The Plant Society Design Handbook


Book Description

An inspiring, practical handbook with easy-to-follow blueprints for curating greener spaces, big and small, indoors and out. Love plants? Appreciate design? Want to combine the best of the two in your home? The Plant Society Design Handbook brings together essential know-how for incorporating the ethereal magic of plants into your living spaces, where a thriving, perfectly situated kauri pine or a striking arrangement of succulents is just as important as an investment couch or a standout piece of art. Plant Society founder Jason Chongue builds from the basics with a comprehensive guide to 80-plus of his go-to plants, the conditions they thrive in and how to nurture them for a long life. He reveals the secrets to successful garden layouts, sharing design-led templates that are adaptable to different spaces, and explains how to navigate plant grouping and placement, as well as style fundamentals including colour, texture, shape and scale. With these foundations, you can explore a vast array of garden design projects – from verdant plant shelves to bold balcony arrangements to fuss-free front yards. Jason's easy-to-follow garden blueprints take a design-first approach, focusing on how plants relate to the surrounding architecture, materials and environment. His 'kit of parts' and cultivation tips mean each project feels achievable and zero knowledge is assumed. Whatever the scale of your living spaces and ambition, Jason brings the rewards of a personal plant stylist into your home today.




Plant Society


Book Description

Plant Society is your 101 guide on how to love and keep indoor plants. Even if you've killed every house plant in the past, plant-cultivator and stylist Jason Chongue will show you that it's really not that difficult. Covering everything from basic plant care and re-potting, to plants suited to pets and propagating, this book will help remove your fear of gardening and inspire you to create you own indoor oasis. It includes profiles of 25 ideal tropical indoor plants, organised from the most low-maintenance species through to the more exotic and labor-intensive plants. On top of this, the book offers styling advice including how to decorate different rooms in your home with plants, as well as suggestions on pots and planters to give your plants more personality. Throughout the book, you'll also find interviews with 'Plant People' from around the world, who provide an insight into their unique relationships with house plants. Indoor gardening really is this simple and fun!




A New Garden Ethic


Book Description

In a time of climate change and mass extinction, how we garden matters more than ever: “An outstanding and deeply passionate book.” —Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter so much—not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities. Our landscapes push aside wildlife and in turn diminish our genetically programmed love for wildness. How can we get ourselves back into balance through gardens, to speak life's language and learn from other species? Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives—lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short-circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political; it's social justice for all species marginalized today and for those facing extinction tomorrow. By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.




Garden Revolution


Book Description

AHS Book Award winner This lushly-photographed reference is an important moment in horticulture that will be embraced by anyone looking for a better, smarter way to garden. Larry Weaner is an icon in the world of ecological landscape design, and now his revolutionary approach is available to all gardeners. Garden Revolution shows how an ecological approach to planting can lead to beautiful gardens that buck much of conventional gardening’s counter-productive, time-consuming practices. Instead of picking the wrong plant and then constantly tilling, weeding, irrigating, and fertilizing, Weaner advocates for choosing plants that are adapted to the soil and climate of a specific site and letting them naturally evolve over time. Allowing the plants to find their own niches, to spread their seed around until they find the microclimate and spot that suits them best, creates a landscape that is vibrant, dynamic, and gorgeous year after year.




Designing California Native Gardens


Book Description

"An excellent how-to book on California native plant landscaping . . . with plans, photographs, and plant lists which are sure to fire the imagination of any gardener."--Arvind Kumar, California Native Plant Society




Designer Plant Combinations


Book Description

Turn your backyard garden into a lush and colorful wonderland where every plant is presented to its fullest potential. Scott Calhoun provides more than 100 stunning garden designs that are adaptable to a range of climates, budgets, and space considerations. As you learn to use proven groupings and discover ways to make your garden glow throughout all seasons, you’re sure to find the right combination of flowers, grasses, and ground coverings to transform your property into a jaw-dropping display of color, texture, and fragrance.




Gardening with Native Plants of the South


Book Description

In today’s South, where fine gardening is a tradition, many homeowners and professional gardeners are discovering a vast “new” palette of plant materials—native plants. They are realizing that these native wildflowers, trees, shrubs, groundcovers, vines, and grasses are far better suited, and therefore easier to grow and maintain, than most of the imported plants that populate traditional landscapes. In this book, the authors offer an exciting vision of the many possibilities and advantages of “going native.” Lavishly illustrated with more than 250 gorgeous color photographs, this book is both an introduction to more than 200 of the most familiar and easiest-to-find native plants of the South and a basic primer on how to use them effectively.




Gardening in the Pacific Northwest


Book Description

A must-have growing guide for gardeners in the Pacific Northwest A gardener’s plant choices and garden style are inextricably linked to the place they call home. In order to grow a flourishing garden, every gardener must know the specifics of their region’s climate, soil, and geography. Gardening in the Pacific Northwest, by regional gardening experts Paul Bonine and Amy Campion, is comprehensive, enthusiastic, and accessible to gardeners of all levels. It features information on site and plant selection, soil preparation and maintenance, and basic design principles. Plant profiles highlight the region’s best perennials, shrubs, trees, and vines. Color photographs throughout show wonderful examples of Northwest garden style.




Glorious Shade


Book Description

Turn a shady yard into a sumptuous garden Shade is one of the most common garden situations homeowner’s have, but with the right plant knowledge, you can triumph over challenging areas and learn to embrace shade as an opportunity instead of an obstacle. Glorious Shade celebrates the benefits of shade and shows you how to make the most of it. This information-rich, hardworking guide is packed with everything you need to successfully garden in the shadiest corners of a yard. You'll learn how to determine what type of shade you have and how to choose the right plants for the space. The book also shares the techniques, design and maintenance tips that are key to growing a successful shade garden. Stunning color photographs offer design inspiration and reveal the beauty of shade-loving plants.




The Midwest Native Plant Primer


Book Description

Bring your garden to life—and life to your garden! Do you want a garden that makes a real difference? Choose plants native to our Midwest region. The rewards will benefit you, your yard, and the environment—from reducing maintenance tasks to attracting earth-friendly pollinators such as native birds, butterflies, and bees. Native plant expert Alan Branhagen makes adding these superstar plants easier than ever before, with proven advice that every home gardener can follow. This incomparable sourcebook includes 225 recommended native ferns, grasses, wildflowers, perennials, vines, shrubs, and trees. It’s everything you need to know to create a beautiful and beneficial garden. This must-have handbook is for gardeners in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.