“A Way to Garden prods us toward that ineffable place where we feel we belong; it’s a guide to living both in and out of the garden.” —The New York Times Book Review For Margaret Roach, gardening is more than a hobby, it’s a calling. Her unique approach, which she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” is a blend of vital information you need to memorize and intuitive steps you must simply feel and surrender to. In A Way to Garden, Roach imparts decades of garden wisdom on seasonal gardening, ornamental plants, vegetable gardening, design, gardening for wildlife, organic practices, and much more. She also challenges gardeners to think beyond their garden borders and to consider the ways gardening can enrich the world. Brimming with beautiful photographs of Roach’s own garden, A Way to Garden is practical, inspiring, and a must-have for every passionate gardener.
Discover how to grow fresh figs organically in cold climates—from Minnesota to Moscow—with the help of this informative guide. Growing Figs in Cold Climates is a complete, full-color, illustrated guide to organic methods for growing delicious figs in cold climates, well outside the traditional hot, arid home of this ancient fruiting tree. Coverage includes: Five methods for growing figs in cold climates including overwintering Cultivar selection for cool and cold climates Pruning techniques for a variety of methods of growing figs in cold climates Pest problems and solutions Harvesting, including ways to speed ripening, identify ripe fruit, and manage an overabundance Small-scale commercial fig production in cold climates Fresh figs are juicy, full-bodied, and filled with a honey-sweet flavor, and because truly ripe figs are highly perishable, they are only available to those who grow their own. By choosing the right cultivars and techniques, figs can be grown across cool and cold growing zones of North America, Europe, and beyond, putting them within reach of almost every gardener. Easy and delicious—if you can grow a houseplant, you can grow a fig. Praise for Growing Figs in Cold Climates “Lee Reich is a master at growing food, especially fruits, and his extensive personal knowledge about figs comes through clearly in his writings. . . . Follow his advice for growing figs and you are guaranteed success.” —Robert Pavlis, author, Garden Myths, Building Natural Ponds, and Soil Science for Gardeners, owner, Aspen Grove Gardens “We have grown this delicious fruit on Maine’s chilly coast, but Lee shows us how to do it even better.” —Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman, farmers, Four Season Farm, authors
Comprehensive in scope and lavishly illustrated, this book offers expert advice on: size and growth rates; Canada/USA hardiness ratings; site and soil preferences; planting, maintenance and propagation; pruning, pests and diseases; dwarf conifers and ground covers; conifers in containers, moving conifers, and more. Stunning color photographs show conifers young and old in a variety of environments illustrating how they create structure and balance for year-round visual interest and color.
In The Creative Shrub Garden, author Andy McIndoe calls on his years of horticultural design experience to shine light on all of the innovative ways to stylishly work shrubs into your landscape. This is a new approach to planning your garden—by mood and style. Whether it’s an urban contemporary look, a cottage garden feel, or an uplifting an environment, The Creative Shrub Garden has a wealth of eye-catching combinations that bring new life to this classic plant.
Praised by Doug Tallamy as "an important new tool to our native plant libraries," this go-to guide is perfect for gardeners of all skill levels looking to add sustainable native flora to any horticultural project east of the Mississippi River Valley. The digital edition of Essential Native Trees and Shrubs has been updated and revised and now has zoom capability and is completely searchable. Gleaned from the authors' 75 years of landscaping experience, this user-friendly reference offers suggestions on species selection based on a plant's performance, aesthetic appeal, and wide range of adaptability. Expert authors Tony Dove and Ginger Woolridge's valuable resource is organized for fast and confident tree and shrub selections for specific landscape applications, and is full of vivid four-color photographs, graphs, and practical tips. A sound and giftable volume for gardeners and landscapers from New England through the Carolinas, from the east coast to the Mississippi River, including Georgia and into northern Florida. "This is an authoritative catalog, organized by a range of categories: those that have attractive bark or are evergreen, those that have showy flowers or are wind, salt or drought tolerant." —New York Times Summer Reading List for The Great Outdoors "An important new tool to our native plant libraries. . . Beautifully illustrated, even the well-informed gardener will find this a valuable reference." —Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, co-author of The Living Landscape, and Chair and Professor of the department of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware "Few books give such well-researched detail...This book should be a required reference for nurserymen and landscape designers." —Mark Weathington, Director, JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University "FINALLY! In a thoughtful, organized and simple format, this book illustrates how to build better landscapes, gardens, and environmentally sensitive ecologies. This is a long overdue book and it has my absolute endorsement." —Eric D. Groft, Principal/Vice President, Oehme van Sweden, Landscape Architecture “Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States makes a great addition to the library of every serious gardener, landscape designer/architect, land manager and other plant-related professional.” —Margaret Shillingford, Education Programs Specialist, Mt. Cuba Center
The ultimate primer on dealing with four-legged intruders returns, updated and redesigned, with an expanded list of the plants deer hate, the latest information on deer repellents both commercial and homemade, polyethylene netting, and much more. Original.
Mike Sullivan loves his adopted city of San Francisco, and he loves trees. In The Trees of San Francisco he has combined his passions, offering a striking and handy compendium of botanical information, historical tidbits, cultivation hints, and more. Sullivan's introduction details the history of trees in the city, a fairly recent phenomenon. The text then piques the reader's interest with discussions of 71 city trees. Each tree is illustrated with a photograph--with its common and scientific names prominently displayed--and its specific location within San Francisco, along with other sites; frequently a close-up shot of the tree is included. Sprinkled throughout are 13 sidelights relating to trees; among the topics are the city's wild parrots and the trees they love; an overview of the objectives of the Friends of the Urban Forest; and discussions about the link between Australia's trees and those in the city, such as the eucalyptus. The second part of the book gets the reader up and about, walking the city to see its trees. Full-page color maps accompany the seven detailed tours, outlining the routes; interesting factoids are interspersed throughout the directions. A two-page color map of San Francisco then highlights 25 selected neighborhoods ideal for viewing trees, leading into a checklist of the neighborhoods and their trees.
This new and updated edition of Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota combines the practicality of a field guide with all the basic information homeowners need to create an effective landscape design. The plant profiles section includes comprehensive descriptions of approximately 150 flowers, trees, shrubs, vines, evergreens, grasses, and ferns that grew in Minnesota before European settlement, as well as complete information on planting, maintenance, and landscape uses for each plant. The book also includes complete information on how to garden successfully in Minnesotas harsh climate and how to install and maintain an attractive, low-maintenance home landscape suitable for any lifestyle.
In this companion volume to the bestselling The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants, Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz offer another indispensible guide to replacing nonnative plants with native alternatives. This time, their subject is the native woody species that are the backbone of our gardens and landscapes. Among other ecological benefits, native shrubs and trees provide birds and butterflies with vital food and reproductive sites that nonnative species cannot offer. And they tend to be hardier and easier to maintain. The authors provide a comprehensive selection of native woody alternatives that, season by season, provide effects similar to those of nonnative shrubs and trees used for ornamental purposes and shade. These plants are suitable for all garden styles, provide blooms and fall color, and have the same cultivation requirements as their nonnative counterparts. Nature notes alert readers to the native species’ unique ecological roles. Unlike other gardening guides, Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees goes beyond mere suggestion to provide gardeners with the tools they need to make informed, thoughtful choices. Knowing which native species to plant for desired effects empowers landscapers and gardeners to take on a greater role in protecting our midwestern environment.
Foliage comes in a mind-boggling variety of color, shape and growth habit. But which ones complement each other and work best for the many garden situations people have? Fine Foliage gives the home gardener 60+ examples of plant combinations that work for every purpose, whether in sun or shade, path or meadow, porch or poolside. Each plant combination is introduced with an on-site photograph and "Why This Works" text, accompanied by individual close-up photos and quick-tip info about care, site, soil, zone and season - a complete "recipe" that even a beginner gardener can follow. Fine Foliage brings elegant, expert design and style to the garden and patio. Full color photographs throughout. Includes an index. Fine Foliage was named one of Amazon's "Best of the Year" garden books for 2013. The Garden Writers Association has recognized Fine Foliage with a 2014 Silver Award of Achievement The Garden Writers Association has also recognized Fine Foliage with a 2014 Gold Award of Achievement
