Dream Gardens explores twelve dream gardens in challenging spaces, from tiny plots in the inner city, suburban blocks, sandy seaside properties to expansive country acreages. Michael McCoy, well-known garden designer and host of popular Australian TV series Dream Gardens (in which the book's twelve gardens also feature) shows us the challenges and the solutions for creating beautiful functional gardens. By drawing on great garden design each garden finds the perfect solution. In each challenging case, a beautiful garden is created to meet their owners needs. Dream Gardens explores the central ideas of garden design, and illustrates, with stunning photography, how we can use design to make simple changes to our gardens to enjoy beautiful and functional living spaces. The book also features interviews with well-known garden designers, including Fiona Brockhoff and Paul Bangay, discussing their featured gardens.

Selected as one of the best gardening reads of 2019 by The Daily Mail Short of outdoor space but want to grow fruit and vegetables? Congratulations. Really, lucky you. Not for you the back-breaking trudge of tending large spaces of land, the weeding, digging and pest vigilance. Gluts? They will mean nothing to you. Instead you can look forward to small but perfectly formed bursts of flavour. Handfuls of fresh leaves, berries and tomatoes, just when you want them, and at arm's reach. As more of us live in cities with restricted outside spaces, growing food becomes all the more important, not just for the delicious results, but as a mindful way to connect us to the seasons and to nature. Full of tried-and-tested, fool-proof crop ideas exclusively tailored for containers, raised beds and small gardens, Crops in Tight Spots guarantees vegetable growing success for even the most newbie of gardeners and limited of spaces.

This book presents a chronological review of garden design which both simplifies the big picture and supplies a rationale, with examples, of the merits and demerits of each design period while reflecting on the social conditions which generated each one. It gathers together design ideas and their implementation over the last 500 years, presented in historical order and simplified to allow easy digestion by the reader, particularly if meeting the subject for the first time. As such the book demystifies history and identifies the relative importance of new approaches in design, particularly where they are seen to be progressive. Essential examples from each design period or style are included, based upon their contribution to the progress of design and relating to their value, particularly in the teaching of garden and landscape design principles. Thus the reader will be able to quickly grasp the essence of historical design styles, discover where they can go to see them for themselves and to appreciate how relevant they are to present day theories of design.By concentrating on Britain's own heritage the book offers a sound understanding of influences and thereby helps to inform design practice. Since the principles of design are universal, it will be of relevance in many countries throughout the world. The book is illustrated with photographs, diagrams and plans, creating a readily-accessible and informative volume.

Discover how to grow it yourself! Growing your own vegetables is a rewarding venture that's both affordable and delicious, but a novice gardener might not know where to begin. This is your no-fuss guide to vegetable gardening. Do you want to learn how to start and sustain your own vegetable garden throughout the year? This vegetable gardening book for beginners will help you choose and care for more than 40 different varieties, all specially selected for successful growing. From vegetable garden must-haves to less-common crops like edamame beans, this is a one-stop guide to growing vegetables that are easy to grow! Discover detailed information on how to sow, plant, feed, water, protect and harvest your vegetables. 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 40 different vegetable 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 ideas for your patch! Expert tips and step-by-step instructions on every page help make sure that you care for your vegetables in the right way in order for them to grow. Grow Easy Veg covers everything you need to know about growing herbs and vegetables, while expert tips help you troubleshoot as you go. It's the perfect book for first-time gardeners! Complete the Series: Make your green-fingered dreams a reality with the Grow series from DK. Learn how to brighten up even the trickiest areas in Grow Containers, 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.

Discover the wonderful diversity of herbs in this comprehensive guide for the organic grower. The amazing range of colours, size, textures and perfumes make growing herbs an infinitely rewarding experience. Perfect for the organic gardener, herbs attract beneficial insects and wildlife and are often tough and resilient to pests and disease. Practical advice on planning an herb garden, propagating, planting, harvesting, drying and storing is included along with a handy calendar of jobs. The A-Z directory of herbs will inspire planting ideas and give background information of known culinary, medicinal and cosmetic uses for each herb.

This is best-selling author Ed Smith's complete guide to growing a bounty of vegetables in small spaces and without land. This is a completely updated and expanded edition of "Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers", now including conventional containers of all sizes, from window boxes to tubs. "The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible" provides information on growing everyone's favourite vegetables in all kinds of containers. And Ed Smith delivers his wealth of container gardening knowledge in the friendly, accessible style that his readers love. He explains how to choose the rights plants, select appropriate containers and tools, provide balanced nutrition, care for plants throughout the growing season, control pests without chemicals, and much more. He even includes plans for small-space container gardens that urban and suburban gardeners will love.

'A remarkable book from one of our greatest plant experts' DAILY TELEGRAPH With a new introduction by Monty Don In revealing what worked in her own garden, Beth Chatto passes on a wealth of advice gleaned from her personal experience. She provides detailed - and accessible - ideas on garden management, plans for every type of soil and situation, nearly twenty specially tailored lists to help with planting in various conditions, and descriptions of over a thousand suitable plants for making the most of damp ground.

In Teaming with Microbes, Jeff Lowenfels revealed the fascinating facts around the soil food web, all the tiny organisms that live in soil and aid a plants growth. In Teaming with Nutrients, he explored how those organisms aid in the uptake of nutrients. And in Teaming with Fungi, he detailed the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi - the most important organism living in the soil. In his new book Teaming with Bacteria, Lowenfels digs into the new science behind how endophytic bacteria supply nutrients to a large array of plants and explains, in accessible language, how this information applies to home gardeners, small-scale farmers, and cannabis growers. Based on cutting-edge science that will help gardeners increase plant health and productivity, Teaming with Bacteria is a must-have addition to every organic gardener's library.

Delicious Italian-inspired recipes from a New Zealand home garden Nostrana means homegrown, ours; growing food with the intent of sharing it. Inspired by the abundant lemon trees and trellised tomato vines of her Italian grandparents' vegetable garden, Bri DiMattina started her own edible pantry in her back garden and discovered the joys of bringing food from seed to table. Organised seasonally, and with growing guides for each ingredient, Nostrana shares simple, gorgeous and delicious recipes with fresh vegetables and fruits you can easily grow and harvest yourself. Just a taste of the mouth-watering, Stromboli-inspired recipes in Nostrana includes: fried artichokes with caper mayonnaise strawberry and amaretto slushies green bean panzanella bottled spaghetti zucchini arancini rhubarb and custard tortes BBQ parmigiana and limoncello.

Do less, produce more, and grow soil that feeds crops using chemical-free, organic no-till methods Andrew Mefferd, veteran farmer, author of The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution, and editor of Growing for Market magazine, brings you the ultimate guide to getting started with no-till farming. Yet there are many ways to do no-till, including mulching with compost, cardboard, straw, silage tarps, and more. Plus plenty of conflicting advice on how to get started. Practical No-Till Farming is here to help, sorting the wheat from the chaff and the horse manure from the plastic mulch. Coverage includes: How to assess your farm for no-till options considering climate, soil, and crop selection Assessment of common no-till methods, including pros and cons, materials, and the relative costs A decision-making matrix for choosing the most appropriate methods for your context How-to for each no-till method, including what to do and when Dealing with bindweed, symphylans, and other difficult weeds and pests Maximizing productivity of no-till beds Special coverage of both organic vegetable and flower no-till market farming Ideal for small-scale growers everywhere, Andrew Mefferd, veteran farmer, author of The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution, and editor of Growing for Market magazine, brings you the ultimate guide to getting started with no-till farming.

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.

Zero-cost, low effort and a long term solution to your fresh produce needs! Huw Richards set himself a challenge - to be self-sufficient by growing his own fruit and veg for free for a year. He succeeded, and now wants to help you do the same. Grow your own food in your home garden, allotment or container and look forward to a bountiful harvest year-round. You can plant fruit and veg at home without spending a penny and Huw Richard's shows you how. Packed with tried-and-tested advice, this gardening book covers: - Finding a space to grow - in the garden or on a terrace or balcony - and sourcing the materials you need - Deciding what to grow your crops in (the ground, a raised bed, or containers) - Clear growing instructions on more than 30 species of popular annual and perennial crops - Huw Richards' 52-week journal of how he grew his own food for free for a year without spending a penny - Advice on how to go about selling your produce to raise money to expand your growing area Author Huw Richards is a man on a mission. He is passionate about teaching you how to garden and grow your own food. Years of experience and trying different things has taught Huw how to garden with little money (or without a garden) and he shows you how to do the same! Grow Food for Free teaches you how to produce no-cost, low-maintenance fruit and veg - and finding low-cost ways to overcome common gardening worries. Learn about the space you need and how to prepare it, make your own compost, tackle weeds, pests, and diseases, and how to get hold of your first set of seeds! Discover strategies to expand your garden. Can't afford a raised bed? Try repurposing an old wooden pallet. Don't have money to buy lots of different seeds? Look in your kitchen cupboards for food that you can plant. This home gardening book shows you everything you need to barter, borrow, repurpose, and propagate your way to a bountiful harvest without burdening your bank balance!

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.

Learn how to grow wild and exotic, medicinally important, sustainable, and deeply delicious mushrooms right at your own home, just as people throughout the world have been doing for centuries. Mushrooms are healthy, packed with vitamins and antioxidants; rich with flavor, an excellent source of the fifth flavor know as umami; and can be used medicinally in teas and tinctures. By growing your own, you can enjoy these benefits while also enriching your soil, speeding up your composting, and even suppressing weeds-though the biggest draw may be the magic of watching this unique form of life grow. Understanding how mushrooms grow is crucial to successfully cultivating them, and Mushroom Cultivation offers photo-illustrated instruction both on how mushrooms grow and how you can cultivate them yourself, with a focus on six types of mushroom-shiitake, oyster, wine cap, hericium, blewit, and agaricus. You'll learn how to: Grow mushrooms, step by step, in a variety of different mediums: logs, straw, wood chips and sawdust, and compost Troubleshoot problems, including identification, underwatering, overwatering, and insects Store, dry, and freeze your mushroom harvest Cook with mushrooms, including variety-specific cooking tips and 8 tasty recipes Find supplies and more information with the resources listed at the back of the book After reading Mushroom Cultivation, you'll discover that growing a mushroom is really no more difficult than growing a tomato. You just need a slightly different set of skills. Picking your own fresh mushrooms at the peak of their flavor and nutrition is within your reach with this comprehensive, step-by-step guide.

Welcoming birds to your yard isn't about choosing the right feeders and bird food. If you want to attract the widest range of birds to your home, you need to plant a diversity of native plants. Why go green? Native plants live longer; they are drought resistant, take less water and fertilizer, they cost less, are less work and easier to maintain. And a big plus-they are good for the environment. In 2007, Douglas Tallamy published the groundbreaking book, Bringing Nature Home, on going native to protect wildlife. Since then Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the National Wildlife Federation, and National Audubon have all endorsed and encouraged gardening with native plants. Planting Native to Attract Birds to Your Yard is the first book to cover planting native to specifically attract birds. The book recommends plants for all types of backyards, no matter how large or small-from large plots to container gardens. Sorenson gives state-specific recommendations for 31 Eastern U.S. states-including and east of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana to the East Coast, and from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast-for native plants that support birds during the four seasons. The book covers the full gamut of native plants-nearly 200 species of trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and perennials-and gives details on why specific plants are bird friendly and how to choose plants that work successfully in attractive home landscapes. It also includes dramatic color photos of nearly 70 bird species. Birders, gardeners, and landscapers-all who love birds and beautiful gardens-will find this book a must.

Plan Your Landscape or Garden to Help Beloved Backyard Visitors The presence of birds, bees, and butterflies suggests a healthy, earth-friendly place. These most welcome guests also bring joy to those who appreciate watching them. Now, you can turn your yard into a perfect habitat that attracts them and, more importantly, helps them thrive. Acclaimed author and expert entomologist Jaret C. Daniels provides all the information you need in this must-have guide for northern Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Learn how to landscape and create pollinator gardens with native plants. The book begins with an in-depth introduction to native pollinators and to birds. It's followed by a "field guide" section to more than 100 native plants that are widely available to utilize, are easy to care for, and provide great benefit to birds, bees, and butterflies. The species are organized by level of sunlight needed and then by plant types. Each species includes full-color photographs and information about hardiness zones, what they are most likely to attract, soil requirements, light levels, and Jaret's notes. As an added bonus, you'll make use of blooming charts, tips on attracting specific species, and more! Plus, the invaluable garden plans and projects show you just what to do and can be customized to suit your own specific interests. Plan, plant, and grow your beautiful garden, with native plants that benefit your favorite creatures to watch and enjoy.

There are many examples of British wildflowers that we routinely use in our gardens and still more that could be used if we knew just a little more about them. Divided according to their natural habitats, the book features almost 200 different wild plants and photographs of each. Each habitat is introduced with practical information and tips, along with inspirational planting plans that show you how to combine plants creatively for maximum effect. All the essential facts, such as height, habitat, care and propagation are provided, to enable you to site plants successfully.

Planting, by famed landscape architects Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury, is a groundbreaking moment in horticulture. It is the first book to share Oudolf s original planting plans and plant groupings and the only book to explicitly show how his gardens and landscapes are made. An intimate knowledge of plants is essential to the success of this approach and Planting makes Oudolf s considerable understanding of plant ecology and performance accessible, explaining how plants behave in different situations, what goes on underground, and which species make good neighbors. Extensive plant charts and planting plans will help you choose plants for their structure, color, and texture as well as the way they perform in the landscape. A detailed directory, with details each plant s life expectancy, the persistence of its seedheads, its tendency to spread, and propensity to self-seed, is an invaluable resource.Planting is an essential resource for designers and gardeners looking to create plant-rich, beautiful gardens that support biodiversity and nourish the human spirit."