Growing plants from seeds isn't difficult; it just takes a little know-how. Now, gardeners of any experience level can get a jump on the growing season with this concise, straightforward guide. Expert gardener Barbara Ellis provides the basic information that you need and teaches you foolproof starting techniques for a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

With growing consumer awareness about the dangers of garden chemicals, readers can turn to "The Organic Gardener's Handbook Of Natural Pest and Disease Control" as the most reliable and comprehensive guide on the garden shelf. Rodale has been the category leader in organic methods for decades, and this thoroughly updated edition features the latest science-based recommendations for battling garden problems. With all-new photos of common and recently introduced pests and plant diseases, readers can quickly identify whether they've discovered garden friend or foe and what action, if any, they should take. No other reference includes a wider range of methods for growing and maintaining an organic garden. The plant-by-plant guide features symptoms and solutions for 200 popular plants, including flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs, and fruits. The insect-and-disease encyclopaedia includes a photo identification guide and detailed descriptions of damage readers may see. The extensive coverage of the most up-to-date organic control techniques and products, presented in order of lowest impact to most intensive intervention, makes it easy to choose the best control.

What happens between the hopeful spring weekend spent planting seeds and the warm summer morning when the gardener wanders back into the rows of vegetable plants with picking basket in hand? Plenty! Every healthy vegetable garden represents an entire world of activity and every vegetable gardener, no matter how experienced, wants to know more about what's going on in those tidy rows and how to handle any growing quandary that may arise throughout the season The popularity of vegetable gardening is at an all-time high. Home grown vegetables taste great, nourish body and soul, and provide the additional security of knowing where the produce comes from and how it was grown. "The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book" feeds readers all the insider's tips and tricks, practical advice, and organic wisdom necessary for growing the very best crops.

What if, one step at a time, we could make our gardens and landscapes more eco-friendly? Barbara W. Ellis's colorful, comprehensive guide shows homeowners, gardeners, garden designers, and landscapers how to do just that for the large and beautiful Chesapeake Bay watershed region. This area includes Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and part of West Virginia (translating to portions of USDA Zones 6, 7, and 8). Here, mid-Atlantic gardeners, from beginners to advanced, will find the essential tools for taking steps to make their gardens part of the solution through long-term planning and planting. The guide is built from the ground up around six simple but powerful principles that anyone can use: Reduce lawn Build plant diversity Grow native plants Manage water runoff Welcome wildlife Garden wisely Included are detailed instructions for assessing and designing your particular garden or landscape site; choosing and caring for trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers, and flowers; and succeeding with such conditions as shade or poor soil. From rain gardens to woodland gardens, meadow gardens to wildlife gardens, and much more, this indispensable guide features more than 300 color photographs. Published in association with the Adkins Arboretum.

More than just broad expanses of a single plant, ground covers can bring a fresh look to dozens of landscaping challenges and opportunities. Flowering plants, herbs, mosses, ground hugging shrubs, and heathers, planted singly or in creative combinations, can cover all sorts of ground situations with unexpected drama and add an elegant, professional look to otherwise dull and ordinary areas. Additionally, hardscape lawn alternatives, such as bluestone, crushed gravel, brick, or shredded bark mulch introduce pathways and help create defined borders. Working with the theory that ground covers should be hardworking as well as beautiful, Part One, Rolling Out the Carpet, inspires readers with low-maintenance, creative ideas. Simplify lawn mowing by filling in awkward corners with easy-to-care-for colourful plants. Edge walkways to keep them neat and attractive. Use broad drifts to control erosion along streams. Ground covers can fit anywhere. Part Two, Landscaping with Ground Covers, matches plants to specific site requirements. Looking for herbs hardy enough to thrive between stepping stones? Shrubby plants that tolerate full sun? Native ferns for a woodland floor or moss gardens for acid shade? Ellis has all the answers and the experience to combine appropriate plants in stunning combinations. Part Three includes in-depth how-to for planting, growing, and propagating, with special emphasis on site preparation, plant selection, and weed control. From single-plant drifts to unexpected plant combinations and new uses for natural paving, ground covers are an exciting, low maintenance alternative to traditional lawns.