flower stalks to fast growth. Flick through inspirational features to help you create a show-stopping cactus display. Whether you're a young urbanite seeking a stylish houseplant for your flat but struggling to keep more temperamental plants alive, or a green-fingered cactus enthusiast determined to get your precious plant to grow and flower this year, Happy Cactus is here to answer all your questions.
Keeping your garden in good shape has never been easier! Pruning is an essential part of garden maintenance. It's also one of the most difficult parts of gardening. This is your no-fuss guide to learning basic training and pruning techniques. Do you want to know how to prune the shrubs and climbers in your garden but don't know where to start? This gardening book for beginners will help you care for more than 80 of the most popular pruning plants. Whether you need to prune flowering trees or have a small garden that requires controlling, this complete pruning guide explores all the essential techniques. It also features an illustrated directory that answers all your pruning and training questions to help you put your skills into practice. You don't have to be a horticulture expert to get started, this indispensable reference book will take you through every single step! It includes:
Let It Grow! Gorgeous, full-colour photography provides plenty of inspiration and ideas. Expert tips and step-by-step instructions on every page will help you care for your plants the right way. Grow Pruning & Training covers everything you need to know to make pruning fruit trees, shrubs, and climbing plants a simple and achievable process. It's the perfect book for first-time gardeners!
Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming informs and inspires gardeners, and farmers, who wish to bring quality and integrity into their work with the land. It is about developing close relationships with land that produces our food. This book combines over 40 years of Frank Holzman's experience in farming, gardening, education, research, and development to provide techniques and concepts for sustainable land use. Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming is a more spiritual and thoughtful approach to land stewardship, geared toward aspiring gardeners with a desire for a deeper connection with the earth. It is as much about why as it is about how to develop land. Rather than traditional tractor farming, this book provides a better understanding of horticulture, dealing with the biological interactions between soils and plants, and providing a good understanding of living systems. Holzman examines healthy perspectives of how to approach a piece of land as a living organism and transform it into a balanced ecosystem. Frank Holzman provides lots of information and insight for backyard gardeners and professional farmers, alike. Truly a great resource for transforming the garden, as well as the gardener.
*** '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
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.
Andrew Mikolajski's Garden Design offers a complete breakdown of the process involved in creating a garden, from making an initial assessment of the site's possibilities to applying design principles and choosing plants and landscaping materials. It is aimed at amateurs who have no previous knowledge of garden-making but will also be of value to professionals entering the trade. Most books on garden design are either very technical or are predominantly picture books. This manual is different. A lively and provocative read, it is full of handy hints and tips for creating the perfect outdoor environment. Readers are encouraged to explore and question established ideas about good garden design, and will be sure to grow in confidence as they learn how to make informed decisions about every aspect of the garden design process. |
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