The definitive manual for the accurate identification of cultivated ornamental flowering plants, thoroughly updated to include the latest taxonomic knowledge.
For most homeowners, shrubs are an essential part of the yard or garden because they provide shade, flowers, and foliage from spring through fall. Unfortunately, the choices available at many garden centers tend to be predictable and often unsuited to the local climate and growing conditions. It doesn't have to be that way. The superior plants available today can transform ho-hum gardens into scenes of beauty and serenity. For decades, the Gossler family has tested, propagated, and sold the very best hardy shrubs from around the world. This book is a distillation of their expertise Ñ a guide to more than 350 of the most beautiful, versatile, and growable shrubs. Plant profiles describe the plant's main characteristics, give height and spread, and list the growing conditions needed to thrive.
Hundreds of small biographical notes on leading develops of the modern landscape garden and ornamental plants in general, covering botanists, horticulturists, nurserymen, plantsmen, taxonomists, plant breeders, geneticists, landscape designers/architects, authors, educators, "guru" collectors, and special but ordinary folk who invented new, showy garden plants. Historical documents and high-resolution color images are provided to illustrate many of their finest plant creations.
The Essential Garden Design Workbook guides the reader through every stage of planning a garden — how to survey a site, how to choose landscaping materials, and how to develop planting schemes. This fully revised and updated second edition features new U.S. case studies and new photographs. Valuable tips on green gardening are new to this edition, and include how to harvest rainwater, how to design a green roof, tips on sustainable planting, and a guide to composting. Tailor-made for hands-on gardeners, the workbook approach is accessible, practical, and can be used to create a garden from scratch and to redesign an existing garden. Gardeners will find easy ways to measure large spaces, estimate the height of a tree, and find the right proportions for a deck. They'll also find tips on space, light, and color. Includes hundreds of easy-to-follow line drawings and diagrams.
What makes your garden grow? Find out with author Mia Amato's The Garden Explored. This book offers a basketful of tips on understanding everything from basic soil chemistry to the inner life of plants. With Mia Amato as your guide, discover the unexpected science of plants, soil, sun and seasons.
Explains how to select, cultivate, and handle a variety of popular woody stem plants, with detailed profiles of one hundred genera used for cut stems, with information on key characteristics and applications, production guidelines, and tips on techniques including pruning, forcing, and coppicing.