Flowers brighten our homes, our lives and, when they are homegrown, they also brighten our gardens - not just for us, but also for the buzzing wildlife that loves their nectar. Growing your own flowers gives the huge satisfaction of harvesting something from a plant you have nurtured, and brings a greater connection with nature and the seasons. It also allows you to have a house full of flowers at a fraction of the cost of buying them, all with a sustainable, positive environmental impact. RHS The Little Book of Cut-Flower Gardening is the perfect introduction to growing your own blooms. Whether your cut-flower patch is a handful of pots or half an allotment, you'll find accessible information on successful and sustainable growing, to keep your plot healthy and as productive as possible. As well as introductory chapters on planning and gardening basics, there are details on how to cut your flowers and extend their vase life, and how to dry flowers for everlasting arrangements. More than just flowers, the directories break down the blooms and foliage into their different groups. There are sections on annuals from seed, such as love-in-a-mist, zinnias and sweet peas; growing bulbs and tubers such as tulips and dahlias; perennials for flower and foliage, such as lady's mantle, lavender, roses, apple mint and ornamental grasses; and shrubs and trees for foliage, flower, spring blossom and colourful winter stems.

If you're fed up with buying flowers to display and arrange at home, then look now further than this easy-to-follow, practical guide to growing your own cut flowers from gardening expert Sarah Raven (Gardener's World, The Daily Telegraph). With over 250 specially commissioned photos, top tips and step-by-step instructions, this book is the first step to having a house full of sophisticated and stylish home-grown arrangements! 'She makes it so simple. Once Sarah has had her way with you, you will never need to buy another bunch of out-of-season Kenyan roses again.' -- The Guardian 'Absolutely fantastic!' -- ***** Reader review 'A must for all flower lovers' -- ***** Reader review 'Inspirational' -- ***** Reader review 'Sarah Raven is the best!' -- ***** Reader review 'Beautifully illustrated and full of imaginative ideas' -- ***** Reader review ******************************************************************************************************* Demystifying the world of floristry, Grow Your Own Cut Flowers by Sarah Raven (Gardener's World, The Daily Telegraph) is perfect for beginner gardeners, flower arrangers wanting to grow their own flowers and experienced gardeners wanting ideas to fill a house with their harvest. With insider tips on sowing seed, conditioning flowers and putting together stylish arrangements for any occasion, step-by-step instructions, flower directories and over 250 specially commissioned photographs, this is an invaluable, practical and accessible guide to bringing a little bit of the outside into your house in a rewarding, stylish and sustainable way.

An inspiring guide to transforming a small patch of ground, be it on an allotment or in a garden, into a cut flower patch which produces flowers from early spring to late autumn. Louise Curley looks at what makes a great cut flower, ideal conditions and soil and the tools you’ll need. There is advice on what to grow – from favourite hardy annuals, half hardies and biennials to spring and summer bulbs to adding foliage and fillers to balance arrangements – and advice on how and when to sow, how to support your plants and tips on weeding, deadheading, pests and feeding. Growing your own means greater choice, working with the seasons and super fresh flowers. Bought flowers can be expensive and the international flower trade often means dangerous chemicals, poor working conditions for growers, demands on water resources and the ‘flower miles’ of worldwide airfreight. This book will help you get the most from your patch with guidance on how to cut the flowers so that they keep producing more blooms and how to look after them once they have been picked. The Cut Flower Patch is completed by a selection of flower arranging tips and sample arrangements as well as tips on finding great containers, planting plans and a helpful year planner The Cut Flower Patch won the ‘Best Practical Book’ at the Garden Media Guild Awards, 2014 Jason Ingram won Photographer of the Year at the Garden Media Guild Awards, 2014

Now in its 23rd year, Llewellyn's Herbal Almanac provides a wealth of practical ideas on growing, using, and benefiting from nature's most dynamic plants. With gardening resources, hands-on projects ideas, and dozens of helpful tips and techniques, this guide is packed with information for enthusiasts of all skill levels. Discover a wealth of innovative herbal ideas that span gardening, cooking, crafts, health, beauty, history, and lore. This year's edition also includes profiles for red clover, hydrangea, yerba mate, and marjoram. Herbs are an important part of a life dedicated to wellness in mind, body, and spirit. Whether you are interested in seasonal herbs for self-care, vegan recipes, kitchen cosmetics, or creating an alpine rock garden, this wonderful almanac has something to delight your herbal practice.

Discover how to grow without a garden and reconnect with nature as you create an abundant flower meadow from your windowsill. The Flower Garden is a beautifully illustrated guide to show you how to start growing stunning blooms even in the smallest of spaces. Covering all the basics from growing from seed, how to maximise your space to understanding your light and drying flowers; this book is an essential reference to those with an urban space and who are itching to get planting. Packed with 'recipes' for the best flowers to grow throughout the year – you will soon have a balcony or roof terrace covered in enviable blooms to admire, pick or share. This neat, easy-to-use format is aimed at gardening beginners, looking to grow their own flower garden.

Put the fun into gardening with this beautifully illustrated guide to growing plants indoors and out. For parents and children who enjoy engaging with the outdoors and want to do more activities together, this beautifully designed book explains how plants work, describes the building blocks of gardening, and shows how to grow everything from cacti to cucumbers. With great facts and practical projects, giving the reader a lot of information it's an ideal introduction for complete beginners, designed to inspire a life-long love of gardening.

‘An accessible, informative guide for beginners, but full of ideas and tips for seasoned gardeners.’ – Sunday Mirror Elevate your own green space and become a more confident and creative gardener with lessons from experienced National Trust gardeners in this comprehensive horticultural guide. The National Trust looks after hundreds of beautiful gardens of every imaginable shape and size across Britain – from the grandest country estate to the smallest cottage garden. They manage such internationally renowned gardens as Sissinghurst and Hidcote. National Trust garden staff receive countless questions from visitors about plants growing in the gardens and techniques that can be tried at home. This in-depth guide will pass on their wisdom and provide the answers you are looking for. This book is packed with images of National Trust gardens of all types, spanning over 300 years of horticultural heritage, to inspire keen amateur gardeners and aspirational novices to realise their green-fingered ambitions. Written by expert gardener Rebecca Bevan, with the help of National Trust gardeners, the National Trust School of Gardening will make you feel confident about developing your garden rather than overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail. From herbaceous borders to gardening sustainably, roses and climbers to growing under glass, each chapter provides snippets of horticultural history, examples of best practice from National Trust gardens, unique gems of wisdom from talented NT gardeners, and lots of easy-to-follow practical advice. Featuring a wide range of National Trust gardens both large and small, formal and informal, famous and undiscovered, high maintenance and low key. The topics covered and the insightful practical guides shared are easily applicable to private gardens, enriching even the tiniest urban spaces.