Gardening

Drawing on diaries and sketchbooks kept by visitors over three centuries, this book presents the histories of the 16 finest parks and gardens in Wales. An examination of travel conditions in the age of the stagecoach precedes a survey of changing horticultural fashions from the Renaissance to the end of the Romantic era. More than 200 period paintings, drawings and engravings are shown with photographs of the gardens today.

Covering an extraordinary diversity of gardens across the world – classical Chinese aesthetics in Suzhou, cactus terraces in Lanzarote, a Persian oasis in Iran and Gertrude Jekyll’s Arts and Crafts garden at Upton Grey Manor in Hampshire – this is a survey to inspire gardeners and designers. The book looks at 100 exceptional gardens, describing, illustrating and explaining in detail the key elements of each one from a design perspective.

This 1990 study of André Le Nôtre (1643–1700), the creator of the French 'formal' garden, sets his work within the contexts of French traditions of land management, advances in cartography and engineering, and the social and architectural development of the château. Translated by Graham Larkin. Foreword by John Dixon Hunt.

Vigorous, fragrant and easy to plant and prune, the montana is the most popular of the Clematis family. Suitable for both amateur and expert gardeners, this illustrated guide explains the history of each variety, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to choose the right plant for a particular plot, and offers advice on cultivation and display.

Many fundamentals of the gardening lexicon – from topiary and water features to the lawnmower and Dr Ward’s ground-breaking prototype terrarium – were once novelties, the result of aesthetic or technological innovation. This miscellany, illustrated with black-and-white line drawings by Dave Hopkins, celebrates fifty horticultural inventions and trends and considers how they have shaped the way in which we engage with our gardens today.

Every garden has the potential to attract butterflies. This illustrated guide shows how to encourage these vital pollinators by providing them with the right plants to feed on and places to breed and hibernate. Chapters cover the butterfly lifecycle, common garden butterflies, and preferred habitats. A directory lists food plant species, while a final chapter offers tips on photographing butterflies.

Some of the finest gardens in the UK, among them Polesden Lacey, Hidcote, Sissinghurst and Stourhead, are cared for by the National Trust and its teams of expert gardeners. In this well-illustrated volume, those experts guide the inexperienced gardener through the whole process of planning, preparing, planting and maintaining a garden, whether large or small, employing the same techniques and the same principles of greener, forward-looking gardening that are used in the historic gardens of National Trust properties.

In this illustrated guide to organic fruit growing and maintenance, the horticulturalist Yvonne Cuthbertson offers advice on choosing the best produce to suit the plot (whether a garden, allotment, terrace or window box), clearly describes how to plant, propagate, prune, harvest and store it and provides a comprehensive directory of popular varieties that are suitable to grow in the UK.

Inspired by the earlier book of the same title by the American author Bill Adler, the gardening expert Anne Wareham shares her own practical tips on how to outsmart garden pests large and small as well as offering advice on dealing with the horticultural challenges posed by weeds and the weather.

The British have always been a nation of gardeners, and their distinctive creations have been admired and emulated across the globe. This book traces the history of British gardening over 450 years through the stories of 26 key figures, from early plant hunters such as the Tradescants, though the celebrated 18th-century landscape gardeners Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphry Repton to 20th-century pioneers such as Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West. A 32-page section of colour plates showcases their achievements.

Wolfgang Oehme (1930–2011) spearheaded the ‘New American’ garden style that is defined by vast sweeps of herbaceous perennials and grasses. This volume, with photographs of his creations, documents his life in landscape architecture and includes a detailed glossary of the plants that featured in his projects in Germany and the United States.

With a foreword by village fair stalwart Alan Titchmarsh and advice from cookery teacher Thane Prince and gardening expert Matthew Biggs, this illustrated compendium offers a unique insight into the particularities of a great British tradition. It looks at the RHS guidelines on selecting and presenting produce and includes interviews with show veterans and tried-and-tested recipes for cakes, chutneys and jams.

The 18th-century English landscape garden, with its seemingly natural appearance, was a revolution in garden design and left a legacy that can still be seen in surviving gardens and parks today. Symes traces the origins and evolution of the landscape garden throughout the 18th century; discusses its place in contemporary politics, philosophy and culture; and surveys the variety of styles through the works of major designers, from William Kent and the ‘pictorial garden’ to Humphrey Repton and the Picturesque.

The British passion for gardens stretches back hundreds of years and has produced an array of horticultural masterpieces from landscaped parks to hidden gems. This practical guidebook, organized by county, describes gardens open to the public and provides maps, directions and contact details. Beautiful photographs show some of these wonderful gardens, including the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Stourhead, Hatfield House, Beth Chatto Gardens, Castle Howard and Drummond Castle Gardens.

This beginner's guide for mature gardeners offers advice on clothing, tools, soil preparation, containers and planting techniques. It explains the health benefits of growing and maintaining flowers, fruit and vegetables, and provides a user-friendly plant directory and glossary.

Aimed at the time-poor gardener who wants to achieve maximum yield with minimum effort, this book explains how to grow apples, pears, plums, cherries, soft fruit and nuts in even the smallest space. Illustrated with photographs of the author’s own garden, it offers practical, easy-to-follow advice on planning and design, what to grow, planting, pruning, mulches, compost, watering, weeding and dealing with pests and diseases.

Drawing on the expertise of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this practical guide selects the best plants for a variety of purposes in and around the home. The varieties are arranged in order of character – structural or edible, for example – and Katherine Price selects those compatible with domestic spaces, from window boxes to bedrooms and bathrooms, and outlines the care that each requires.

In this volume, garden photographer Andrea Jones offers four approaches to garden design: ‘Connect’ provides ideas for paths, lawns and bridges linking spaces together; ‘Divide’ examines how hedges, walls, screens and borders can create rooms within a garden; ‘Space’ explores ways to fill a garden, whatever the size; and ‘Style’ covers every type of garden from formal to oriental. Including directories of designers, festivals, garden centres and public gardens, this is a comprehensive sourcebook for anyone seeking modern garden ideas.

Taking inspiration from prairies, savannahs, marshes and woodland edges this book demonstrates the diversity of grasses and how their range of colour and size has made them an integral part of garden design. Hundreds of photographs showcase their use as architectural shapes, as screens, in containers or as companions to other plants, while advice on purchase and care gives practical guidance to creating a range of striking year-round effects.

With their long vistas, cascading terraces and mysterious grottoes, the gardens of Italian villas seem like paradise on earth; but who created them, and why? Using reproductions of contemporary paintings and prints as well as colour photographs, Helena Attlee traces the history of Italian gardens from the Middle Ages, through the classically inspired plans of the Renaissance, the quirky inventions of the Mannerists and the formal elegance of the 18th century to the eclectic creations of today.

The five-acre garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll at Upton Grey in Hampshire had fallen into neglect when Rosamund Wallinger and her husband bought the house in 1984. This volume records her meticulous recreation of this horticultural masterpiece, and the painstaking research that informed it. Illustrated with Jekyll’s original plans and photographs of the restored plantings throughout the year, the book showcases the skill that made her one of Britain’s most influential horticultural designers.

As Chris Packham writes in his foreword, gardening need not be a battle for dominance over nature. Val Bourne recounts her own conversion to natural gardening and explains how, by choosing the right plants and allowing natural predators to deal with pests, rather than applying chemicals, gardens can be created that are both beautiful and animal friendly. The final chapter suggests 100 plants for an eco-friendly garden that supports and complements its wildlife.

First published in 1770, Thomas Whately’s comprehensive study of the English landscape garden became the standard text on the subject both in Britain and abroad. This first modern edition is accompanied by an introduction and commentary, alongside contemporary illustrations of the gardens and places discussed. It makes available to the modern reader a crucial primary source on what is often regarded as this country’s greatest original contribution to the arts.

Taking the wide range of National Trust garden styles as its inspiration, this illustrated design sourcebook demonstrates how even a small outdoor space can benefit from the details that are found in much larger gardens. There are planting ideas for all seasons, covering colour co-ordination, flower, vegetable, herb and container gardens, and imaginative suggestions for using steps, seats, paths, paving and topiary, with plenty of valuable advice from the Trust’s head gardeners.

This journey through the history of the English garden features twelve of the most important, original and beautiful parks in the country. Garden design changed radically during the 18th century, when French symmetry was replaced by a new landscaped naturalism, and gardeners at Chiswick House, Castle Howard, Studley, Rousham, Stowe, Petworth and elsewhere redefined our ideas of beauty. The erudite narrative is accompanied by contemporary illustrations. No jacket.

Since the end of the Second World War, the cartoon gardener Mr Digwell has been dispensing horticultural advice to Daily Mirror readers, and he remains as popular as ever. This collection offers a comprehensive, month-by-month guide to a gardener’s tasks, from winter pruning through spring seed sowing and planting out to autumn lawn care. Clear, simple strip cartoons present up-to-date information on growing flowers, shrubs and vegetables in a reassuringly traditional manner.

In this extensively illustrated volume Nick Bailey, a presenter on BBC’s Gardeners’ World, describes the art and science of flower colour, demonstrating how to achieve a balanced display all year round. Organized by season, it suggests plants for a range of soil types and locations; explains the gardening techniques that can improve flowering and extend the season; and offers advice on plants that work well together.

Along with a compost carousel – showing what you can and can’t compost – a ‘worms and ladders’ game, compost bingo and a worm identification chart, this guide includes all the practical information you need to start composting at home, as well as three sheets of colourful stickers, a press-out Worm Lovers’ Society card and interesting facts (and jokes) about soil and worms. Age 7+

From an article published in 1900 on Gregor Mendel’s work on peas by William Bateson, the man who coined the term ‘genetics’, to Toby Musgrave on growing heritage fruit and vegetables in 2012, this anthology brings together the best and most important writing from The Garden, the journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. The selections are in chapters ranging from seasons and the weather to the RHS itself, and are interspersed with vibrant illustrations by Jenny Bowers.

The Daily Telegraph has long been popular reading among gardeners, and its pages have featured some of the nation's finest horticultural writers. Compiled by the newspaper's gardening columnist, this lively and varied anthology includes articles by Fred Whitsey, Rosemary Verey and Bunny Guinness, along with the more esoteric musings of Bill Deedes, Germaine Greer and Roy Strong. The subjects range from Vita Sackville-West's garden at Sissinghurst to how to grow prize-winning pumpkins. Book club edition.

There is an enormous variety of sun-loving plants, with endless potential for stunning planting schemes. Graham Clarke shows how to select sun-loving varieties and plant with confidence, whatever your experience and abilities.

Behind the high walls of the Vatican, beautifully kept gardens offer the Pope a tranquil refuge, fragrant with sweet herbs and cooled by shade trees and fountains. Linda Kooluris Dobbs's photographs give us access to these normally hidden lawns and avenues, grottoes and parterres, with their fine statuary and fountains, and their imposing backdrop – the buildings of the Vatican and the dome of St Peter's. Kildare Dobbs's introductory essay accompanies this collection of over 140 photographs.

Although famed for its parks, it is the wide range of private gardens that makes London one of the most verdant cities in the world. This well-illustrated volume introduces 30 of its most interesting examples, from the grand and traditional grounds of Clarence House to the allotment tended by Chelsea Flower Show winner Cleve West. They include garden squares, rooftop retreats and even floating gardens created on barges moored in Bermondsey.

For thousands of years, people around the world have adopted belief systems that give a key role to the natural world and the trees, fruits and flowers found there. This book explores this complex subject, pointing to similarities and differences, and showing how belief systems often transfer their ideas to the real world, such as the Pure Land gardens of Buddhist Japan. It is richly illustrated with a mix of historical images and photography of contemporary gardens.

Illustrated with engravings, postcards and maps, this is a history of Manchester Botanical Society's garden at Old Trafford, from its brilliant heyday to sad decline as a doomed amusement park.

The garden created by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, at Kenilworth was one of the wonders of Elizabethan England. It was also the best-documented garden of its age, allowing English Heritage to recreate it in 2009. Comprising 17 essays by specialists and lavishly illustrated with reproductions, plans and modern photographs, this book charts the documentary and archaeological detective work that went into that project, but also represents a major addition to the study of English garden history.

Presenting works ranging from Leonard Knyff’s panoramic View of Hampton Court (c.1703) to Fabergé’s enamelled and jewelled flowers (c.1900), this volume draws on the Royal Collection to trace the changing design and function of gardens through the art they have inspired. After a short chapter on early Islamic gardens, the history traces royal and aristocratic garden style from medieval sacred gardens to the 19th-century ‘horticultural garden’, with a final chapter on ceramics and ornament. Foreword by Sir Roy Strong.

During the successful Dig for Victory campaign, which aimed to make wartime Britain self-sufficient, gardeners everywhere dug up their lawns to grow not only fruit and vegetables, but flowers too, inspiring ‘faith, hope, cheerfulness and courage’. From composting to harvesting, this playful history of the campaign features all aspects of wartime gardening, and is vividly illustrated by original pamphlets, recoloured photographs and instructional cartoons.

Part of the Reader's Digest Garden Basics series of straightforward, illustrated guides, this handy, ring-bound book is in two main parts: a seasonal guide to keeping the garden healthy and a directory of over 200 pests and diseases arranged by symptom, with special features on roses, slugs and snails, winter pruning and lawn care. The introductory section includes information on beneficial creatures and using organic treatments.

Throughout history, monarchs around the world have created magnificent gardens both for relaxation and to advertise their wealth and power. Illustrated with 150 colour photographs, this book explores 20 of the finest, including Louis XIV’s Versailles, Frederick the Great’s Sanssouci, the royal palaces of Fez and Edo Castle in Tokyo. Each entry charts the history of the garden, profiles its creators, describes its style, planning and principles, and includes interviews with the present owners.

Providing practical advice and information for would-be mole catchers, this illustrated handbook includes a history of the trade, descriptions of trap types, useful tips, answers to frequently asked questions, and guidance on the most humane modern methods of capture.

From formal topiary at Levens Hall, Cumbria, to the seemingly natural flower meadows of Piet Oudolf’s Millennium Garden at Pensthorpe Waterfowl Park in Norfolk, Ursula Buchan presents a thematic survey of English domestic gardens, illustrated with over 300 photographs by Andrew Lawson.

After reflecting on why people visit gardens and especially why gardeners visit other people’s plots, Louisa Jones looks at ten different examples, including historic, cottage and kitchen gardens, plantsmen’s collections, outdoor art, and Mediterranean, Japanese-inspired and minimalist styles. She discusses the key elements of each type and how the visitor should approach them, then invites ten experts to choose their favourite locations from around the world.

Charting the setting up of a community allotment in the Devon village of Cornworthy, the first-hand accounts in this book describe their initial planning and preparation, before progressing through the seasons. There is a wealth of practical advice given, on establishing a plot, choice of crops, rotation and how to deal with pests.

This beginners guide to indoor planting features 20 projects to add low-maintenance greenery to your home, including terrariums, kokedama (moss balls), succulents and bonsai. Instructions are also given for making a variety of containers in which to display them.

Combining specially commissioned drawings and a short history of each maze, this book allows the reader to trace a route through 60 of the world’s most beguiling life-size puzzles. Both real and imagined, they range from the Nazca Lines of Peru and Roman mosaics in Portugal and Pompeii to the Winchester labyrinth, supposedly constructed by a melancholy schoolboy, and the walls of yew around which an axe-wielding Jack Nicholson lumbers in Kubrick’s The Shining.

Matthew Biggs profiles the lives and achievements of 35 botanists whose work in fields such as plant collecting, plant-based medicine, genetics or hybridization has significantly increased our understanding of plants. Richly illustrated with horticultural drawings, portraits and photographs, and noting how each botanist can inspire today’s gardeners, the book is arranged chronologically from the ‘Father of Pharmacology’, Pedanius Dioscorides (fl. 50 CE), through figures including Linnaeus, Joseph Banks and Gregor Mendel, to Patrick Blanc, the pioneer of vertical gardening.

Written for the reluctant gardener, this is a guide to what not to do in the garden. Rather than letting your plot revert to wilderness, Wareham (the gardener of Veddw House, near Tintern) encourages finding easier ways to do the jobs you dislike and suggests effective alternatives. The book is arranged by season, from what not to do in spring (grow roses – if you don’t grow them they won’t need pruning), to winter (washing empty pots – madness).

Monet at Giverny, Renoir at Les Collettes, the American Impressionist Childe Hassam in Celia Thaxter’s garden at Appledore, and, contemporary with the Impressionists, Gertrude Jekyll’s creation of Munstead Wood; these are among the artists and the inspirational gardens described and illustrated – by both paintings and photographs – in this unusual study.

Featuring pieces published in the Guardian between 1838 and 2008, this anthology recounts changing fashions in British horticulture and garden design. Authors include Arthur Ransome, Nancy Banks-Smith and Christopher Lloyd; topics range from royal parks to allotments and from garden centres to gnomes.

Ranging from landscaped parks to walled town gardens, and from a Jacobean ‘parliament of topiaries’ at Chastleton House to a Modernist house surrounded by ponds and woodland, the National Trust cares for a great diversity of gardens, including some of the finest in Britain. Providing inspiration for gardeners as well as history and information for visitors, this is a new, lavishly illustrated edition of Stephen Lacey’s guide to the rich and dynamic legacy of National Trust parklands, gardens and arboreta.

Starting with quiz night in the Prince of Wales on Highgate Hill, Mark Mason sets off in search of the perfect quiz question. In venues as far-flung as a hotel bar in Edinburgh and a village pub in Suffolk, he meets the aficionados of the quiz world and a veritable deluge of facts, figures and trivia.

Slightly off-mint.