Go beneath the soil with this hand-drawn guide! This book is sure to become your go-to reference for all things bonsai. Beautifully illustrated with details and views a camera simply can't show, Introduction to Bonsai offers a unique and insightful look at these mini ecosystems. This complete guide contains all the information you need to create and maintain your own bonsai: Handy monthly bonsai maintenance schedules detail proper watering, pruning, wiring, transplanting and other upkeep activities throughout the year Leaves, fruits, flowers, and processes are presented up-close to help make growing and upkeep as successful and simple as possible Diagrams show where, how much, and in what direction pruning, wiring, watering and other maintenance should be performed Clear, detailed illustrations of every part of the bonsai ensure that you'll see everything you need to see, exactly as you need to see it--making this a great resource for collectors and enthusiasts at all levels Learn the specific ways to care for more than 40 types of popular bonsai trees, including: Flowering Bonsai--cherry blossom, dogwood, azalea and lilac Fruiting Bonsai--crab apple, persimmon, Chinese quince and burning bush Coniferous and Deciduous Bonsai--maple, Japanese beech, black pine and salt cedar Prepared by the editors of Japan's popular Bonsai Sekai (Bonsai World) magazine,this handbook is designed to make care and maintenance easy for bonsai beginners--from seeds to root systems and from basic watering to your first transplant.

'An extraordinary and powerful book, full of vitality. Every page celebrates the way traditional skills can shape who we are' Tristan Gooley 'Lyrical, moving and never self-pitying . . . a lovely book' The Times Ben Short has a successful career in advertising, a flat in a trendy part of London, a flashy motorbike. But after years of suffering with anxiety, he's a wreck. A drastic change is needed. For a time, he finds solace working with a forester, then as an apprentice to a Gypsy woodman, setting up home in a dilapidated wagon with just a rescue dog for company. However, it is not until he feels the call of the furnace, a glowing charcoal kiln in the Dorset woods, that he can truly re-forge his thoughts, put the years of suffering behind him, and start afresh by immersing himself in the old ways of woods and fire. Exquisitely written and deeply honest, Burn is a hopeful story of transformation, a celebration of manual work and craft, and a love letter to the English countryside. 'Beautifully written . . . reading it leaves you feeling ruffled but alive' Mail on Sunday

User-friendly and highly accessible, this is a practical, fully illustrated and inspiring guide to indoor gardening by self-taught plant enthusiast Jade Murray. Here you will find invaluable tips and advice for choosing, caring for and propagating houseplants. Having limited space is no barrier to indoor gardening. Many of these plants are perfect for small homes and space-saving ideas abound - eg vertical arrangements - whether hanging in a basket, bunched on a shelf, on a window sill or grouped on a ladder. Chapters include: the easiest houseplants to grow for complete beginners (including Chinese Money Plants and Dragon Trees) the best 'diva' plants for creating drama and conversation pieces (including String of Dolphins and Elephant Ear) air-purifying plants (from ferns and lilies to the Fiddle Leaf Fig) humidity-loving plants (including the Lipstick Plant and Asparagus Ferns) heat-resistant indoor plants (cacti and succulents) plants to help with pests (including Venus Fly Trap and Trumpet Pitcher) Throughout the book you will find: advice on where to best position plants in the home ideas for how to display them to best advantage, including vertical arrangements tips on soil mix, watering, feeding and trouble-shooting step-by-step photographs for plant propagation an at-a-glance summary of Jade's 'golden rules' for success Jade firmly believes that plants can be restorative and therapeutic - a positive asset in any home or office. Her advice and enthusiasm shine on every page of this book - as do her glorious photographs.

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.

A treasure finds new life in this reprint of an important work by H. Inigo Triggs, one of Britain's greatest architects. Compiled at the turn of the 20th Century, this classic work is still relevant to today's landscape designers and architects on its hundredth anniversary. Tour the great gardens of Rome, Florence, Milan, Lake Como, and Verona, visiting the Vatican, royal palaces, and secluded cloisters. Line drawings detail overall layouts for monumental gardens, statuary, and architectural details, while photographs concentrate on stunning perspectives. The text illuminates the thoughts and aesthetics of the famed author. This book is an invaluable inspiration for anyone planning an estate garden and an indespensible reference for historians of British and classical architecture.

The Shady Lady's Guide to Northeast Shade Gardening is a crash course in the essentials of shade gardening, helping gardeners take advantage of the potential in shadow. Within this expanded second edition, Amy Ziffer identifies best practices, best plants, and best information for the greater Northeast. Placed in a broader context of ecology, Ziffer promotes gardening as the act of focusing the natural world rather than manipulating it. She categorizes shade plants based on their function in the garden and describes how to cultivate them with a high likelihood of success and a minimum of failure and frustration. Ziffer introduces the concept of "backbone plants," which should make up 75 to 80 percent of a shade garden, and discusses soils, fertilization, maintenance, animal browsing, and much more, providing clear and concise advice on what to do and what not to do. This edition of The Shady Lady's Guide to Northeast Shade Gardening includes an expanded illustrated plant gallery with over forty new photos, an updated taxonomic classification of the plants, and a candid discussion of the future effects of climate change.

This inspirational book from Kew Gardens' cacti and succulents expert is the perfect guide to growing and maintaining a wide variety of these fascinating plants. Indoors or outside, in the smallest spaces or as features in large gardens, succulents and cacti are popular in homes and gardens all across the world, regardless of climate. They're resilient, beautiful and easy to care for as long as you're armed with the right knowledge. Packed with information and inspiration, and with the guiding authority and expertise of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this book teaches you everything you need to know about 50 speciments of succulents and cacti, from ideal humidity, light and temperature, to maintenance instructions so that your plants can thrive. This book also contains 12 easy-to-follow projects for you to carry out at home, so you can grow a vibrant array of succulents and cacti for your home, whether you are a complete beginner or a keen enthusiast. Combining beautiful botanical illustrations and practical advice, The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Succulents and Cacti is the definitive introduction to growing these wonderful plants. 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 Herbs, Guide to Growing Roses, Guide to Growing Trees, Guide to Growing Vegetables and Guide to Growing House Plants.

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.

Designing real gardens on slopes for real people forms the central core of this book. It demonstrates that making plans for gardens on slopes of all types really works. Not only that, they are a necessary part of the process of turning challenging sites into attractive gardens. This is a really useful book that shows how good design helps to avoid costly common mistakes. It is a simple and informative guide detailing from survey to construction and planting. Not many gardens are completely flat. Just one step in a garden makes a big difference, adding more interest to the site. But slopes do present more of a challenge when designing gardens and definitely add to the expense of a building project. A select portfolio of beautifully designed gardens shows projects from start to finish. These are not simply attractive garden plans - they actually work! Not only does this book inspire, it will show how to master hilly sites. There are currently no books that deal specifically with this common problem: in fact, in many books, designing gardens on slopes is barely mentioned. Students of garden design, qualified garden and landscape designers, landscape builders and architects, and owners of sloping gardens will therefore find this book particularly useful.

Whether you have a roof terrace, a tiny balcony or just a window sill, there's no excuse not to do some gardening. In Modern Container Gardening, Isabelle Palmer shows just how easy it is to get started in the garden - and how to make the most of every little space. Modern Container Gardening is the perfect book for novice gardeners who may have mastered the art of indoor plants and are ready to take it outside. The chapters include the basics, how to make a garden in a day, weekend projects, one-pot wonders, window boxes and finishing touches. It features 28 projects with a mix of small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, all of which are stylish and easy to manage. Isabelle also offers advice on how to upgrade store-bought containers with a lick of paint, transforming the look of your plants. With clear step-by-step instructions and advice on which plants suit your space, as well as how to care for them, this is an accessible book for anyone looking to start their own small garden.

From the best-selling author of Practical Magic Nikki Van De Car comes an essential guide to cultivating magical self-sufficiency and enchanted resilience through spell work, gardening, herbal remedies, and more. Whether we live on a farm or in a high rise, we can always create a life that is entwined with the natural world. A homestead is not a log cabin or a hermitage out in the woods -- it is a way of being, a life lived with the intention of returning to our roots and tapping into the essential elements of fire, water, air, and earth. And a homesteading witch isn't just a person who lives atop a beautiful mountain, but anyone who understands that by harnessing and honoring these elements you can create whatever it is that you need. The Witchy Homestead is your guide to finding, creating, and living this essential magic -- it is a comforting companion as you build a wellspring of magical self-sufficiency, and a seasoned teacher as you cultivate enchanted resilience. Through this book, author Nikki Van De Car will offer magically-tinged suggestions for growing or finding your own food regardless of where you live, engaging in natural healing practices, connecting to the ancient magic of the world around you, and for protecting all that you have created.

It has long been observed, by farmers, gardeners and botanists alike, that from time to time certain plants seem to affect certain other plants growing their near them -- both favourably and unfavourably. By taking account of these relationships, farmers and gardeners can improve the quality of food and flowers, reduce losses from pests and disease, drought and frost, and enhance both satisfaction and pleasure in their work and financial profit. Years of experimentation by Richard Gregg and subsequently Helen Philbrick and others resulted in this unique reference book. It offers a detailed and comprehensive A-Z of plants and how they affect each other and their surrounding environment, including the soil, insects and birds.

Humphry Repton (1752-1818) remains one of England's most interesting and prolific garden and landscape designers. Renowned for his innovative design proposals and distinctive before-and-after images, captured in his famous "Red Books," Repton's astonishing career represents the link between the simple parklands of his predecessor Capability Brown and the more elaborate, structured, and formal landscapes of the Victorian age. This lavishly illustrated book, based on a wealth of new research, reinterprets Repton's life, working methods, and designs, and examines why they proved so popular in a rapidly changing world.

An easy-to-follow gardening guide to help you encourage different types of wildlife into your garden. If you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden, look no further than Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything. Kate Bradbury offers tips on feeding your neighbourhood wildlife and explains how you can create the perfect habitats for species you'd like to welcome into your garden. With handy charts tailored to the needs of every size and style of garden, this easy-to-use book also includes practical projects such as making bee hotels or creating wildlife ponds, compost corners and wildflower meadows, as well as fact files for the UK's most common garden species. Everyone can garden with wildlife in mind, and in this practical new guide, Kate has teamed up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife.

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.

With over 300 beautiful color photos and an informative text offers practical knowledge for the planning, building, and care of water features in gardens. From design to maintenance, all necessary steps are made clear, including planning, building processes, material uses and techniques, and using rainwater as they apply to fountains, biotopes, brooks, swimming pools and ponds, plants and animals. Step-by-step instructions, informative suggestions, maintenance tips, lists of plants, and plans are included. This book is essential for anyone intending to include a water feature in their landscape design.

A little plant science grows a long way Plant Science for Gardeners empowers growers to analyze common problems, find solutions, and make better decisions in the garden for optimal plant health and productivity. Most gardeners learn by accumulating rules - water once a week, never dry out snowdrop bulbs, prune lilacs after flowering, plant garlic in October-the list is endless. Rules take years to learn and yet leave you floundering when the unexpected strikes and plants look unhealthy, produce poorly, or die. There is a better way. By understanding the basic biology of how plants grow, you can become a thinking gardener with the confidence to problem solve for optimized plant health and productivity. Learn the science and ditch the rules! Coverage includes: The biology of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers Understanding how plants function as whole organisms The role of nutrients and inputs Vegetables, flowers, grasses, and trees and shrubs Propagation and genetics Sidebars that explode common gardening myths Tips for evaluating plant problems and finding solutions. Whether you're a home gardener, micro-farmer, market gardener, or homesteader, this entertaining and accessible guide shortens the learning curve and gives you the knowledge to succeed no matter where you live.

Enjoy discovering the hows and whys behind growing a beautiful garden through 293 color images. From learning the profiles of each individual plant and their basic needs to maintaining a garden community, this book offers a fun and whimsical approach to developing your green thumb. You'll learn how to choose the right plants for growing your best garden. Think of it as staging a theatrical production, with tips for lighting, temperature, drainage, and developing a sustainable landscape. The text is entertaining, with easy-to-remember facts and suggestions for putting on the best garden show ever. This book is great for both the beginner and seasoned gardener, landscape artists, horticulturalists, and everyone who just loves looking at beautiful flowers and plants.

Combining environmental consciousness with organic techniques and a dusting of folk wisdom, this book reveals the growing secrets of sphagnum peat moss and intake air filters to increase yield.

An invaluable reference for beginners and experienced enthusiasts alike! Beginners will love this book for its pictorial and concise approach to growing, grouping and caring for succulents and cacti to make them thrive. Experienced succulents enthusiasts will appreciate the sheer variety of plants described here--a detailed field guide to over 700 varieties, both common and exotic. Author Shoichi Tanabe walks you through all the steps from selecting your plants to potting, watering and displaying them. In this complete guide you will find everything from: Advice on selecting the right plants for your environment and lifestyle How to create attractive groupings of succulents and spaces which thrive together Tips on ensuring the right light, air flow, humidity and watering regimen Essential tools and soils as well as how and when to transplant your succulents And so much more! The plants are grouped by seasons (spring-fall or summer-winter types), when and how much to water them, their ease of cultivation, and more. Tips for cultivating each genus are included, along with plenty of advice on how to keep them healthy and vigorous. An index to all the plants makes this an indispensable guide when adding to your collection of succulents, cacti and air plants!

Bonsai, the art of growing a tree in miniature, has fascinated and captured the imaginations of people worldwide for hundreds of years. This book will show you how to establish a collection, from first tree acquisitions to quickly creating your own bonsai from ordinary garden material. Step-by-step demonstrations, real examples and helpful advice then ensure you can develop and refine your trees in line with your aspirations. Key coverage includes: both indoor and outdoor bonsai; the best equipment and materials to use; the established bonsai styles and the different approaches required for various tree species; detailed advice on how to keep your tree strong and healthy; guidance on watering, positioning, feeding, pests and problems and an analysis of roots and the process of repotting. There are separate detailed chapters on trunks, branches and twigs with guidance on design considerations; practical styling techniques; bonsai aesthetics, including sources of inspiration, tree styling and pot choice, and finally, detailed case studies, spanning many years, documenting the development of a range of trees.