Everything you need to know about planning, building, planting, and maintaining a garden can be found in this lavishly illustrated guide by internationally renowned landscape designer John Brookes. Contains more than 1,000 illustrations and plans in addition to 400 full-color photographs. Illustrations.

The Garden Bookpresents a diverse range of designers responsible for some of the most interesting and iconic gardens and landscapes of all time, from around the world. Gardens of Ancient Persia, the Moguls of India, and the palaces of Chinese Emperors sit side by side with contemporary gardens from the United States and Europe. Like The Art Book, this book presents 500 designers in an A-Z format that departs from the usual emphasis on genres and time periods. The gardens are carefully selected, on the basis of key figures in landscape architecture, to illustrate the influence of each on the various traditions of gardening around the globe. They range, therefore, from the palaces of kings to the all-consuming passions - often bordering on obsession - of amateur enthusiasts. Written in an accessible way, the text explains the role of each chosen figure in the development of the garden, as well as the important changes to the garden over time. Each designer is represented by a full-page illustration, mostly in colour, of their most significant garden. Long-vanished wonders, such as the mythical gardens of Babylon, are illustrated by artists' impressions and engravings. Each page includes meticulous cross-references to other designers working in a similar style, movement or time period, as well as biographical information about the designer. The book also includes an easy-to-use glossary of terms and movements, as well as an extensive directory of gardens.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The former First Lady, author of Becoming, and producer and star of Waffles + Mochi tells the inspirational story of the White House Kitchen Garden and how gardens can transform our lives and the health of our communities. Early in her tenure as First Lady, despite being a novice gardener, Michelle Obama planted a kitchen garden on the White House’s South Lawn. To her delight, she watched as fresh vegetables, fruit, and herbs sprouted from the ground. Soon the White House Kitchen Garden inspired a new conversation all across the country about the food we feed our families and the impact it has on the nutrition and well-being of our children. In American Grown, Mrs. Obama invites you inside the White House Kitchen Garden, from the first planting to the satisfaction of the seasonal harvest. She reveals her early worries and struggles—would the new plants even grow?—and her joy as lettuce, corn, tomatoes, collards and kale, sweet potatoes and rhubarb flourished in the freshly tilled soil. She shares the stories of other gardens that have moved and inspired her on her journey across the nation. And she offers what she learned about planting your own backyard, school, or community garden. American Grown features: • a behind-the-scenes look at every season of the garden’s growth • unique recipes created by White House chefs • striking original photographs that bring the White House garden to life • a fascinating history of community gardens in the United States From a modern-day vegetable truck that brings fresh produce to underserved communities in Chicago, to Houston office workers who make the sidewalk bloom, to a New York City school that created a scented garden for the visually impaired, to a garden in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that devotes its entire harvest to those less fortunate, American Grown isn’t just the story of a single garden. It’s a celebration of the bounty of our nation and a reminder of what we can all grow together.

Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn't know her mother? From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colors comes Kristin Hannah's powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past. Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

“This thoughtful, intelligent book is all about connectivity, addressing a natural world in which we are the primary influence.” —The New York Times Books Review Many gardeners today want a home landscape that nourishes and fosters wildlife, but they also want beauty, a space for the kids to play, privacy, and maybe even a vegetable patch. Sure, it’s a tall order, but The Living Landscape shows you how to do it. You’ll learn the strategies for making and maintaining a diverse, layered landscape—one that offers beauty on many levels, provides outdoor rooms and turf areas for children and pets, incorporates fragrance and edible plants, and provides cover, shelter, and sustenance for wildlife. Richly illustrated and informed by both a keen eye for design and an understanding of how healthy ecologies work, The Living Landscape will enable you to create a garden that fulfills both human needs and the needs of wildlife communities.

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.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of "House & Garden, this fully illustrated book presents important contemporary decorating trends in stunning homes. From one-room makeovers to complete renovations, home-decorating projects are flourishing across the country. House & Garden Book of Style explores seven of today's most popular looks, including the rustic charm of Country Luxe, the urban sophistication of New International, and the cross-cultural eclecticism of Bohemian Chic. Interweaving the stories of homeowners and the insights of professional decorators, each chapter features full-color pictures of four to six residences that typify the style, and the do's and don'ts of getting a style right. The first book from "House & Garden in more than 15 years, this is an irresistible combination of inspiration, innovative ideas, and practical know-how.