The Humane Gardener

The Humane Gardener

Author: Nancy Lawson

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2017-04-18

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1616896175

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In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.


The Regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments

The Regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments

Author: Nigel Palmer

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2020-08-07

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1603589880

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Revitalize your garden—and go beyond compost—by making your own biologically diverse inoculants and mineral-rich amendments using leaf mold, weeds, eggshells, bones, and other materials available for little or no cost! In The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments, experimental gardener and author Nigel Palmer provides practical, detailed instructions that are accessible to every grower who wants to achieve a truly sustainable garden ecosystem—all while enjoying better results at a fraction of the cost of commercial fertilizer products. These recipes go beyond fertilizer replacement, resulting in greater soil biological activity and mineral availability. They also increase pest and disease resistance, yields, and nutrient density. Recipes include: Extracting nutrients from plant residues using simple rainwater techniques Extracting minerals from bones and shells using vinegar Fermenting plant juices and fish Culturing indigenous microorganisms (IMO) Inspired by the work of many innovative traditional agricultural pioneers, especially Cho Ju-Young (founder of the Korean Natural Farming method), The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments also includes a primer on plant-soil interaction, instructions for conducting a soil test, and guidance on compost, cover cropping, mulching, measuring the quality of fruits and vegetables using a refractometer, and other aspects of sustainable gardening—making it a must-have resource for any serious grower.


The Gardens of Arne Maynard

The Gardens of Arne Maynard

Author: Arne Maynard

Publisher: Merrell

Published: 2013-01-15

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781858947167

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The new compact hardcover edition of the first book devoted to the work of one of today's most celebrated garden designers. Arne Maynard is known for his award-winning gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show, and for his elegant and sympathetic gardens for private houses worldwide including in the USA. Central to his work is his ability to draw out the essence of a place - a talent that lends his gardens a particular sense of harmony and belonging. A passionate gardener himself, Maynard is in the process of transforming the garden around his house, Allt-y-bela, in rural Wales. This garden is featured in the book, offering insights into the work in progress and Maynard's design methods. Also included is Maynard's very first garden of his own, at Guanock House in Lincolnshire, where he spent 10 years creating from a flat field a formal layout, with a kitchen garden, knot garden, and herbaceous borders. A total of 12 gardens have been specially photographed, and each is described through the seasons in personal text by Maynard, including details of the brief and the plant selection. The Gardens of Arne Maynard is completed by illustrated features on various topics close to the designer's heart, such as growing and using roses, planting borders, creating productive kitchen gardens, incorporating sculpture in the garden, and training trees and shrubs.


How Plants Work

How Plants Work

Author: Stephen Blackmore

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 1782406972

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How Plants Work is a fascinating enquiry into, and celebration of, the rich complexity of plant life.


The Pruner's Bible

The Pruner's Bible

Author: Steve Bradley

Publisher: Reader's Digest Association

Published: 2009-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780276444142

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A plant-by-plant guide to pruning that features 100 of the most popular trees and shrubs. It tells you things you need to know about pruning: why you need to prune, when to do it and what tools are required. It presents step-by-step illustrations and instructions that demonstrate the correct pruning technique for each plant.


The One-Straw Revolution

The One-Straw Revolution

Author: Masanobu Fukuoka

Publisher: New York Review of Books

Published: 2010-09-08

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1590173929

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Call it “Zen and the Art of Farming” or a “Little Green Book,” Masanobu Fukuoka’s manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book “is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical. It is an inspiring, necessary book about agriculture because it is not just about agriculture.” Trained as a scientist, Fukuoka rejected both modern agribusiness and centuries of agricultural practice, deciding instead that the best forms of cultivation mirror nature’s own laws. Over the next three decades he perfected his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort. Whether you’re a guerrilla gardener or a kitchen gardener, dedicated to slow food or simply looking to live a healthier life, you will find something here—you may even be moved to start a revolution of your own.