General Gardening

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Greenshop online : Suggested Reading : Gardening : General Gardening

RHS Plants for Every Season
Royal Horticultural Society
2002 - paperback
If you would like your garden to look attractive every month of the year then this book can help you. The Royal Horticultural Society has given their expertise and advice in putting this book together. It is full of advise, inspiration and information for gardeners of all levels.
The book has been divided into six seasons, early spring, late spring, early summer, late summer, autumn and winter. Every plant has a clear and beautiful photograph, together with a paragraph describing when and where to position your plant, how to look after it and how large it will become.
Many of the plants mentioned in the book hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit, which means they are excellent for garden use, are not particularly susceptible to pests and diseases and do not require any specialist care other than suitable growing conditions.
576pp

Price: £9.99

RHS Plants for Places
Royal Horticultural Society
2001 paperback
This book is a must whether you are an amateur or experienced gardener. It has been compiled with the expertise and authority of The Royal Horticultural Society. There are over 1000 plants which have been tried and tested, and range from plants which need damp shady spots to ones for exposed situations.
There is also a listing of plants for attracting wildlife, what to grow in walls and paving, water garden and container gardening in sun or shade.
Each plant has been beautifully photographed and comes with a descriptive paragraph on how to look after it, how tall and wide it will become. Many of the plants in the book hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
576pp

Price: £9.99

What's Wrong With My Plant
Steven Bradley
2003 paperback
This is one book that every gardener should have. The book has some very clear and close up photographs so identifying your problem shouldn't be difficult. The book is divided into many sections including plant pests, diseases and disorders, how to identify problems with leaves , flowers and fruits, stems, roots, the whole plant, seed and seedlings. There is also a checklist for ornamental plants, household plants and vegetables.
Once you think you may have identified your problem, there is a list of systems describing what you should be looking for, what plants are mainly attacked by this particular problem and also how to prevent and control the situation.
143 pp

Price: £9.99

The New Gardener
The New Gardener
Pippa Greenwood. Published by Dorling Kindersley
1998

This is an excellent book for anybody who wishes to take up gardening for the first time, or is an already accomplished gardener. It is brimming full of really clear and concise photographs and diagrams.
Each chapter is filled with inspirational ideas, and every project is shown in a step-by-step sequence with a list of everything you will need and advice as to the best time to tackle the job. There are several chapters to this book including garden basics, beds and borders, patios, terraces, steps and water features and once you've covered all those, there is also the edible garden and greenhouses. Happy gardening!
176pp

Price: £7.99

The Cottage Garden
Christopher Lloyd and Richard Bird
1999
Have you ever dreamt of having a cottage style garden? Well now you can with the help of this book.
The beginning of the book explains how the traditional "cottage gardener" used to manage their plots. Also why William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll had a huge influence on how and what was grown in the Victorian garden . The first part of the book is dedicated to the popular, traditional and typical plant you would find in a cottage garden, from flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables, which is sub-titled into seasons showing you how and when to grow certain plants. At the end of each section is a beautifully photographed double page headed "cottage favourites" which describes the scent of these flowers and what wildlife is attracted to them. Other chapters include gates, fences, ponds and garden furnishings all of which can give the finishing touch to any garden. There is a very good chapter on planning the cottage garden, this is full of very clear and concise designs. The book concludes with a lovely section on using your produce whether it be making drinks, preserves herb pillows and lots more.
192 pp

Price: £7.99

RHS Good Plant Guide - revised edition
Royal Horticultural Society
2000
The A-Z of over 1000 plants. A really useful book if you are not sure about how, why and where to grow plants. Full of good details on each plants growing height and spread, their cultivation and position to be grown in, together with clear details about their growing habits.
Good clear colour photographs throughout and small enough to carry to the garden centre! An all round useful book for both novice or experienced gardener. All the plants mentioned are recommended by The Royal Horticultural Society.
672 pp

Price: £9.99

The Allotment Handbook
Sophie Andrews
2001
This is a must for anyone who is interested in allotments. They have been around for a very long time and are available to almost all, whether living in towns, cities or the countryside. In a way they should be part of our plan for a more sustainable future. (Which is the most efficient provider of cheap food for the local community? a) an allotment site or b) a new supermarket?).
This book explains very clearly the legislation (allotment law is a minefield of twists and turns - this chapter is a real eye opener). Organisation and management (its useful for allotment holders to have some say in the management of their sites). Reinvention (allotment sites are not just for 'one person working their plot' but involvement by communities, having wildlife areas and environmental education. These can all happen along side each other). Protection and Campaigns (know the status of your allotment site and what to do if there is a threat of it being sold off or change of planning policies).
Lots of useful contacts and organisations are listed if you should ever need assistance.
107pp

Price: £5.95

Gardening Season by Season
A complete practical guide to gardening throughout the year, with step-by-step projects for the flower and vegetable garden, plus for the greenhouse and conservatory. A really useful book for the beginner or practical tips for any gardener. Over 700 colour photographs.
160pp.

Price: £7.95

Creating a Low-Allergen Garden
Lucy Huntington
1998, reprinted in 2002 - now a paperback
In this inspirational, yet practical guide, you will learn how to create a beautiful, safe, low-allergen garden. For anyone suffering from hay fever, asthma, skin rashes or other allergies, this book is a must. This books shows it is possible to reduce exposure to allergens in the garden by careful selection of plants and application of a few basic rules and practices. Details of the affects that allergens - including pollen, fungal spores, scented plants, sap and bee stings have on the body are all clearly explained.
Includes an exclusive A-Z directory of plants to avoid and plants to substitute, as well as full colour border plans and colour photographs. For any allergy sufferer who thought gardening was out of the question, this book will show that it is possible. All in all, this book will allow you to have comfortable, relaxed allergen free gardening at any time of the year.
128pp

Price: £10.99

Creative Sustainable Gardening
Diana Anthony
C.A.T - Australia
2000
For all gardeners wishing to improve their garden plot. In the 21st century there seems to be more for the gardener to think of - global warming, chemical residues in food, toxic herbicides and GMO - but fear not, this book is very positive! This book explains how to protect the environment and human health, and retain local and global biodiversity. Although Australian - this book is totally suitable for over here.
194 pp

Price: £12.99

The New Vegetable and Herb Expert
Dr D G Hessayon
Updated 1999
Almost 5 million copies of this book sold to date! But for a clear easy to follow book on this subject, this is still one of the best. Good clear instructions, illustration and photographs.
144 pp

Price: £5.99

How to Store Your Garden Produce
Piers Warren.
2003
A very entertaining yet practical guide on how to store and preserve your produce from the garden.
Part one explains the various ways of saving your fruit and vegetables - from freezing, hanging, clamping to dry storing, bottling and fermenting. Part two lists loads of fruit and vegetables and the variety of ways each one can be "stored".
The hilarious cartoons by Chris Warren are worth the £4.95. This is yet another title that should be purchased in two's - one to keep and one for that "perfect present".
105pp

Price: £4.50

A Heritage of Flowers
1999
Tovah Martin
Suggestions of ways to re-introduce old varieties of flowers to create a garden that maintains diversity and how it is important for their survival.
192pp.

Price: £14.99

Gardening Under Plastic
Bernard Salt
How to use Fleece, Films, Cloches and Polytunnels for all year round cultivation. Clear and easy colour illustrations, photographs and text.
125pp

Price: £14.99

Back Garden Seed Saving
Sue Stickland
2001
As the subtitle of this book states, keeping our vegetable heritage alive is the basis of its content. In this book you will learn about the vegetable varieties no longer found in seed catalogues, and also be introduced to the gardeners who grow such varieties. The author, a well known authority upon gardening who works at the H.D.R.A (Henry Doubleday Research Association) which is home of The Heritage Seed Library, has produced a clear and concise book . Most importantly it shows how to save seed for yourself, just as our ancestors saved seeds to survive and sowed seeds as part of their annual cycle of producing food.
This is an excellent book, and even if you are unable to implement its advice, you can sit back and enjoy the tales of hidden treasures and much loved heirlooms revealed in its pages.
200pp

Price: £12.95

The Pocket Garden Troubles Expert
Dr D.G.Hessayon
2001
Useful information on the pests, diseases, weeds and disorders that can make your garden a troublesome place. But this pocket size book can guide you to a healthier garden. Really good value for money book.
127pp

Price: £3.99

Heritage Vegetables
Sue Stickland
1998
This beautifully illustrated book describes hundreds of old varieties in detail, seed exchange and gardening advice.
191pp

Price: £14.99

Plants For A Future
Ken Fern
1997
Describing edible and other useful plants, both native to Britain and Europe and from temperate areas around the world. This book includes plants suitable for ornamental gardens, shady areas, ponds and hedges.
300pp

Price: £16.95

Greenshop online : Suggested Reading : Gardening : General Gardening

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