Completely revised and redesigned for the first time since 1981, this practical volume covers every aspect of growing healthy flowers, trees, herbs and other vegetation. 2,500+ color full-page photos and illustrations.
Providing guidance on a wide range of garden types from small backyard plots to country acreage, an in-depth reference offers information on such topics as plants, pest-control, fertilizer, and environmental awareness.
A full color illustrated guide to growing and using herbs to enhance your health and your cooking. This beautifully illustrated, complete guide to herbs unlocks the secrets of these wonder plants—from planting and harvesting to cooking and storing—including their health benefits. Now you can discover the joy and pleasure of growing your own herbs—for spicing up meals, creating crafts, treating ailments, and more. In this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated herbal guide you’ll find information on their history, cultivation, propagation, and harvesting, along with a wealth of great ideas for using herbs everyday in a variety of ways. This guide unravels the mysteries of these versatile plants, with savvy tips and simple formulas for maximizing their powers. Did you know? · Mint can repel ants, flies, mice, and moths · Garlic can seriously lower cholesterol · Chives, fennel, tarragon, thyme, oregano, and winter savory are perennials · Rosemary was used in the Middle Ages for its tranquilizing effects, and it is still a digestion aid
This beautifully illustrated, complete guide to herbs unlocks the secrets of these wonder plants—from planting and harvesting to cooking and storing—including their health benefits. Now you can discover the joy and pleasure of growing your own herbs—for spicing up meals, creating crafts, treating ailments, and more. In this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated herbal guide you’ll find information on their history, cultivation, propagation, and harvesting, along with a wealth of great ideas for using herbs everyday in a variety of ways. This guide unravels the mysteries of these versatile plants, with savvy tips and simple formulas for maximizing their powers. Did you know? · Mint can repel ants, flies, mice, and moths · Garlic can seriously lower cholesterol · Chives, fennel, tarragon, thyme, oregano, and winter savory are perennials · Rosemary was used in the Middle Ages for its tranquilizing effects, and it is still a digestion aid Known for alleviating common ailments, herbs are an ancient natural wonder—herbs are hotter than ever. Extremely informative and fascinating, this book will help you find which herb can treat various complaints. Throughout the guide are instructions for bursting-with-flavor recipes, health-care products, decorative craft ideas, insect repellents, cosmetics, cleaning agents, and much more.
The Editors of Reader’s Digest present the definitive A-Z guide to vegetables and how to grow and use them. This complete illustrated guide to vegetables unlocks the secrets of nature’s bounty with comprehensive information on the planting, harvesting, and storing of vegetables, together with a wealth of great ideas for using them in cooking, healthcare, crafts, vegetable dyes, home products, beauty treatments, and more.
Whether you want to plant a tree, choose a climber, grow fragrant flowers, or learn how to apply the various types of fertilizer, this comprehensive A-to-Z book will help you get the job done. And because topics are cross-referenced, you will find it easy to use. Inside are samplers of varieties of the best-loved plants - flowers, vegetables, trees, and shrubs - and a list of tulips that will take turns blooming all spring long. And for lovers of lilies, there is a guide for three months of blossoms. A month-by-month calendar provides a handy checklist for taking care of trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, lawns, and container plants. Also included are tips on how to attract butterflies and ladybugs to your garden, easy ways to compost, and a list of good patio plants. 1001 Hints & Tips for Your Garden offers secrets for siting plants and strategies for coping with weeds, wind, drought, and frost. Here, too, are plants which are best for creating privacy and baffling noise. An illustrated 20-page section on common pests and diseases shows how to diagnose and deal with problems in the garden. And tips on hedges, fences, trellises, and fountains help the gardener achieve a finished look in the garden. Twelve special features cover such topics as heirloom vegetables and roses, wildflower meadows and period gardens.
The information you need, when you need it - season by season, throughout the year. Say goodbye to dreary winter gardens and straggly late summer blooms. Create a garden that looks stunning in every season with this gloriously illustrated book, which is packed with advice on everything from flowers, shrubs and trees to fruit, vegetables, herbs, lawns and water gardens. This season-by-season gardening book contains a wealth of practical advice and inspirational ideas to guarantee success in the garden. Find out when to plant new hedges, how to keep your container plants alive while you're away on a summer holiday, how to protect delicate blossoms from frost, and much, much more. There's also lots of problem-solving advice, from keeping slugs at bay to dealing with moss. The book is organised by season and in each section you'll find a plant selector, describing the plants which are at their best during the season, arranged by colour and type, and a practical diary detailing the jobs that need doing at each time of year to keep your garden in tip top condition.In addition a section on gardening basics helps you to select the best plants for different soils and sites, as well as giving helpful information on tools and equipment, watering, feeding and compost. Interspersed throughout the book are 30 features on particular plants and garden tasks relevant to each season, for example, planting a border, creating a vegetable plot or watering a patio. Whether you want a scented haven, a prolific vegetable garden, a productive greenhouse or a vibrant colourful display, the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Gardening - Season by Season gives you the professional advice you need to plan the shape, colour and fragrance of your garden successfully all the year round.
The birds of North America are an endless source of delight to anyone who enjoys nature, and this volume collects over 570 of these remarkable species--every major North American species--in all their beauty. Hundreds of full-color paintings by world-renowned nature artists are coupled with lively, informative commentary.
Absolutely fascinating! Informative, enlightening, and entertaining! This is one of the most comprehensive books on Planting Design. It fills in the blanks in this field and introduces poetry, painting, and symbolism into Planting Design. It covers in detail the two major systems in Planting Design: Formal Planting Design and Naturalistic Planting Design. It has numerous line drawings and photos to illustrate the Planting Design concepts and principles. Through in-depth discussions of historical precedents and practical case studies, it uncovers the fundamental design principles and concepts as well as underpinning philosophy for Planting Design. It is an indispensable reference book for Landscape Architecture students, designers, architects, urban planners, and ordinary garden lovers. What Others Are Saying About Planting Design Illustrated... "I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. You will need to concentrate while reading it but the effort will be well worth your time." -Bobbie Schwartz, Former President of APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers) and Author of The Design Puzzle: Putting the Pieces Together "This is a book that you have to read, and it is more than well worth your time. Gang Chen takes you well beyond what you'll learn in other books about basic principles like color, texture, and mass." -Jane Berger, Editor & Publisher of gardendesignonline "As a longtime consumer of gardening books, I am impressed with Gang Chen's inclusion of new information on planting design theory for Chinese and Japanese gardens. Many gardening books discuss the beauty of Japanese gardens, and a few discuss the unique charms of Chinese gardens, but this one explains how Japanese and Chinese history, geography, and artistic traditions bear on the development of each country's style. The material on traditional Western garden planting is thorough and inspiring, too. Planting Design Illustrated definitely rewards repeated reading and study; any garden designer will read it with profit." -Jan Whitner, Editor of the Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin "Enhanced with an annotated bibliography and informative appendices, Planting Design Illustrated offers an especially "reader friendly" and practical guide that makes it a very strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening & Landscaping reference collections and supplemental reading lists." -Midwest Book Review "Where to start? Planting Design Illustrated is, above all, fascinating and refreshing! Not something the lay reader encounters every day, the book presents an unlikely topic in an easily digestible, easy to follow way. It is superbly organized, with a comprehensive table of contents, bibliography, and appendices. The writing, though expertly informative, maintains its accessibility throughout and is a joy to read. The detailed and beautiful illustrations expanding on the concepts presented were my favorite portion. One of the finest books I've encountered in this contest in the past five years." -Writer's Digest 16th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards Judge's commentary "The work in my view has incredible application to planting design generally and a system approach to what is a very difficult subject to teach, at least in my experience. Also featured is very beautiful philosophy of garden design principles bordering poetry. It's my strong conviction that this work needs to see the light of day by being published for the use of professionals, students & garden enthusiasts." -Donald C Brinkerhoff, FASLA, Chairman and CEO of Lifescapes International, Inc.
“Gardeners just starting out will earn a sense of accomplishment and a good dose of knowledge.” —Booklist Every new gardener has to start somewhere—and the process can be intimidating. Knowing when and what to plant, how to care for the plants once they’re in the ground, and how to keep pests and diseases away is a lot to take on. Luckily, Daryl Beyers—an expert from the New York Botanical Garden—has written what will be a go-to resource for decades to come. The New Gardener’s Handbook is a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of gardening, based on the introductory gardening class that Beyers teaches at NYBG. Readers will learn about soil, plant selection, propagation, planting and mulching, watering and feeding, pruning, and weeds, pests, and diseases. The information applies to both ornamental and edible plants. Featuring inspiring photography and helpful illustrations, The New Gardener’s Handbook gives home gardeners a foundation upon which they can grow, and encourages them to apply the lessons they’ve learned in an intuitive, natural way.