This work shows how to create enchanting outdoor spaces for all ages, combining the needs of children and pets with the adult desire to cultivate a beautiful garden. It is a quick reference on all aspects of planting and maintaining a garden, including advice on habitats and soil-types, co-ordinating colour and foliage, and identifying and dealing with pests. Practical tips and instructions are presented in topic-based spreads. The book offers a practical and realistic approach to organic alternatives as well as conventional gardening methods.

Planting design is the selection and use of plants to achieve a designer's objectives. There are now many new and interesting planting ideas and fashions, but municipal planting in particular and some gardens as well, can be pretty dire through lack of careful planting design. What is needed for all garden designers - who may well have come to design via a deep interest in plants - is an understanding of the basics of this vitally important design discipline: designs are three-dimensional, to be walked in and round, and viewed from all sides; designs will change over time; plants live and die and need to be tended for maximum effect; there is a huge choice of plants, a working knowledge of which takes experience. There are many pitfalls to be met in planting, therefore, which can be largely avoided by getting the basics of planting design right. This book will help the designer to build a solid foundation for their future success and experience

Whether your water feature is a simple half barrel containing a single water lily or a formal fountain, this book provides guidance on selecting the right plants, pond maintenance and useful tips on how to plant and care for water plants. Including an extensive plant directory, giving full information on varieties and cultivars. A quick, authoritative reference on all aspects of planting and maintaining a garden, including advice on habitats and soil types, co-ordinating colour and foliage, identifying and dealing with pests.