PRACTICAL GUIDES FOR GARDENERS

After an introductory chapter on how to get started, 14 further chapters supply dozens of tips for every area of the garden, from the kitchen garden to ponds, lawns, patios and containers. Pippa Greenwood uses her years of experience to reveal the most life-changing tricks that can make a dramatic difference, save time, save money and save energy. Tips are ordered logically, by area and by season, from the most fundamental to the most sophisticated. Chapter introductions explain what decisions you need to make about your priorities before you start and how to analyse the potential of your garden in order to get the most from it.

ISBN: 9781845333676

Whether you're a complete beginner or a keen gardener, there are always times when it would help to have a reliable expert at your side. In this "Complete How to be a Gardener", Alan Titchmarsh draws on his extensive knowledge and experience to give you a comprehensive guide to becoming a successful gardener. Alan starts with the fundamentals, covering the absolute essentials that every gardener needs to know, including information on how plants work and what they need to survive, as well as advice on where to begin if you're a first-time gardener. Each chapter includes practical advice and step-by-step techniques and projects, as well as a host of Alan's favourite plants to help you in your selection. With its perfect balance of down-to-earth information and inspirational ideas, this complete paperback edition of "How to be a Gardener" gets to the very heart of gardening and provides a comprehensive reference manual for any garden owner. "How to be a Gardener 1" was the fastest selling gardening book ever and, between them, books 1 and 2 have sold over 1 million copies.

ISBN: 9780563522621

"The Allotment Keeper's Handbook" is a no-nonsense guide to managing your own organic vegetable patch. Packed with invaluable advice, from how to choose an allotment and test its soil to knowing your chickweed from your chicory, it offers an enjoyable and inspiring shortcut through the trials, errors and frustrations of starting a kitchen garden. Dispensing with the strict calendar-based advice usually found in gardening manuals, Jane Perrone steers a carefree course through the gardener's year. Featuring a full chapter devoted to harvesting, a history of allotments, an exhaustive section on crop rotation, 'spotlights' on unusual vegetables, fun monthly projects and a glossary to cut through garden jargon, this book is all you will need to get growing. COVER PRICE £14.99

ISBN: 9781843545484

This book reveals how simple and satisfying propagating your own plants can be. A general introduction explains when and why propagation is necessary, then 12 horticultural experts discuss different groups of plants individually. Throughout the book individual plants are the main focus, with all appropriate propagation methods discussed in detail, and clarified by sequences of straightforward step-by-step drawings. Tips and practical advice are accompanied by inspirational ideas for using your new-found knowledge. At the end of each chapter is an A-Z list of plants. Easy-to-read symbols give you essential information at a glance.

isbn: 9781840009156

Knowing what to prune, when and how is a vital skill for any gardener. Pruning is essential for many plants, not just to improve their appearance, but also for their health and vigour. This book is a detailed encyclopedia of the art, and science, of pruning. It describes, with A to Z thoroughness, how to prune the plants of Northern Europe and the United States - hedges, shrubs, trees and fruit. It also covers other aspects of pruning from the basic physiology of a plant's response to pruning to the tools involved, from topiary to the legal aspects of pruning. Every pruning technique is explained in full and clearly illustrated with step-by-step drawings and examples of correctly pruned plants are shown in full colour.

ISBN: 9781841881430

This encyclopedia of gardening techniques includes the very best gardening practices, old and new. The principles of planning, planting and maintaining a garden, propagating plants, establishing a kitchen garden, growing in containers and keeping lawns and other features looking their best are explained clearly and in detail. Backed up by simple, step-by-step projects and photographs, the projects show you how to master techniques required for success. Complete with a comprehensive plant directory describing plants for all situations, this book is an indispensable garden companion. COVER PRICE £25.00

isbn: 1853919780

Good pruning can improve flower quality, increase fruit yields, produce shapely and well-controlled plants and reduce disease problems. This guide is illustrated by a wealth of diagrams and photographs which accompany step-by-step instructions on how to pursue this rewarding activity with ease and efficiency. Includes advice on useful tools and equipment, an A-Z of ornamental plants, guidance on how to prune and train trees, shrubs, climbers, conifers and fruit, and a glossary of technical terms COVER PRICE £14.99

ISBN: 9780852028872

"The Garden Handbook" is a 'how to do it book!' In 192 fact-filled pages, Ian Cooke, an experienced horticulturalist, explains how to tackle a raw new garden or tame an old overgrown one, and how to approach many common garden tasks from the basics of digging through to the fascinating skills of propagation. The production of fruit and vegetables for home consumption is thoroughly covered as well as ornamental gardening and lawncraft. Just starting and want to know what to do this month? Check out the Gardening Calendar. Confused by herbs, herbaceous and herbicide? Look it up in the glossary. Want to know how to plant a tree, make compost, construct pool or propagate blackcurrants? It's all here in "The Garden Handbook". COVER PRICE £12.99

ISBN: 9781845376703

GQT Gardening Techniques brings together the wisdom - and wit - of four of the Gardeners' Question Time panellists, providing novice gardeners and experienced amateurs alike with advice on everything from planting to pruning, from building a pond to lining a hanging basket. With copious experience of listening to gardeners' questions, the panellists anticipate every necessity of the gardening calendar and every stage in the process of reaching your garden's full potential. Encouraging you to clear sites for ponds and raised beds, propagate from seed, grow hothouse exotica, rejuvenate plants with pruning, protect against infestation and much, much more, this store of professional tips and techniques will make you an expert in no time. Throughout the book, the voices of the authors can be clearly heard, making this not only a valuable reference, but a personal, often opinionated conversation with some of Britain's favourite gardeners. COVER PRICE £25.00

ISBN: 9781856267984

Full of practical tips and step-by-step instructions, Collins Practical Gardener, Garden Techniques is the absolute beginner's guide to gardening. Part of the tremendously successful Practical Gardener series, Garden Techniques will teach you the very basics of what gardening is all about and the skills and techniques needed to succeed. From flower to food gardening, this back-to-basics reference will teach you the importance different types of soil and how they work and explain how plants grow. It then shows how to plant and grow everything from trees and shrubs, climbers, roses, perennials, annuals/biennials, to vegetables, fruits and herbs. Also included are lawns, greenhouses, container and water gardening. Full of handy tips on planting, pruning and propagation techniques, Garden Techniques also covers feed, water, composting and weeding. Featuring a year-round guide to gardening techniques and an indispensable pests and diseases directory, which will help you identify what is wrong and how to control it. Contents: / Importance of soil - understanding how soils work, plant nutrition / How plants grow, what keeps them alive / Planting techniques / Pruning techniques / Propagation techniques / Growing trees and shrubs / Growing climbers / Growing roses / Growing perennials / Growing annuals/biennials / Growing vegetables / Growing fruit / Growing herbs / Container gardening / Greenhouses / Lawns / Water gardens / Weed control / Pest and disease control / Year-round guide to basic gardening techniques

isbn: 0007183968

In this book, Helen Dillon encapsulates, in her inimitable witty and accessible style, her lifetime of gardening know-how, deep love of plants and assured sense of design. Here is illumination for every gardener - from the beginner wondering why nothing will grow in the garden of the new house to the sophisticate aiming at exquisitely subtle effects. Thoughtful ideas on garden style are underpinned by practical advice on looking after plants and careful instructions on the basics of digging, planting and propagating. Helen Dillon teaches us all how to garden, and garden well. Helen Dillon is revered world-wide as one of the most skilled and perceptive gardeners of our time. She comes from Perthshire in Scotland and has been living in Ireland with her husband, Val, for the past thirty-four years. Much sought after as an author, broadcaster and garden consultant, she lectures frequently in the United States and New Zealand as well as all over Britain. She has also travelled extensively in order to study plants in Nepal, China, South America, South Africa and New Zealand.
In 1999, she was awarded the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal of the Royal Horticultural Society in England and in 2003 the George Robert White Medal of Honour of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. In autumn 2004, she was made a Distinguished Counsellor to the Board of the New York Botanical Garden. Her garden in Dublin has been open to the public for the last twenty years. Previous books include "Garden Artistry" and "On Gardening."

ISBN: 9780711227101

Not so many years ago, everyone who had a garden propagated their own plants. Nowadays, we are more inclined to nip down to the garden centre to buy anything from tiny cells of bedding plants to 3-metre climbers, but, in fact, most of the plants we grow in our gardens can be propagated with ease. Some of the techniques are almost foolproof, even for complete beginners; others are a bit more tricky, but all are readily achievable for the amateur gardener prepared to have a go, accept the occasional failure and revel in the triumphs. In addition to the techniques themselves, John gives detailed guidance on plant hygiene, temperature and humidity, timing and how to look after your newborn plants until they are ready to go out into the garden and fend for themselves. "How to Propagate" is a long overdue bible on propagation that will be indispensable to beginners and committed enthusiasts alike.

isbn: 1856266125

Whether you're a complete novice or looking to improve your existing gardening skills, this is the complete guide on how to garden, from the experts at the RHS. Just about to start your first ever gardening project, or looking to improve an existing plot? Whatever your level of expertise, you'll find everything you need to know in this easy-to-follow guide. From bulbs to borders, weeds to watering, pick up gardening techniques, practical basics, and simple skills which will have your garden blooming, this title includes top tips to guide you every step of the way with clear, easy-to-follow advice and photographs. Find out the principles of good of gardening - how plants work and how to give them what they need. This is your one-stop guide to creating and enjoying a garden of your own.

ISBN: 9781405328524

A desirable gift book; the perfect present for gardeners of all ages, at a price that will be hard to resist. The Little Book of Gardening Tips contains a plethora of facts, hints and tips about lawns, flowers, soil, pots and everything green-fingered. Learn how to tell the difference between soil that will kill your azaleas and soil that will give life to your old-fashioned roses. Instantly check when is the right time to sow your lawn seed and when is the wrong time to prune your yew hedge. The Little Book of Gardening Tips helps you make short work of a long job and shows you how the professionals go about their business.

ISBN: 9781904573357

Most gardens have a lawn, but all too often it fails to live up to the gardener's expectations of a lush emerald sward due to the effects of neglect, wear and tear, drought, weeds and moss. This book will help you design your lawn, making it not only an attractive feature but an integral part of the planting. Restore a neglected lawn, so it becomes a part of teh garden that you want to admire all year round. Maintain your lawn, through a simple programme of cultivation, feeding, and moss and weed control. Enjoy your lawn, rather than seeing it as a chore that takes up time but still fails to reward. "Living lawns" will help you to achieve the lawn that suits your garden and your lifestyle. COVER PRICE £4.99

ISBN: 9780715327036

From trees and shrubs to culinary herbs, this unequalled practical guide from the RHS offers invaluable advice on the successful propagation of all garden plants. Detailed A-Z listings on over 1,500 plants, together with specially commissioned photographs and colour illustrations show you every technique you will need. With unique tips from expert propagators, as well as general methodology, this book is a must-have for amateur and professional gardeners alike. COVER PRICE £16.99

isbn: 9781405315258

Over 1000 plants are covered in this practical handbook, with specific instructions given for propagating over 500 popular garden varieties, including propagation by seed, cuttings and division as well as more advanced techniques which will enable readers to create plants to be proud of. cover price £14.99

isbn: 9780715318263

Buying individual plants can be expensive, so many people attempt to raise their own, both to save money and for the incredible satisfaction the whole process brings. "The Propagation Specialist" covers every aspect of the art of propagation, from the philosophy behind creating plants, to the easiest ones to grow and the best materials and equipment to have to hand. In-depth explanations of the various propagation methods - including seeds and cuttings, division and layering, and budding and grafting - are included, as well as an at-a-glance A-Z listing of ideal propagation plants for the home, garden and allotment. Pitched at both novice and experienced gardeners, this book will prove to be a valuable reference resource time and again. COVER PRICE £4.99

ISBN: 9781845374846

Easily propagate any plant in your garden, greenhouse, or conservatory. This comprehensive guide explains techniques for cultivating new plants from seed, cuttings, budding, and grafting. Each method is demonstrated for different types of plant using detailed step-by-step illustrations and annotated photographs, with invaluable advice on how to create the perfect growing conditions for your new plants. The book also includes information on essential tools and equipment, trouble-shooting, and specialist tips for commercial growers. In addition, an A-Z directory of over 1000 species provides tailor-made recipes for propagating a huge range of aquatics, ornamental plants, houseplants, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and wildflowers.

ISBN: 9780276442070

This book presents simple steps to gardening success, from the experts at the RHS. Follow RHS show-how and know-how for a garden that looks great all year round (whatever size it is); from roses and apple trees to hydrangeas and honeysuckle, inspirational tips and techniques on why it's good to prune, when to do it, how to do it well, what not to prune, training, shaping and more guarantee success. You can get perfect results: whether you're a green-fingered guru or a gardening novice. For more step-by-step gardening advice, pick up other titles from this series. COVER PRICE £6.99

ISBN: 9781405316859

John Cushnie has been pruning plants for more years than he cares to remember. He now draws on those decades of experience to guide readers through techniques that will improve the quality and yield of fruit, flowers and foliage, encourage growth and point it in the right direction, extend the life of a plant, restrict size and produce desired shapes, whether elegant or wacky. With sections on when to prune; special treatments for old plants, young plants, hedges and trees; restraining rampant plants in the greenhouse or conservatory; detailed advice for more complicated groups such as roses, climbers and fruit, this is the guide that keen gardeners and beginners alike have been waiting for.

ISBN: 9781856267380

Anyone who has ever inherited a garden knows the difficulties of coping with what is there already. When faced with such a prospect, the cry is always 'Where do I start?' This book sets out to make the prospect less daunting. Following Stephen Anderton's clear, no-nonsense advice, you start by assessing the existing garden and understanding your own needs. Then you learn you to do the job: identifying existing plants, saving important ones; clearing,pruning, installing new structures and replanting. The third section of the book is a substantial pruning directory covering lawns, trees, herbaceous plants, climbers and much more. COVER PRICE £12.99

isbn: 9781856264358

Seedheads bring impact to late summer borders and linger to provide interest well into autumn and winter. They look dramatic set against a backdrop of fading flowers, associate well with grasses and native plants, and are key components of the naturalistic garden in which every phase of a plant is enjoyed from first shoot to final decay. After providing historical context, Noel Kingsbury explains how plants reproduce and participate in the garden's wider ecology, and explores seedheads' role in diverse gardens worldwide. At the heart of the book is a plant directory in which Kingsbury's hand-picked selection describes the particular characteristics of each plant's seedheads and grades them according to their value and persistence. Jo Whitworth's compelling photographs capture the individual character of each seedhead and open our eyes to the intricate shapes, tempting textures and dense monochromes of seedheads.

isbn: 0881927961