Discover everything you need to know about designing, choosing and planting cacti and succulents to create a drought-tolerant garden in this lavishly illustrated guide with experts forecasting reduced summer rainfall, xeriscaping – the practice of landscaping with minimal water – is now a popular choice for many gardeners. In this comprehensive guide, expert sub-tropical garden designer Paul Spracklin shares his extensive knowledge of creating dry gardens with detailed descriptions of more than 400 varieties, and what you need to know to care for them. Whether contemplating a new design for a complete garden, a makeover for a sunny corner or simply a few containers for the patio, xeriscaping represents a viable option for future-proofing your garden. Written for the gardener, designer, enthusiast and horticulturist, this book provides: • Expert advice on drainage and planting mediums • Design know-how on xeriscaping your garden • Practical advice on planting and caring for succulents in beds and containers • A comprehensive directory of over 400 varieties

A design-focused, easy-to-use guide to colorful, eye-catching foliage and flowers for your whole yard, from the ground plane to the canopy, for homeowners and landscapers faced with replacing thirsty gardens in California and other dry regions in the Western US. If readers must reluctantly remove water-guzzling favorites from the garden, they need equally beautiful substitutes! This book is a visual treat that supports the transition to dry gardening by proving that gardeners can have all the gorgeous color and flowers they had in the past using just a fraction of the water. Maureen Gilmer provides chapters on design categories of plants—flowering shrubs, the ground plain, eye-catching accents, ephemeral flowers, perennials for color, animated plants and fine textures, canopy, and edibles—with profiles for each plant plus background info and top picks lists. The Colorful Dry Garden is unique because it features only bold plants that are also heavy bloomers despite heat and limited water. It also features more than just Western native plants by including varieties from the world's driest climates.

Climate change, the need to conserve water, the desire for more exotic and dramatic plants -- all of these are prompting gardeners to seek out interesting new plants that thrive in subtropical or dry climates. In addition to offering expert cultivation advice, this book includes an A-Z directory profiling over 1000 plants.

Learn how to make stylish dried floral designs that will last longer than freshly cut bouquets. Do you adore having flowers around the house but they always seem to wilt and fall to pieces as soon as you place them in water? No longer! Join the trend of DIY drying and create stunning bouquets that will outlast fresh cuts while still adding that soft, romantic floral touch. Expert florist Carolyn Dunster breathes new life into the age-old art of growing, drying, and displaying blooms in ways that will bring a chic, natural vibe to any room. Whether you are looking for elegant DIY bridal arrangements or trying to add a little bohemian flair to a room's décor, there are dried designs that will complement every aesthetic and occasion. Written for a new, younger audience that is just discovering the art of drying flowers and from a popular British botanical stylist with a penchant for urban gardening, this book is a modern spin on a classic craft. For those who are concerned with environmental impact, dried flowers are also gaining popularity as a more sustainable approach to floristry. Dried flowers are perfect for: * DIY bridal bouquets and table arrangements * Stylish home décor * Sprucing up your place of business in an affordable, low maintenance way This book is an ideal purchase for anyone wanting to get started with the art of growing and drying flowers. Learn how to grow your own stems and the best combinations of color and texture to create floral sculptures that breathe new life into any space in any season.

This book takes a fresh look at garden-worthy plants for Australian conditions. It will help gardeners to reappraise their climate, select appropriate plants and modify gardening practices to create beautiful gardens featuring native and exotic plants with proven drought tolerance, reliability and minimal weed potential. The New Ornamental Garden shows how heat, cold, water availability, rainfall patterns, length of growing season, evaporation rate and humidity influence plant growth in Australia, from the wet sub-tropics to the temperate climate of southern Australia. It also discusses the influence of microclimates within a garden: dry sun, dry shade, moist sun, moist shade, seaside conditions, exposed sites, urban situations and root competition from eucalyptus and allelopaths. The main focus of the book is the plant index, which contains notes on hundreds of plant varieties and how they function in the garden. All gardeners will benefit from reading this book!

With fabulous palms, big bold banana leaves, colour flowers and flamboyant foliage, exotic gardens never fail to fascinate and excite a gardener. This inspirational book introduces the mouth-watering array of hardy and tender plants that can be used to create jungle-style landscapes in every garden. It explains their characteristics, and advises on how they can be planted and grown to produce a stunning display to be enjoyed even in temperate climates. Topics covered include: *Guide to exotic plants *Advice on propagation *Instruction on planting and growing *Ideas for design, finishing touches and desert gardens *A to Z reference section of exotic plants AUTHOR: Ian Cooke is a professional horticulturalist with a particular fascination for exotic plants and gardens. After fourteen years managing the award-winning grounds of the University of Nottingham, where he created an exotic walled garden, he now concentrates on writing, lecturing and garden design. In 2008 he was awarded the Associate of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society. He is a regular judge for Chelsea and major flower shows. SELLING POINTS: * An inspirational guide to exotic gardening and plants aimed at all levels of gardeners * Gives advice on propagation, gives ideas for design and covers planting and growing of exotic plants ILLUSTRATIONS: 149 colour photographs *

This practical handbook shows how to turn a garden into a fantasy of exotic contrasts: thrusting spikes alongside feathery grasses and vibrant colours against a deep green backdrop. It has advice on growing exotic plants in non-tropical climates, showing that exotic specimens can be easy to manage.