Garden Flora

Let the experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens guide you around the beautiful and mysterious world that is the plant kingdom. From regulating the air we breathe to providing food, clothes, fuels, and medicines - plants are fundamental to our lives. Discover an extraordinary diversity of species, which includes a grass that grows a meter a day, roots that breathe air, and "queen of the night" cactuses whose rare blooms vanish before dawn. In a combination of art and science, Flora celebrates plants from majestic trees to microscopic algae, explaining how they germinate, grow, and reproduce. It presents species that have evolved to accommodate pollinating insects such as the foxglove, and plants that have adapted to flourish in even the most hostile of habitats. Pierre-Joseph Redoute in the 18th-century was described as the "Raphael of flowers". Flora showcases his botanical paintings as well as those of Georg Ehret and others in this gorgeous visual celebration of plants through the ages. Whether you are a keen gardener, naturalist, or botany student, this beautiful book is a treat that will entice, inform, and amaze.

Garden Flora surveys 133 of the most popular garden plants organized alphabetically by common name. In this fascinating and revealing book, Noel Kingsbury delves into the family histories of our most beloved flora—and discovers unexpected treasure.

The European Garden Flora is the definitive manual for the accurate identification of cultivated ornamental plants. It is designed to meet the highest scientific standards but the vocabulary is kept as uncomplicated as possible so that it is fully accessible to the informed gardener and landscape architect as well as to the professional botanists. Although based upon Europe the series will be an extremely useful reference on plants in cultivation throughout the world. Families, genera and species are described, keys are provided and guidance is given on the cultivation of each genus. Volume I is the first in a series of six; it contains accounts of the ferns and their allies, the conifers and 16 families of monocotyledons, including the Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae and Iridaceae, to which most of the popular bulbous garden plants belong.

“A beautifully illustrated reference book covers the origins, ecology and history of popular garden plants.” —Shelf Awareness The oldest rose fossil was found in Colorado and dates to 35 million years ago. Marigolds, infamous for their ability to self-seed, are named for an Etruscan god who sprang from a ploughed field. And daffodils—an icon of spring—were introduced to Britain by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. Every garden plant has an origination story, and Garden Flora, by noted garden designer Noel Kingsbury, shares them in a beautifully compelling way. This lushly illustrated survey of 133 of the most commonly grown plants explains where each plant came from and the journey it took into home gardens. Kingsbury tells intriguing tales of the most important plant hunters, breeders, and gardeners throughout history, and explores the unexpected ways plants have been used. Richly illustrated with an eclectic mix of new and historical photos, botanical art, and vintage seed packets and catalogs, Garden Flora is a must-have reference for every gardener and plant lover.

The European Garden Flora is the definitive manual for the accurate identification of cultivated ornamental flowering plants. Designed to meet the highest scientific standards, the vocabulary has nevertheless been kept as uncomplicated as possible so that the work is fully accessible to the informed gardener as well as to the professional botanist. This new edition has been thoroughly reorganised and revised, bringing it into line with modern taxonomic knowledge. Although European in name, the Flora covers plants cultivated in most areas of the United States and Canada as well as in non-tropical parts of Asia and Australasia. Volume 3 contains accounts of 47 families, including those formerly included in the Leguminosae (Mimosaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Fabaceae) as well as the large and important Rosaceae. Also included are those families formerly covered by the name Saxifragaceae (Saxifragaceae in the strict sense, Penthoraceae, Grossulariaceae, Parnassiaceae, Hydrangeaceae and Escalloniaceae).

From the best flowers to plant to encourage the industrious honeybee, to the right soils for your plants, from the easiest-to-grow varieties of courgette, to planning out your garden, RHS expert Guy Barter has curated a selection of graphics to instruct and inspire the green-fingered enthusiast. Packed with colourful graphics illustrating the how to’s, facts and trivia of gardening, this gorgeous book is the perfect gift for those who want to keep their garden green and healthy or looking to start their first garden. Packed with expert advice and over 100 original and unique illustrations, this beautiful visual reference book illuminates some of the trickier aspects of gardening as well as providing an introduction to the basics. â??Divided into the main themes of Planning, Planting, Choosing, Vegetables & Herbs, Fruit & Vines, and Practicalities; no matter where you are in your gardening abilities, Flora will ensure that you have all the know-how to start your garden and how to keep it green and healthy.

This book provides a means for the accurate identification of over 190 families and 2220 genera of flowering plants cultivated out-of-doors in gardens in north-west Europe and in other geographical regions with a similar climate, including parts of North America. The text is an abridged version of The European Garden Flora, published in six volumes, and consitutes a handy single volume digest that considers families and genera, but not species. A key to all the families is provided and for each of the families, a key to the genera within it. Scientifically rigorous descriptions of families and genera follow, including information on the number of constituent genera or species, and details of geographical distribution. Illustrations of genera from most of the major families are included to aid accurate identification.