Discover more than 100 ideas to help you become an eco-friendly gardener. RHS Do Bees Need Weeds is packed with more than 100 practical questions and answers to help you become a more eco-friendly gardener, and show you how to adopt a more sustainable way of gardening. The book includes simple, low-cost ideas, from fun projects such as how to build a wormery or a homemade water butt to advice on which plants suit bees best and how to achieve a zero-waste garden. In these pages you will find dozens of solutions to common garden problems as well as inspiring innovations that reduce your gardening consumption, tackle waste and help the environment. Filled with fascinating facts and ideas that will help you make a real difference to the green credentials of your garden, this book is both informative and entertaining, with plenty of I-never-knew-that mini-features. This is a book you and your family need, and one that you'll all enjoy, too. Includes questions such as: - Which features will make my garden greener? - Are my garden lights harmful? - How can a lawn be wildlife-friendly? - Is it ever OK to have a bonfire? - Are there alternatives to plastic? - Can I grow year-round crops? - Is it OK to buy compost?

This book takes the houseplant look outside by exploring the wonders of lush, green, foliage plants that are hardy in the garden. Unlike flowers which fade, these big-leaved, larger-than-life plants provide year-round impact for decades and small, urban gardens that are well protected are the perfect home for them. Expert horticulturist Philip Oostenbrink has been an enthusiastic grower for years and in this book recommends the best hardy, foliage plants for texture, leaf shape and colour. Jungle gardens can be shady and immersive, sunny and open or somewhere in between and there are plants suited to all these environments including purple-leaved bananas, desert-island palms, spiky agaves, architectural Pseudopanax and succulents such as Echeveria and Aeonium. Beautiful special photography by Sarah Cuttle features standout jungle gardens that demonstrate how to combine foliage plants effectively and create backdrops and container displays that make the plants pop. This book is the irresistible next step for all houseplant addicts and for all who are ready to embark on their very own jungle adventure.

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.

Biodynamic techniques recognize that plant life is intimately bound up with the life of the soil; that the soil itself is alive and vital; and that the degree of vitality has a direct bearing on the health of the crops. Through the nurture and care of the soil you will soon be able to grow quality produce which possesses vitality and has a full flavour. Sharing its principles, methods and techniques with organic farming, biodynamic agriculture additionally acknowledges that the plant's growth is also affected by planetary influences like the waxing and waning of the moon. Whether you are an experienced gardener or not, whether or not you have used permaculture or grown organic produce before, this volume offers tips on: favourable times for planting, harvesting and growing; ways of combating pests and diseases; building soil fertility - crop change and rotation; and how planets and stars affect plant growth.

"I think this book will quickly become an insightful gardening friend." -- Adam Frost, garden designer and TV presenter Discover what to do at just the right time to create a garden that's full of life and colour all year round in this invaluable book, now shortlisted for the GMG PRACTICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR award. What to Sow, Grow and Do is a season-by-season guide that brings together projects, advice, task lists and ideas to help you plan your time in the garden, inspire your planting and nurture a deeper relationship with nature. Tracking a year in the garden, it guides you in what to do through a series of how-to tasks and helpful checklists. It also celebrates each season, highlighting the plants to enjoy, the wildlife to spot and the changes you can notice in the garden and beyond. Seasonal jobs cover everything from pruning roses to planting summer bulbs, together with ideas on encouraging and supporting a garden that's full of beneficial insects and wildlife. Armed with this book, you can create a thriving, flourishing garden that's a joy to be in. Whether you are a seasoned horticulturalist or are just starting on your gardening adventure, this guide is an indispensable companion to your year in the garden.

This guide from the experts of Kew Royal Botanical Gardens is filled with tips and advice to help you grow your best vegetable garden ever! In this book Kew's Kitchen Gardener, Helena Dove, combines practical elements with inspiration and beauty to make a comprehensive and informative guide with all you need to know to master theart of growing vegetables. She shows how to grow some of the most popular staple crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, radishes and rocket, and also some more unusual and exciting choices such as oca, tomatillo, seakale and yacon. She gives easy to follow instructions on how to be a successful vegetable gardener, plus 12 exciting projects to try throughout the year including forcing rhubarb, creating an asparagus border and growing in raised beds. From sowing, to planting young plants, to hardening off and harvesting, find out what you need to do and when, to produce the most magnificent harvests. All the advice is underpinned by the expertise and authority of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and illustrated from Kew's world-famous botanical collection. With this book, you wil be able to reap a rich bounty of delicious vegetables from just a few packets of seed and some fertile ground! This book is from the Kew Experts series, in which the top gardeners and botanical scientists from Royal Botanic Kew Gardens offer up advice and information as well as suggesting handy projects on a range of gardening topics. Other titles include: Companion to Medicinal Plants, Guide to Growing Bulbs, Guide to Growing Fruit, Guide to Growing Orchids, Guide to Growing Roses, Guide to Growing Succulents and Cacti, Guide to Growing Trees, Guide to Growing Herbs and Guide to Growing House Plants.

Originally published in 1881, this is a'Practical treatise on the cultivation of the most profitable outdoor crop known'. Wonderfully detailed, it presents a complete system for the growing, cutivating and harvesting of all types of mushrooms.

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.

By reimagining how we design and use our gardens, we can all do our bit to support local wildlife, improve our health and help tackle the climate crisis. If we all take positive steps in our gardens, no matter how small, we can all really make a difference in the world. This book focuses on the activities and planting suitable for a Scottish climate but also contains lots of useful information relevant for gardeners throughout the UK. Practical information on planning is followed by expert guidance on: Planting for wildlife in nectar-rich borders, wildflower meadows, hedgerows, trees and shrubs Building for wildlife with bird boxes, bug boxes, feeders and ponds Green gardening approaches with fruit and veg production, rain gardens, green roofs, compost making and creating new plants through propagation Attracting birds, bees, butterflies and other insects, aquatic life and nightlife

As Florida is developed the native flora is often replaced with non-native plants. Wildlife habitat is reduced; water, fertilizer and pesticide usage increases; and the appearance of Florida is altered. But you can help reduce the damage being done to our ecosystems by viewing your yard as part of the natural system. This book will help you make a plan that will work for your yard and choose the native plants that will thrive there. You will have the joy of creating an aesthetically pleasing, life-supporting, and environmentally sensitive landscape. Methods for a small fruit and vegetable garden are also covered.

Foraging for Edible Wild Plants is a practical and attractive guide to the many edible varieties of wild plant that grow all around us. It will appeal to gardeners, botanists, cooks and foragers, and to anyone who wants to control invasive plants and weeds in eco-friendly ways. Wild plants have many virtues. They are: Valuable for wildlife and beneficial insects. Good for the soil - locking in nutrients Helpful in the accumulation of trace elements in soil Hosts for essential mycorrhizal fungi underground Interesting and unusual ingredients in cooking Foraging for Edible Wild Plants provides full details of over 50 edible species, with: Illustrated notes on appearance and habitat Valuable nutritional information advice on how to cook them numerous recipe suggestions for jams, cordials, pesto, salads and soups fascinating historical facts tips for non-culinary uses such as dyes from nettles and soap from soapwort advice on controlling invasive species such as knotweed (eat them!) identifying wild plants that are harmful if eaten attractive colour photographs throughout. Foraging for Edible Wild Plants covers both common plants, such as nettle, dandelion, chickweed and ground elder, and less common ones, such as brooklime and wintercress. The author is a qualified dietician and horticulturalist, who puts her troublesome weeds to good use. Put Foraging for Edible Wild Plants on the bookshelf to do the same and welcome some new, plentiful edibles into the kitchen.

The ultimate guide to encouraging wildlife into the garden all year round. Taking a month-by-month approach, The Wildlife Gardener's Almanac is packed with ideas, advice, tips and checklists, to give gardener's the best chance to make their contribution to conserving our native flora and fauna, no matter what size their garden. Each chapter of this beautifully illustrated book presents an introduction to the wild plants and creatures to expect at that time of the year, lists of seasonal tasks with straightforward instructions on how to carry them out, detailed profiles of plants in bloom, and a practical project aimed at encouraging more wildlife into the garden, including making a wildlife pond, building a nest box, planning a herb bed, planting a wildflower meadow and more. With appendices covering wildlife gardening in containers and suggested garden layouts, this guide offers a wealth of gardening information in an accessible format, allowing gardeners to find the advice they need, exactly when they need it.

Federal Twist is set on a ridge above the Delaware River in western New Jersey, USA. It is a naturalistic garden that has loose boundaries and integrates closely with the natural world that surrounds it. It has no utilitarian or leisure uses (no play areas, swimming pools or outdoor dining) and the site is not an obvious choice for a garden (heavy clay soil, poorly drained: quick death for any plants not ecologically suited to it). The physical garden, its plants and its features, is of course an appealing and pleasant place to be but Federal Twist's real charm and significance lie in its intangible aspects: its changing qualities and views, the moods and emotions it evokes, and its distinctive character and sense of place. Monty Don commented after his visit, "it made me rethink what a garden can be and do." This book charts the author's journey in making such a garden. How he made a conscious decision not to "improve the land", planted large, competitive plants into rough grass, experimented with seeding to develop sustainable plant communities. And how he worked with light to provoke certain moods and allowed the energy of the place, chance and randomness to have its say. Part experimental horticulturist and part philosopher, James Golden has written an important book for naturalistic and ecological gardeners and anyone interested in exploring the relationship between gardens, nature and ourselves.

A wildlife-friendly garden provides year round entertainment whilst providing food, drink and shelter for a range of species. This volume gives clear and practical advice on how to create a wildlife haven in your back garden and how to enjoy it through the changing seasons.

The New England Gardener's Book of Lists contains essential information for anyone gardening in the unique climates of the upper northeast. This vital guide provides expert advice on choosing appropriate annuals, biennials, and perennials, tending bulbs, roses, shrubs, and vines, and selecting trees, native plants, ferns, grasses, and groundcovers for particular conditions.

Humans and the world around us have been governed by the waxing and waning of the moon since the planet came into being. Over the centuries different civilisations have embraced these natural cycles, and so lunar gardening has been around for as long as man has pulled food from the soil; once practised by the Incas and Native Americans, this tried and trusted method has been largely forgotten. John Harris, head gardener at Tresillian Estate in Cornwall, has been using Moon Gardening for over forty years. The methods he uses can be implemented anywhere, you do not need fancy tools, expensive seeds or substantial acreage, but instead, given time, patience and care, the results can be breath-taking. This is gardening at its most natural and organic. The Natural Gardener charts John's story from a rudderless young lad in a Cornish village to being charged with the salvation of the long-neglected gardens at Tresillian. As he shares how to follow these simple principles, he imparts his abundance of horticultural knowledge from years spent working in harmony with the soil, providing a timely link back to nature and the reassuring regularity of the seasons.

Ponds and water features have been popular in gardens for thousands of years. This book is aimed at anyone who is thinking of building a pond, anyone who has bought some of the materials but doesn't know how to start or anyone who has a pond and needs to know how to keep it at its best.The book starts with the basics of assessing the garden, checking the site, planning and preparation, tools and materials and electrical wiring and safety. With the basics established the authors introduce the many different types of pond and how they can be created, maintained and enhanced.From split-level ponds to wildlife ponds, plant and fish and adding sculptures, bird houses, stones and bridges, each subject is presented in a clear way with box features, lists and questions and answers. The final chapter looks at water features - a rock pool or stream for a large garden or a small wall mask or trough for a tiny back garden.