Designing And Creating A Winter Garden

To create a garden that gives pleasure throughout the year is the goal of every garden-maker. The greatest designers maintain that it is the garden in winter that sets the scene for the remainder of the year. Designing and Creating a Winter Garden takes the reader through the process of designing a new garden from scratch or re-working an existing garden, with winter as the key, formative season. The first part of the book deals with design considerations and ideas, including: assessing the site and its opportunities and constraints; designing the basic framework for winter; making use of low, winter light and using sparkling colour; pots, containers and statuary in the garden, and finally the maintenance of the garden in winter. The second part comprises a detailed catalogue of suggested plants and their uses, grouped into: evergreens; winter-flowering trees, shrubs and perennials, including those that are strongly scented; shrubs with coloured and textured bark and finally, unusual, striking plants to use as focal points. This book sets out to inspire both garden designers and enthusiastic gardeners to create a garden that is as captivating in winter as it is during the remainder of the year.

From Minnesota to Moscow — how to grow fresh figs in cold climates 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.

An inspirational reference book which visits twenty of the most beautiful winter gardens in Britain and France before detailing over 300 plants and species you can use to transform your garden in this most underappreciated season.

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.

Newport, Rhode Island, blessed with stunning ocean vistas and constant sea breezes, is home to some of the most exceptional private residences in America. Its deeply rooted history makes it a perennial destination, with more than 3.5 million visitors each year. Although it is one of the most high profile towns in the country, Newport is also one of the most cloistered. Private Newport: At Home and in the Garden offers an invitation to venture beyond the privet hedges and massive iron gates. It is the first book to step inside the privately owned mansions to reveal a diverse collection of architectural jewels complemented by spectacular gardens. These homes, created by distinguished architects and landscape designers, are stunning examples of Newport's 375-year "old-world" heritage. Eighteen exquisite and unique homes are prominently featured-from the resilient crescent curve of majestic Seafair, which withstood the Hurricane of '38, to the prizewinning Japanese garden at Wildacre, to the nostalgic working farm of heritage breeds at Swiss Village-each contributing its own part to the "Eden of America."

Create a foliage-driven garden that dazzles! Although seductive, flowers, by their fleeting nature, are a fickle base to provide long-lasting gardens with year-round interest. Tackle this problem with the advice in Gardening with Foliage First. Learn how to first build a framework of foliage and then layer in flowers and other artistic elements as the finishing touches. This simple, recipe-style approach to garden design features 127 combinations for both sunny and shady gardens that work for a variety of climates and garden challenges.

This text is designed to be a practical and inspirational guide to creating a garden that looks and feels good throughout the year, even when the frost bites and plants are enveloped in a mantle of snow. Rosemary Verey illustrates how to use space, the patterns created by paths and walls, the shapes of shrubs, the shadows of evergreens and the silhouettes of trunks and twisted branches to make elegant pictures for the months when the garden is stripped of summer foliage and billowing flowers. She also introduces the reader to a world of brilliant winter colours - the delicate pinks and greens of hellebores, the rich crimson of holly and cotoneaster berries and the bright yellow of aconites and crocus.

With literally hundreds of choices, it can be overwhelming to decide which perennials to plant in your garden. Nancy J. Ondra takes the stressful guesswork out of perennial garden planning by offering 52 vibrant designs, each made up of only five plants. Ondra tailors each simple design to a specific set of growing conditions, with plenty of tips to help your planting mature. Enjoy gardens full of sun-drenched blooming flowers and shade-loving greenery for years to come.