Piet Oudolf's gardens excite the senses and stir emotion with an approach to gardening that emphasizes form, texture, light, movement, and color. Designing with Plants is both inspirational and instructive-an informative and visually breathtaking study that shows readers how to create the ...

Christopher Lloyd was one of the world's most outspoken and adventurous gardeners. In this, his last book, he offers his unique perspective on creating 'hot and steamy' planting schemes wherever you garden. It features his most extravagant plantings in the famous borders and pot displays that del...

Written by respected professors of botany and pharmaceutical biology, this is the definitive account of plants and mushrooms used for poison darts, traditional medicine, ceremonial and spiritual purposes, and recreational drugs. Hazardous plants are commonly used as garden ornamentals, potted pla...

It's no exaggeration to say that daylilies are the premier flowering perennial. From a handful of wild species belonging to the genus Hemerocallis, breeders have produced tens of thousands of hybrids in a dazzling array of colors, patterns, and shapes. Adding to their appeal is their hardi...

Trees and shrubs are a valuable asset to a garden bringing structure, shade, year-round interest and the all-important vertical dimension. However, choosing the right ones for small gardens is a fine art, and it's all too easy to end up with heavyweight shrubs overtaking the border, dysfunctional...

Members of the bleeding heart family, such as the well-known Chinese bleeding heart, have long been among the best-loved flowers of the perennial border. In recent years, however, excitement about this group has reached fever pitch with the introduction of dozens of stunning new discoveries, part...

Water is usually a gardener's friend, bringing lush plant growth and the sensory delights of fountains, streams, and ponds. But even gardeners can have too much of a good thing, and excess water can be hostile to plant life. Fortunately, John Simmons comes to the rescue with the definitive guide ...

Boasting diverse leaf shape, size, color, and texture, it is no wonder that hostas continue to reign as the most popular perennial plants in North America. Not only are they the supreme plant for shade, but they also can be used in the landscape either as striking specimen plantings or as accommo...

With their refined beauty and elegant flower form, moth orchids (members of the genus Phalaenopsis are the basic black of the orchid world. In fact, moth orchids are the most popular orchids in the world, accounting for a staggering 75 percent of all orchid plant sales. More than merely be...

Inspired by the local-food movement, many Americans are turning their yards into miniature orchards, growing apples, kiwis, peaches, and strawberries. Discerning gardeners—tired of the common blackberry—want something new. Jujube, juneberry, maypop, pawpaw, and shipova are just a few of the u...

Clematis have long enjoyed popularity in gardens large enough to accommodate them. Now, with the arrival of a new generation of cultivars that excel in mixed borders, containers, and other small spaces, there is more reason than ever to grow them. As well as being modest in height, many of these ...

Large plantings of perennial flowers can cost tens of thousands of dollars in large gardens or public parks. Even smaller-scale designers and landscapers can't afford to guess wrong when setting up flower beds that have to look their best on cue. This is the only book available to provide an auth...

Many gardeners know of Impatiens walleriana, the species that lies behind the myriad colorful garden varieties that brighten up containers, window boxes, and shady spots throughout the world. The genus Impatiens is enormous, comprising over a thousand species—many of which, althou...

With their abundance of flower, handsome foliage, robust constitution, and frequently stunning fruits, viburnums are among the most beautiful and versatile hardy shrubs available to gardeners. Yet despite these outstanding qualities, there has never been an entire volume devoted to them—until n...

Tired of being lumped into the unwieldy category of a western garden? Frustrated by the lack of reliable, practical information about gardening in the Pacific Northwest? No longer! The Timber Press Guide to Gardening in the Pacific Northwest presents all the information a gardener—whethe...

Until recently, children played outdoors with carefree abandon after school and in the summer. Today, however, children are more likely to spend their free time indoors, watching television, playing video games, or using a computer. But children thrive in the natural world. They love to play in w...

With their bold foliage, exuberant colors, and luscious scents, exotic plants ignite curiosity and thrill the senses. Fortunately for gardeners in the world's temperate regions, it's not necessary to live in the tropics to experience spiky agaves, bright cannas, and the flame-like blooms of St...

Gardeners in the Interior West and Great Plains face a daunting challenge: a harsh, semi-arid climate of scorching summers and brutally cold winters. These climatic extremes rule out many standard garden plants that thrive in areas with greater rainfall and more moderate temperatures. Yet there i...

Gardeners and nature lovers delight in taking pictures-especially close-ups of flowers, butterflies, and insects. And though advances in digital camera technology have made taking, storing, and sharing photos easier than ever, taking top-quality pictures requires familiarity with both digital tec...

An essential element in cuisines around the world, garlic enjoys near mythic status among cooks, chefs, foodies, and enthusiasts of natural remedies. Worldwide, garlic cultivation occupies over 2 million acres of farmland, an area that has more than doubled since 1970. Yet even garlic fanciers ma...

The unique foliage, aromatic flowers, and dramatic colors of citrus add an exotic touch to the garden, terrace, deck, or balcony. The delicious and nutritious fruits they harvest are a draw to an ever-increasing number of people interested in growing their own food. Martin Page charts the introdu...

Gardeners tend to assume that any organic product is automatically safe for humans and beneficial to the environment—and in most cases this is true. The problem, as Jeff Gillman points out in this fascinating, well-researched book, is that it is not always true, and the exceptions to the rule c...

Does your garden lack zing? Are your borders a bore? Spice them up with a touch of the tropics! Tropical plants bring sizzle to every garden. Bananas in Maine, cannas in Canada—these plants can be grown everywhere. Whether used in containers or planted directly in the ground, their bold leaves ...

If there's one lesson every homeowner must learn, it's this: The traditional lawn is a huge, time consuming, synthetic-chemical sucking mistake. The time has come to look for new ways to create friendly, livable spaces around our homes. In The American Meadow Garden, ornamental grass exper...

It's simple: broadleaved evergreens are trees that don't lose their leaves. And despite their versatility and beauty, they are often underused. Why? Most people, including knowledgeable gardeners, equate evergreens with conifers—and Christmas trees— rather than broadleaved plants. And many of...

Revered by avid orchid collectors for its delightful, star-shaped flowers, Huntleya is a small group of orchids found mostly on the floor of the cloud forest. Besides their striking colors-from deep blue to waxy red, royal purple to almost black-flowers of this group are known for their di...

The exquisite symmetry of the star-shaped blooms of saxifrages has captivated gardeners for centuries. Close observation of their fine markings, artful color combinations, and graceful presence makes it eminently clear why they attract such an enthusiastic following. Many saxifrages come from mou...

What makes a garden authentic? For American gardeners, this question can be vexing. Because America is a comparatively young nation, it hasn't had much time to develop an indigenous garden style. Gardeners have tended to turn to other national traditions—such as Italy's, Japan's, or Engl...

Garden designer Bunny Guinness joins forces with physiotherapist Jacqueline Knox in this one-stop guide to all-around garden health. Step-by-step sequences based on the Pilates method illustrate the safe way to push wheelbarrows, lift heavy pots, pick low-lying fruit, and much more in a way that ...

First published in 1988 by award-winning American hybridizer Reverend John Fiala, this unique reference quickly became known worldwide as the lilac lovers' bible. The latest revision combines Fiala's passion for lilacs with the expertise of Canadian plantsman Freek Vrugtman, the international lil...

1500 orchid species are profiled in this authoritative, detailed, and carefully researched encyclopedia. Infinitely varied and hugely interesting, these strikingly beautiful plants are sumptuously illustrated with over 1000 photographs in a reference that no orchid lover can afford to be without....

Distinguished by a prominent pouchlike sac which resembles a ballroom slipper and often decorated with warts, hairs, or stripes, the flowers of slipper orchids may be ugly or pretty, depending on your point of view. In either case, they are captivating to amateur and professional orchids growers ...

Here are twenty wilderness hikes within twenty miles of downtown Portland, Oregon, less than a half hour's ride from the city. Adventurers at all skill levels will be surprised by the remoteness and remarkable beauty of these easy woodland escapes. Just take this pocket-sized companion and slip d...

This book is nothing short of revolutionary. For too long, garden design has given pride of place to architecture, artifice, and arbitrary principles. The results? Soulless landscapes where plants play subordinate roles. With passion and eloquence, Scott Ogden and Lauren Springer Ogden argue tha...