Gardening

An altogether different kind of book on English gardens--the first of its kind--a look at the history of England's magnificent gardens as a history of Britain itself, from the seventeenth-century gardens of Charles II to those of Prince Charles today.

In this rich, revelatory history, Sir Roderick Floud, one of Britain's preeminent economic historians, writes that gardens have been created in Britain since Roman times but that their true growth began in the seventeenth century; by the eighteenth century, nurseries in London took up 100 acres, with ten million plants (!) that were worth more than all of the nurseries in France combined.

Floud's book takes us through more than three centuries of English history as he writes of the kings, queens, and princes whose garden obsessions changed the landscape of England itself, from Stuart, Georgian, and Victorian England to today's Windsors.

Here are William and Mary, who brought Dutch gardens and bulbs to Britain; William, who twice had his entire garden lowered in order to see the river from his apartments; and his successor, Queen Anne, who, like many others since, vowed to spend little on her gardens and instead spent millions. Floud also writes of Frederick, Prince of Wales, the founder of Kew Gardens, who spent more than $40,000 on a single twenty-five-foot tulip tree for Carlton House; Queen Victoria, who built the largest, most advanced and most efficient kitchen garden in Britain; and Prince Charles, who created and designed the gardens of Highgrove, inspired by his boyhood memories of his grandmother's gardens.

We see Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, who created a magnificent garden at Blenheim Palace, only to tear it apart and build a greater one; Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, the savior of Chatsworth's 100-acre garden in the midst of its 35,000 acres; and the gardens of lesser mortals, among them Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West, both notable garden designers and writers.

We see the designers of royal estates--among them, Henry Wise, William Kent, Humphrey Repton, and the greatest of all English gardeners, "Capability" Brown, who created the 150-acre lake of Blenheim Palace, earned millions annually, and designed more than 170 parks, many still in existence today. We learn how gardening became a major catalyst for innovation (central heating came from experiments to heat greenhouses with hot-water pipes); how the new iron industry of industrializing Britain supplied a myriad of tools (mowers, pumps, and the boilers that heated the greenhouses); and, finally, Floud explores how gardening became an enormous industry as well as an art form in Britain, and by the nineteenth century was unrivaled anywhere in the world.

A modern herbal guide for healing with plants.
Discover the healing powers of plants in this stunning, definitive herbal guide from one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world, Chelsea Physic Garden.

From the common stinging nettle, which is more nutritious than all the vegetables in your local supermarket to incredible adaptogenic properties of ashwagandha, the plant world is the most incredible medicine cabinet we have and herbal healing has a rich and fascinating history.

Be inspired by this beautiful guide to bring more plants into your life for health, wellbeing and happiness. The book includes a fascinating and broad introduction to herbal traditions, how to make plant-based preparations and tells the stories of more than 140 herbs and plants. Tips on growing these plants are also included, alongside recipes that anyone can try at home.

YOUR #1 RESOURCE FOR PLANT PARENTHOOD

Step into Melissa Lo's carefully curated and meticulously maintained world of houseplants. Here, you'll find detailed instructions for keeping your plants healthy, happy and thriving so you can transform your home into a lush, green oasis. With a long standing career as a designer and a passionate hobby as an online houseplant expert, Melissa combines her unique skill set to help you become a successful plant parent, while honing your sense for how to style them in your space.

Melissa details the optimal light, water, temperature, substrates and nutrients for the most popular houseplants, in addition to covering the common issues that affect them. With a plethora of information on plant care, you'll get a crash course on how to propagate your specimens, when and how to repot them, what to do about yellowing leaves, how to treat spider mites and fungus gnats and so much more.

* New plants for a sustainable garden
* New ideas to inspire

This book takes a fresh look at garden-worthy plants for Australian conditions. It will help gardeners to reappraise their climate, select appropriate plants and modify gardening practices to create beautiful gardens featuring native and exotic plants with proven drought tolerance, reliability and minimal weed potential.

The New Ornamental Garden shows how heat, cold, water availability, rainfall patterns, length of growing season, evaporation rate and humidity influence plant growth in Australia, from the wet sub-tropics to the temperate climate of southern Australia. It also discusses the influence of microclimates within a garden: dry sun, dry shade, moist sun, moist shade, seaside conditions, exposed sites, urban situations and root competition from eucalyptus and allelopaths.

The main focus of the book is the plant index, which contains notes on hundreds of plant varieties and how they function in the garden. All gardeners will benefit from reading this book.

This handy little gift book is the perfect pocket guide to your garden!

For the green thumb in your life, this delightful companion is blooming with fun facts and helpful ideas for everything from indoor seed-starting to tips for hassle-free roses. What's the difference between heirlooms and hybrids? How can I stop weeds from invading my flowerbeds? And what's the best way to attract helpful, beneficial insects? All these questions and more are answered for gardeners of all ages and experience.

Topics include:
- Tips for Hassle-Free Roses
- How to Grow Perfect Tomatoes
- How to Start Seeds Indoors
- How to Extend the Growing Season
And more!