Create simple solutions for growing organic gardens! The word "hack" has a multitude of meanings these days, but if you ask garden author Shawna Coronado what a hack is, she might just wave her hand toward her own back yard. She could be pointing at the garden bench she created from leftover wood posts and a few cinder blocks, or the rows of wine bottles buried soldier-style along a winding pathway, or even the garden soil itself, which is blended by hand from an organic soil recipe she devised. A hack is really just a great idea that's come to life. In 101 Organic Garden Hacks you'll find the top tips, tricks, and solutions Shawna has dreamed up in her career as one of America's most creative gardeners. Some are practical timesavers; others offer clever ways to "upcycle" everyday items in your garden. One characteristic every hack shares is that they are completely organic and unfailingly environmentally friendly. Divided into a dozen different categories for easy reference, each hack is accompanied by a clear photo that shows you exactly how to complete it. If you are looking for resourceful ways to improve your garden and promote green living values right at home, you'll love paging through this fascinating, eye-catching book.

The African Violet continues to increase in popularity, having developed over the past 50 years from its few hundred varieties to the thousands that exist today in an ever-increasing range of color and type. This complete guide includes chapters on the plant's history, development, and classification, and a wealth of practical information and advice on propagation, general care, hybridization, and the prevention and treatment of pests and diseases. Written in a non-technical and readable style, it explodes the myth that African Violets are difficult to grow and provides the grower with the know-how to make the most of this delightful and popular plant.

Air plants, also known as tillandsias, are some of the easiest plants to grow, which helps explain why they’re popping up in stores across the country and appearing in magazines, blogs, and all over Pinterest. The amazing thing about air plants is that they use their roots to anchor themselves to an object, which allows them to grow in a variety of locations naturally. This flexibility of growth makes air plants ideal for decoration of home and office. While Air Plants are known for being easy to grow, they still do need attention to survive and live a healthy life. If taken care of, Tillandias will live for several years and will even provide "pups" for additional years of enjoyment! Authors Meriel and Ryan Lesseig are air plant enthusiasts who turned their passion into profit with Air Plant Design Studio, an e-commerce site that sells all things air plants. Here they share tips for properly caring for air plants as well as inspiration and instruction for a myriad of ways to use air plants to enhance your space or event, including air plant wedding bouquets, wall art, terrariums, wreaths, and more. Air plants can enhance the design of any space, big or small. This beautiful, inspiring and practical guide is the perfect introduction to the wacky, hip, gorgeous world of air plants.

Air plants, also known as tillandsias, are having their moment. Popular for their spiky shape and extremely low-maintenance needs, they are now widely available in garden centers, small boutiques, upscale food markets, and national retail stores dedicated to home furnishing and design. In Air Plants, Zenaida Sengo, the interior coordinator at the popular San Francisco-based Flora Grubb Gardens, shows how simple and rewarding it is to grow, craft, and design with these modern beauties. Decorating with air plants is made easy with stunning photographs that showcase ideas for using them mounted on walls, suspended from the ceiling, as living bows and jewelry, as screens, and in unique containers, like leather pouches, dishes, and baskets. Six step-by-step projects include a wood mount, a wall hook, lasso-and-hook wiring, a ceramic-frame garden, and three unique terrariums. This lushly designed guide is perfect for anyone with the desire to grow on air.

Rapidly increasing in popularity, square foot gardening is the most practical, foolproof way to grow a home garden. That explains why author and gardening innovator Mel Bartholomew has sold more than two million books describing how to become a successful DIY square foot gardener. Now, with the publication of All New Square Foot Gardening II, the essential guide to his unique step-by-step method has become even better. Mel developed his techniques back in the early 1980s and has been teaching them throughout the world ever since. In the process, he has made improvements and refinements and continually adapted his practices to keep pace with modern times. In this new volume, Bartholomew furthers his discussion on one of the most popular gardening trends today: vertical gardening. He also explains how you can make gardening fun for kids by teaching them the square foot method. Finally, an expanded section on pest control helps you protect your precious produce. Rich with new full-color images and updated tips for selecting materials, this beautiful new edition is perfect for brand-new gardeners as well as the millions of square foot gardeners who are already dedicated to Mel’s industry-changing insights.

Grow squash on the windowsill, flowers in the planter box, and corn in a parking strip. Forget the 100 mile eat-local diet; try the 300 square foot diet. Apartment Gardening details how to start a garden in the heart of the city. From building your own window box to planting seeds in jars on the counter, every space is plantable. Beginning and experienced gardeners will discover how to save money on produce and impress friends with their newly-tenacious green thumbs. This book reveals that the DIY future is now by providing hands-on accessible advice to start using space sustainably, efficiently, and inexpensively. Eating locally starts at home — every surface holds an opportunity for something planted, pickled, or preserved. Amy Pennington's friendly voice paired with Kate Bingham-Burt's crafty illustrations make greener living an accessible reality, even if readers have only a few hundred square feet and two windowsills. Eating locally does not require big bucks. Save money by planting the same things available at the grocery store, and create an eccentric garden right in the heart of any living space.

Hundreds of different aquarium plants are illustrated in color with detailed descriptions of each plant, its common name, botanical designation, and information on its growth cycle and general care. A brand-new title in the growing Mini Encyclopedia Series for aquarium hobbyists, this book helps aquarium owners plan, create, and maintain a colorful and interesting environment for fish and aquatic life. Each volume provides in-depth information and instruction on a specific subdivision of fish keeping. Complementing the text are sets of illustration panels filled with full-color photos, each with its own detailed and instructive caption. The team of authors, all recognized aquarium experts, show readers how to set up an aquarium, select species, and maintain an optimal environment for the tankÂ’s aquatic and plant life. Approximately 250 color photos and illustrations in each volume.

Get a little greenery in your life with this beautiful, practical guide to decorating with houseplants. At Home with Plants helps you select, plant, and display an array of easy-to-source, easy-to-care-for botanicals. Includes stylish projects—such as terrariums and hanging planters—as well as a special section of design ideas for each room of the house, plus the best plants for each space. Houseplants are hot, and creative interior planting is becoming increasingly easy to achieve. Indoor gardening is not just about growing a plant, but about using it as an accessory to boost your home’s style and mood. In this inspirational book, interior landscape designer and Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner Ian Drummond pairs up with interiors writer Kara O’Reilly to show you how to transform your home with plants, offering up more than 250 gorgeous aspirational images and ideas for each space in the house. These plant-design experts will walk you through the steps to create your indoor oasis with chapters on: THE PRACTICALITIES -Health Benefits -Cleaning the Air -Houseplants & Allergies PLANT FAMILIES -Bold -Edible -Flowers & Fragrance -Tough & Tolerant -The Indestructibles CONTAINERS -Potential Planters -Container Materials -Return of the Terrarium DESIGN WITH PLANTS -Where to Start -Scale & Contrast -Symmetry & Repetition -Alternative Displays RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT ROOM -Living Spaces -Kitchens & Eating Spaces -Sleeping Spaces -Bathing Spaces -Children’s Spaces -Working Spaces -Connecting Spaces THE BASICS -Light -When & How to Water -Plant Care -Plant Doctor

Shares ideas for gardening in small spaces, offers techniques on choosing plants, and provides advice for beginners.

Packed full of great ideas to brighten up your balcony, roof terrace or window sill, The Balcony Gardener will teach you everything you need to know to create a stunning outdoor space. The Balcony Gardener covers everything from the fundamentals of starting a new garden, to picking out the best accessories to suit your style and your space. The first chapter, The Basics, will guide you through planning, designing, and the basic elements of gardening so that you can create a terrace or balcony that most suits you. The next chapter, Urban Spaces, goes into much more detail about the best plants to use in smaller environments, highlighting those flora that would be better adapted to life in an urban setting. Then, move on to the chapter entitled Creative Recycling, which provides all sorts of great ideas for recycled containers and beautiful features in your yard—make a Pallet Wall Planter or Olive Oil Drum to liven up your space. There is even a chapter for All Things Edible, allowing you to customize your yard to not only look delightful, but smell and taste fantastic too. Finally, Enjoying Your Balcony offers some great advice about what type of furnishings would best suit your balcony, patio, terrace, or small yard. Complete with a journal section, a plant list, a glossary, and comprehensive resources list, The Balcony Gardener is a must-have book for any green-thumbed city-dweller.