The Gardener S Bedside Reader

In the writings collected in this book, the stories of gardening unfold in the full palette of color and character, of wild imagination and bone-wearying hard work, of fabulous growth and humbling failure. Filled with wit and warmth and a companionable engagement with the land in all its moods and seasons, this wonderful book will see any start-up gardener or seasoned veteran through the most riotous summer of growth or the coldest winter months of waiting and dreaming about what to plant next. Contributors include contemporary essayists Michael Pollan, author of Second Nature and Botany of Desire, Anna Pavord, author of The Tulip, Jamaica Kincaid, author of My Garden (Book), and Diane Ackerman, author of Cultivating Delight. In addition, renowned gardeners and designers—from Vita Sackville-West and Beverley Nichols to Ann Lovejoy and Tovah Martin—eloquently share their experiences “in the dirt” with humor and passion. Botanical drawings, beautifully illustrated vintage seed catalogs, postcards, and photography by world-renowned gardening photographers Jerry Harpur, Jane Booth, and Richard Brown accompany the text.

'Charming miscellany of rhymes and reflections celebrating the garden' CHOICE *** The perfect bedside book for the green-fingered - hilarious and touching poems on a gardening theme written and introduced by the nation's favourite gardener and presenter of ITV's Grow Your Own At Home and Love Your Garden, Channel 5's Secrets of the National Trust and with his own show on Classic FM. From touching poems on the peony, the snowdrop and the sweet pea to hilarious verse on Emily the Gardener and the Garden Design Course, this is Alan Titchmarsh's heartfelt and entertaining celebration of his favourite space - the garden.

A mix of fact and fiction, fantasy and experience, the Bedside Companion for Gardeners is a treasure trove of green-fingered inspiration where practical advice blends seamlessly with poetry and prose from intrepid gardeners past and present. Dip in and out of this collection with an entry for every night of the year that draws on writing through the ages and from across the globe. The Bedside Companion for Gardeners incorporates practical advice from the 17th-century gardening diarist John Evelyn; inspiring prose from Elizabeth von Arnim and John Milton; astute commentary from Horace Walpole on William Kent and Nancy Mitford on the vulgarity of a Surrey garden. Kipling offers practical advice, while Tennyson waxes lyrical on an Arabian night garden. The perfect gift for any gardener, this magical book is an invaluable source of inspiration and guidance to revisit throughout the year.

The perfect bedside read from the world's best-loved, best-selling writer of the Expert gardening books. There are times when we simply wish to read about our hobby and not be badgered by advice. If you enjoy reading about plants whether or not you can grow them, or enjoy discovering gardens you may never visit and could never hope to match, or are keen to learn how people gardened in the past and what they have contributed to our gardens today, then this is the book for you. It includes sections on the great gardeners in history; extraordinary and surprising plants; remarkable gardens around the world; key gardening moments in history; the wildlife in our gardens; things for the plant lover to do indoors, and other 'this and that' trivia, statistics and fascinating things you never knew, all illustrated with charming line drawings. The Bedside Book of the Garden is a gardening book to be read at leisure, which will never tell you that you have to go outside, and which will not only make you a better gardener but will open your eyes to the magic of gardening.

How did the delphinium get its name? Which parts of the body lend their names to auriculas and orchids? Who are the gentian, lobelia and heuchera named after? Why are nasturtiums and antirrhinums connected? What does an everlasting pea have to do with Indian miniature paintings? These are some of the questions answered in Peter Parker's adventurous exploration of the mysteries of Botanical Latin. Evolved over many centuries and often thought to belong to the rarefied world of scholars and scientists, this invented language is in fact a very useful tool for everyday gardening. It allows us to find our way around nurseries; it sorts out confusions when two plants have the same English name; and it gives us all kinds of information about how big or small a plant will grow, what shape or colour it will develop, and what habitat it prefers. In his lively survey, Parker agues that Botanical Latin is not merely useful, but fun. The naming of plants draws upon geography, social and medical history, folklore, mythology, language, literature, the human body, the animal kingdom and all manner of ancient beliefs and superstitions. The book, beautifully illustrated with old woodcuts, explains how and why plants have been named, includes handy lists of identifying adjectives, and takes the reader down some of the stranger byways of human endeavour and eccentricity.

Thousands of Wisconsin gardeners have come to depend on this comprehensive guide of vegetables, flowers, fruits and plants that thrive in Wisconsin's challenging climate. Featured is information on composting and mulching, insects and pests, and tools and resources. The book also contains information on landscaping and houseplants.