Arboretum Library: New & Featured Books,
& Wish List Books

"The coolest thing you didn't know you needed to see." - Buzzfeed "Artist Bruce Gardner is a master of [this] curious Japanese artform." - This is Colossal As featured on BoingBoing, National Geographic, and more! Explore the craft and technique of dorodango in master crafter Bruce Gardner's new book, Dorodango: The Japanese Art of Making Mud Balls. The Japanese hikaru dorodango, or shiny mud ball, is created by rolling earth by hand into a perfect sphere and polishing it until it gleams. Not only are the results truly impressive, but this calm and meditative practice, a traditional Japanese playground activity for children, has been rediscovered as a peaceful pastime for people of all ages. Known for inducing flow, the ultimate state of happiness, this simple art is perfect for those who enjoy practicing mindfulness, spending time in nature, and working with their hands. It's also a lovely way to preserve soil that is special to you, whether it reminds you of home or a place you've traveled. As your collection of dorodango grows, you'll find that earth from different locations each have their own unique properties and finishes. With beautiful photography and straight forward instructions, this handy guide will teach you everything you need to know to make your own mud balls at home with easily sourced materials. In addition to dirt and a copy of the book, you will need the following materials to make your own dorodango: * Shovel * Bucket * Sandbags for storing soil * Screens (a regular window screen will work) * Paint Straining Nets * Mixing Tub * Flat knife * Containers (shoe boxes, etc.) * Plastic bags * Clips or clothespins * Dust Masks * Mason Jar lid * A smooth piece of wood * Scale * Mortar and Pestle A wonderful gift book for fans of pottery and ceramic arts.

With Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden, turn your backyard, deck, or balcony into a fruit-producing paradise with advice for growing small-space dwarf tree fruits, including apples, peaches, and citrus, along with fruiting bushes, brambles, berries, and vines.

A favorite indoor-outdoor flower adorns the summer in colorful bursts of petals. Perhaps the most abundantly blooming plant, hydrangeas have captivated gardeners and cultivators alike with their old-fashioned charm and tantalizing colors. From late spring to early autumn, they burst from the ends of stems in natural bouquets of vibrant pink, stunning white, lavender, rose, and blue. With over 75 species and 600 named cultivars that range over the world, the variety makes them perfect for any occasion. Georgianna Lane's entrancing photography showcase the varieties of nature's firework flower, such as the intensely colored Alpenglühen and the airy Lanarth White, while Naomi Slade imparts her gardening expertise for the fullest bloom of this rewarding flower. Readers will discover the wide array that hydrangeas have to offer, and why these bountiful blossoms are becoming increasingly popular as houseplants and gifts.

Elizabeth Millard teaches you how to grow microgreens, sprouts, herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and more inside your own home, where you wont have to worry about season changes or weather conditions.

Over 350 high quality photographs from Sri Lanka's top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, size, distribution, and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers geography and climate, the different habitats, and tree structure.

A full-color illustrated guide to the natural history of plants with medicinal properties Of the nearly 400,000 plants that have evolved on Earth, around seven percent of them have been used in traditional herbal medicine or as local remedies. More recently, scientific studies have revealed how plants may be sources of important medicines, often in the form of single isolated compounds. Plants That Cure explores these critical compounds and the plants that produce them. This richly illustrated book, filled with color photographs and diagrams, is organized by body system, which feeds into a discussion of the compounds and plants employed for particular conditions, including heart and circulatory problems, fatigue and dementia, nausea and indigestion, respiratory infections, arthritis and joint movement, eye conditions, reproductive issues, and types of cancer. This detailed book examines the mechanisms of action for these plants and also explains how some of their chemical compounds contribute to the functioning and survival of the plants themselves. Essential for herbalists, botanists, and anyone interested in natural remedies and drug discovery, Plants That Cure is the indispensable resource for understanding how medicinal plants work. Provides an authoritative natural history of the most important medicinal plants Features hundreds of color photos and illustrations Explores the roles of plants in different systems of traditional medicine throughout the world Looks at specific body systems and the phytochemical compounds used to treat or alleviate systemic conditions, from heart ailments and respiratory infections to reproductive issues

"A rare gift: an inspiring tale about trees, trauma and the very purpose of life." --Andrew Nikiforuk, author of Empire of the Beetle Diana Beresford-Kroeger--a world-recognized botanist and medical biochemist--has revolutionized our understanding of the natural world with her startling insights into the hidden life of trees. In this riveting memoir, she uncovers the roots of her discoveries in her extraordinary childhood in Ireland. Soon after, her brilliant mind bloomed into an illustrious scientific career that melds the intricacies of the natural world with the truths of traditional Celtic wisdom. To Speak for the Trees uniquely blends the story of Beresford-Kroeger's incredible life and her outstanding achievement as a scientist. It elegantly shows us how forests can not only heal us as people but can also help save the planet.

For 70 years, people have turned to one book to learn about Northwest trees: Trees to Know in Oregon. This new edition, retitled Trees to Know in Oregon and Washington, expands its scope to cover more territory and include more trees.   The book was first published in 1950. Charles R. Ross, an Oregon State University Extension forester, wanted to introduce readers to the towering giants in their backyards. Since then, Edward C. Jensen has stewarded the publication through several more editions. This edition features several rare species native to southwest Oregon. It also updates scientific names and adds a new section on how Northwest forests are likely to be affected by changing climates. Since its initial publication, Trees to Know has become a mainstay for students, gardeners, small woodland owners and visitors to the Pacific Northwest. Along with all the details on native conifers, broadleaves, and more than 50 ornamental trees, readers will find: More than 400 full-color photos and 70 maps depicting habitat, range and forest type. Easy-to-follow identification keys. Handy guides to help distinguish one variety from another. The story of Northwest forests -- past, present and future.

The inside story of the world's most fascinating and lucrative crop from gonzo journalist-turned-hemp farmer Doug Fine. Hemp, the non-psychoactive variant of cannabis (or marijuana) and one of humanity's oldest plant allies, has quietly become the fastest industry ever to generate a billion dollars of annual revenue in North America. From hemp seed to hemp fiber to the currently ubiquitous cannabinoid CBD, this resilient crop is leading the way toward a new, regenerative economy that contributes to soil and climate restoration--but only if we do it right. In American Hemp Farmer, maverick journalist and solar-powered goat herder Doug Fine gets his hands dirty with healthy soil and sticky with terpenes growing his own crop and creating his own hemp products. Fine shares his adventures and misadventures as an independent, regenerative farmer and entrepreneur, all while laying out a vision for how hemp can help right the wrongs of twentieth-century agriculture, and how you can be a part of it.

Winner in the Australian category for Indigenous foods at the Gourmand World Cook Book Winter Harvest awards 2020 In the final shortlist for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Indigenous Food category Australia's Creative Native Cuisine is the ultimate resource for home cooks looking to use lots of Australian native ingredients in their food preparation, but also includes everyday alternative ingredients for those occasions when the native ingredients are not in season or not readily available. It includes more than 150 original recipes incorporating Australian native foods; an Australian plant food glossary that includes descriptions, illustrations, nutritional aspects, forms (dried, fresh, frozen), availability, seasonality, and uses; expanded descriptions of certain key ingredients; chef's tips and cooking notes; and substitute ingredients where needed. Many of the foods and several of the simple methods such as cooking in paperbark are based traditional Indigenous foods and techniques, which inherently respect and protect the natural environment while providing a food source. The long-term aim is that this book might contribute to the development of a sustainable and economically viable Australian industry that, most importantly, respects and includes Indigenous knowledge and culture while encouraging greater Indigenous participation in the supply chain. Australia's native foods tick all the boxes in terms of 21st-century sustenance: they are nutritious, flavorsome, and sustainable, and they also provide employment in Australia. Includes dual measures, plus standard substitute ingredients are listed alongside every recipe (for example, spinach for warrigal spinach; mint for rivermint; sundried tomatoes for bush tomatoes). The book also includes a separate list of native/wild American ingredients that can be used in place of Australian ones. For example, American saltbush works fine as a substitute ingredient for Australian saltbush.

Celebrate the beauty of botanical embroidery with this collection of 30 stunning motifs and projects from Japanese artist Alice Makabe. Stitch your way through an assortment of elegant floral designs curated by color--from cheerful pinks and lively yellows to lush greens and moody blues.    Learn how to utilize specific embroidery stitches to replicate the textures and shapes of flowers, leaves, and stems. With full-size easy-to-follow templates, you can get started stitching straight away.   In addition to the wonderfully versatile embroidery motifs, you'll also find project instructions for creating gorgeous bags, aprons, pillow covers, pin cushions, pouches and more!

Named a Best Book of the Year for the Know-It-All by The Globe and Mail  In this richly illustrated volume, a leading neurobiologist presents fascinating stories of plant migration that reveal unexpected connections between nature and culture. When we talk about migrations, we should study plants to understand that these phenomena are unstoppable. In the many different ways plants move, we can see the incessant action and drive to spread life that has led plants to colonize every possible environment on earth. The history of this relentless expansion is unknown to most people, but we can begin our exploration with these surprising tales, engagingly told by Stefano Mancuso. Generation after generation, using spores, seeds, or any other means available, plants move in the world to conquer new spaces. They release huge quantities of spores that can be transported thousands of miles. The number and variety of tools through which seeds spread is astonishing: we have seeds dispersed by wind, by rolling on the ground, by animals, by water, or by a simple fall from the plant, which can happen thanks to propulsive mechanisms, the swaying of the mother plant, the drying of the fruit, and much more. In this accessible, absorbing overview, Mancuso considers how plants convince animals to transport them around the world, and how some plants need particular animals to spread; how they have been able to grow in places so inaccessible and inhospitable as to remain isolated; how they resisted the atomic bomb and the Chernobyl disaster; how they are able to bring life to sterile islands; how they can travel through the ages, as they sail around the world.

WINNER OF THE SIGURD F. OLSON NATURE WRITING AWARD WINNER OF THE WOMEN WRITING THE WEST WILLA LITERARY AWARD IN CREATIVE NONFICTION "[A] shimmering memoir . . . A bittersweet tribute to home and family in breathtaking prose that will appeal to lovers of memoirs and history, as well as anyone who enjoys beautifully crafted writing." --Library Journal, starred review Kendra Atleework grew up in the Owens Valley of the Eastern Sierra Nevada in California, where annual rainfall averages five inches and in drought years measures closer to zero. Her parents taught their children to thrive in this beautiful but harsh landscape prone to wildfires, blizzards, and gale-force winds. Above all, the Atleework children were raised on unconditional love and delight in the natural world. But when Kendra's mother died when Kendra was just sixteen, her once-beloved desert world came to feel empty and hostile, as climate change, drought, and wildfires intensified. The Atleework family fell apart, even as her father tried to keep them together. Kendra escaped to Los Angeles, and then Minneapolis, land of tall trees, full lakes, water everywhere you look. But after years of avoiding her hometown, she felt pulled back. Incorporating the fascinating history of the landscape and powerful nature writing, Miracle Country is a moving and unforgettable memoir of flight and return, emptiness and bounty, the realities of a harsh and changing climate, and the true meaning of home. For readers of Cheryl Strayed, Annie Dillard, and Rebecca Solnit, this is a breathtaking debut by a remarkable writer.

Finalist, Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism In the tradition of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, a groundbreaking global investigation into the industry ravaging the environment and global health--from the James Beard Award-winning journalist Over the past few decades, palm oil has seeped into every corner of our lives. Worldwide, palm oil production has nearly doubled in just the last decade: oil-palm plantations now cover an area nearly the size of New Zealand, and some form of the commodity lurks in half the products on U.S. grocery shelves. But the palm oil revolution has been built on stolen land and slave labor; it's swept away cultures and so devastated the landscapes of Southeast Asia that iconic animals now teeter on the brink of extinction. Fires lit to clear the way for plantations spew carbon emissions to rival those of industrialized nations. James Beard Award-winning journalist Jocelyn C. Zuckerman spent years traveling the globe, from Liberia to Indonesia, India to Brazil, reporting on the human and environmental impacts of this poorly understood plant. The result is Planet Palm, a riveting account blending history, science, politics, and food as seen through the people whose lives have been upended by this hidden ingredient. This groundbreaking work of first-rate journalism compels us to examine the connections between the choices we make at the grocery store and a planet under siege.

In New Naturalism, horticulturist and modern plantsman Kelly D. Norris shares his inspiring, ecologically sound vision for home gardens created with stylish yet naturalistic plantings that mimic the wild spaces we covet, such as meadows, prairies, woodlands, and streamsides--far from the contrived, formal, high-maintenance plantings of the past. Through a basic introduction to plant biology and ecology, you'll learn how to design and grow a lush, thriving home garden by harnessing the power of plant layers and palettes defined by nature, not humans. The next generation of home landscapes don't consist of plants in a row, pruned to perfection and reliant on pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides to survive. Instead, today's stunning landscapes convey nature's inherent beauty. These gardens are imbued with romance and emotion, yet they have so much more to offer than their gorgeous aesthetics. Naturalistic garden designs, such as those featured in this groundbreaking new book, contribute to positive environmental change by increasing biodiversity, providing a refuge for wildlife, and reconnecting humans to nature.    In the pages of New Naturalism you'll find:  Planting recipes for building meadows, prairies, and other grassland-inspired open plantings even in compact, urban settings Nature-inspired ways to upgrade existing foundation plantings, shrub beds, and flower borders to a wilder aesthetic while still managing the space Inspiration for taking sidewalk and driveway plantings and turning them into visually soft, welcoming spaces for humans and wildlife alike Ideas for turning shady landscapes into canopied retreats that celebrate nature  Creative ways to make an ecologically vibrant garden in even the smallest of spaces New Naturalism approaches the planting beds around our homes as ecological systems. If properly designed and planted, these areas can support positive environmental change, increase plant and animal diversity, and create a more resilient space that's less reliant on artificial inputs. And they do it all while looking beautiful and improving property values. 

Margaret Roach has been harvesting thirty years of backyard parables-deceptively simple, instructive stories from a life spent digging ever deeper-and has distilled them in this memoir along with her best tips for garden making, discouraging all manner of animal and insect opponents, at-home pickling, and more. After ruminating on the bigger picture in her memoir And I Shall Have Some Peace There, Margaret Roach has returned to the garden, insisting as ever that we must garden with both our head and heart, or as she expresses it, with "horticultural how-to and woo-woo." In The Backyard Parables, Roach uses her fundamental understanding of the natural world, philosophy, and life to explore the ways that gardening saved and instructed her, and meditates on the science and spirituality of nature, reminding her readers and herself to keep on digging.

"Both poetic and practical and celebrates the diversity of garden design throughout the West."--Sunset From windswept deserts to misty seaside hills and verdant valleys, the natural landscapes of the American West offer an astounding variety of climates for gardens. Under Western Skies reveals thirty-six of the most innovative designs--all embracing and celebrating the very soul of the land on which they grow. For the gardeners featured here, nature is the ultimate inspiration rather than something to be dominated, and Under Western Skies shows the strong connection each garden has with its place. Packed with Atkinson's stunning photographs and illuminated by Jewell's deep interest in the relationships between people and the spaces they inhabit, Under Western Skies offers page after page of encouraging ingenuity and inventive design for passionate gardeners who call the West home.

"A timely and much needed call to plant, protect, and delight in these diverse, life-giving giants." --David George Haskell, author of The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees With Bringing Nature Home, Doug Tallamy changed the conversation about gardening in America. His second book, the New York Times;bestseller Nature's Best Hope, urged homeowners to take conservation into their own hands. Now, he is turning his advocacy to one of the most important species of the plant kingdom--the mighty oak tree.
Oaks sustain a complex and fascinating web of wildlife. The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area. The Nature of Oaks will inspire you to treasure these trees and to act to nurture and protect them.

16 DIY projects; step-by-step instructions Basic masonry techniques, tile installation, plumbing for gas or water, electrical wiring, barbecue care & maintenance.

Cajete examines the multiple levels of meaning that inform Native astronomy, cosmology, psychology, agriculture, and the healing arts. Unlike the western scientific method, native thinking does not isolate an object or phenomenon in order to understand it, but perceives it in terms of relationship. An understanding of the relationships that bind together natural forces and all forms of life has been fundamental to the ability of indigenous peoples to live for millennia in spiritual and physical harmony with the land. It is clear that the first peoples offer perspectives that can help us work toward solutions at this time of global environmental crisis.

Fire is a phenomenon both destructive and transforming, its story found in the ruins it leaves behind as well as the survivors that rise from its ashes. In this wholly original study, cultural historian and critic David Wyatt uses the story of fire to tell the story of California. Wyatt focuses this "catastrophic history” of his native state on five events that swept through California, altering its physical and political landscape and the way both were represented in art and literature.Wyatt begins with the accidental importation and spread of the wild oat in the 1770s, a process that had its human counterpart in the Spanish invaders. He then explores the impact of four other significant events: the Gold Rush, the 1906 earthquake and fire, the post-World War II defense-industry boom, and the "fire of race” that erupted in Watts in 1965. This fifth fire, Wyatt claims, has burned all throughout California's history, and he artfully examines its effects on both the Chinese immmigration experience and the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II. With an energetic style, Wyatt shows how all of these events were recorded and responded to in the works of the imagination that have shaped our collective understanding of the Golden State, from the writings of Raymond Chandler and Amy Tan, to the photography of Ansel Adams and the films of Roman Polanski. Five Fires is a provocative and highly entertaining retelling of California history that will prove an important contribution to the history of American culture.

We really are what we eat. Eating close to home is not just a matter of convenience it is an act of deep cultural, emotional, and environmental significance. Gary Nabhan's experience with food permeates his life as a third-generation Lebanese American (with Irish and Lithuanian mixed in), as an avid gardener and subsistence hunter, as an ethnobotanist preserving seed diversity, and as an activist devoted to recovering native food traditions to promote the health of Native Americans in the Southwest. To rediscover what it might mean to "think globally, eat locally," he spent a year trying to eat only foods grown, fished, or caught within two hundred miles of his home with surprising results. In Coming Home to Eat, Nabhan draws these experiences together in a book that is a culmination of his life's work and a vibrant portrait of the essential human relation to the foods that truly nourish us, affirming our bonds to family, community, landscape, and season.

Potent plants: Mother Nature's medicine cabinet Leonhart Fuchs (1501--1566,) was a founding father of modern botany, honored to this day in the vivid flower, and corresponding color, Fuchsia. In 1543, Fuchs combined his masterful botanical knowledge with groundbreaking medical research in his New Herbal, a catalog of some 500 types of plants and their healing properties. While a dependable scientific reference, The New Herbal won fame above all with the detail and quality of its illustrations. Alongside essays describing the plants' features, origins, and medicinal powers, Fuchs presented each plant with meticulous woodcut illustrations, refining the ability for swift species identification and setting new standards for accuracy and quality in botanical publications. From the age of great exploration, The New Herbal also documented plant types from the recently discovered New World, offering the first visual record of tobacco, maize, kidney bean, and cactus. This fresh TASCHEN reprint is based on Fuchs's personal, hand-colored copy, which has miraculously survived four-and-a-half centuries in pristine condition. Fascinating for historians of medicine and art, gardeners, and anyone interested in herbal medicine, the volume features over 500 splendid illustrations, excerpted facsimiles of Fuchs's original texts, and an essay exploring the history of healing herbs.

- First time in paperback - A compelling narrative about one of the most mysterious places on Earth by acclaimed nonfiction writer SoennichsenDeath Valley is a place of record-breaking heat and unexplained natural oddities - a place where salt beds descend a thousand feet below the surface; where inch-long fish swim in a 112-degree creek; where huge boulders slide mysteriously across a dry lakebed. There are also gas stations, convenience stores, a visitor center, and a five-star hotel. Despite the modern conveniences, however, it's still quite easy to die in Death Valley.Author John Soennichsen spent decades hiking, exploring, and observing as much of this forbidding yet fascinating region as possible. Based on journals kept during his travels, Live!From Death Valley relates his experiences in the region and examines the history, geology, and philosophical inspirations of the surrounding area. Alongside his own stories Soennichsen weaves an imaginative retelling of William Manly and the Bennet-Arcane party's fateful pioneer trip through Death Valley in 1849 - 50, as well as modern-day tales of UFO sightings, doomsday prophets, and movie and TV production sets. Part guidebook, part autobiography, part narrative, Live! From Death Valley chronicles the raw history, weirdness, and geographical charm of this extraordinary place.

From Tree to Table celebrates the satisfaction that comes from planting and enjoying fruit trees in the maritime Pacific region. It's a collaboration between the authors and amateur gardeners, horticultural experts, and dedicated chefs from up and down the West Coast. The result is a charming and accessible guide for local plant and food lovers that dispels the myth that gardeners in sun-challenged climes can never find happiness with fruit trees! With advice that's suitable for drizzly Seattle backyards and frosty Portland burbs as well as often-sunny Marin or foggy Richmond, the authors offer both anecdotal and expert advice for raising everything from apples to plums, lemons to figs, and much more in some of the most difficult conditions-heavy soils, foggy and rainy weather, cool summers, and relatively mild winters. In addition to describing growing, planting, and pruning tips in each fruit-specific chapter, From Tree to Table features recipes from the West Coast's bestand brightest chefs, including San Francisco's Tom McNaughton, Portland's Gabriel Rucker, and Seattle's Ethan Stowell. Readers will discover that it takes little technical know-how, minimal upkeep, and very little space to participate actively in the sustainability solution. After all, what could be more local and enduring than fresh apricots or Fuyu persimmons from a backyard tree that can feed generations to come?

Is that . . . a goat in your garage?! It might be if you've been reading The Urban Farm Handbook: City-Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat. In this comprehensive guide for city-dwellers on how to wean themselves from commercial supermarkets, the authors map a plan for how to manage a busy, urban family life with home-grown foods, shared community efforts, and easy yet healthful practices. More than just a few ideas about gardening andraising chickens, The Urban Farm Handbook uses stories, charts, grocery lists, recipes, and calendars to inform and instruct. As busy urbanites who have learned how to do everything from making cheese and curing meat to collaborating with neighbours on a food bartering system, the authors share their own food journeys along with those of local producers and consumers who are changing the food systems in the Pacific Northwest. Organized seasonally, this handbook instructs on: How to maximize space for planting a variety of fruits and vegetables; Small-animal husbandry and beekeeping; Canning, drying, freezing, fermenting, and pickling techniques; Grinding grains for flour and other uses; Tips for creating a farmer-to-consumer connection; How to form a "buying club" with neighbours; "Opportunities for Change" steps to follow; And more!

From the yard to the parking strip, in city parks or along municipal thoroughfares, food is abundant and free for the taking! - It doesn't get any more local than your own front yard! - Delicious and nutritious original recipes featuring horsetail, wild fennel, chickweed, and more - Many weeds pack a greater nutritional punch than store-bought vegetablesThe Front Yard Forager invites all of us to take control of our food by entering into the fun and delicious world of foraging.A concise field guide and recipe book, it showcases the 30 most readily found edible urban weeds. From dandelion to day lily, nipplewort to nettle, and pineapple weed to purslane there's a salad bowl full of fresh edibles just waiting to be collected and put to good use. Each plant profile features an easy-to-use field identification guide, including photographs, as well as where to find the plant and what to do with it in the kitchen. Recipes range from simple and classic to practically gourmet, while introductory chapters and sidebars cover the hows and whys of foraging: ethics, nutritional information, harvesting, precautions, and more. Written by Seattle's Melany Vorass, a longtime instructor of urban foraging, The Front Yard Forager brings DIY harvesting right to your door, making foraging easy, accessible, and fun for everyone - even in the middle of the city - or suburbia.

What's Wrong with My Marijuana Plant? is the first problem-solving book for marijuana growers with an effective and easy-to-use visual diagnostic system pioneered by Deardorff and Wadsworth for identifying pest, disease, and environmental problems by symptom. What are those rusty spots on your leaves? What bug is eating your buds? Why are your sativa sprouts covered in fuzz? Find out fast AND learn how to fix it! This book contains all-organic solutions (vitally important to protect the health of medical marijuana users, as well as growers, recreational users, and the planet) plus best growing practices to avoid problems before they start. Written in easily understandable, non-technical language and heavily illustrated with precise photography to allow rapid and accurate diagnosis, this is an essential resource for beginning and experienced growers alike.

True Living Organics teaches you how to grow organic marijuana both indoors and outdoors. It is the only organic marijuana cultivation guide on the market. The first edition sold over 15,000 copies, and the new edition has over 100 additional pages of all new information and photos detailing how to grow marijuana organically so that it is healthier and tastes better. Organic marijuana is preferred for medical marijuana users as well as recreational marijuana users, and growing organic marijuana is much cheaperthan synthetic hydroponic marijuana cultivation systems. This new edition features all new composting techniques, improved soil mixes for maximizing yield, and all new techniques for organic marijuana gardening, including worm farms, organic tea mixes, and highly effective organic soil amendments. Also includes an all new organic hashish guide which teaches you how to make all-natural organic hash from marijuana without the use of any dangerous chemicals.

The definitive guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness Notice how a tree sways in the wind. Run your hands over its bark. Take in its citrusy scent. As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees--what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing--can promote health and happiness. In this beautiful book--featuring more than 100 color photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan--Dr. Qing Li, the world's foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer. Once you've discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness.

Before you read this book, you have homework to do. Grab a notebook, go outside, and find a nearby patch of nature. What do you see, hear, feel, and smell? Are there bugs, birds, squirrels, deer, lizards, frogs, or fish, and what are they doing? What plants are in the vicinity, and in what ways are they growing? What shape are the rocks, what texture is the dirt, and what color are the bodies of water? Does the air feel hot or cold, wet or dry, windy or still? Everything you notice, write it all down. We know that the Earth's climate is changing, and that the magnitude of this change is colossal. At the same time, the world outside is still a natural world, and one we can experience on a granular level every day. Ground Truth is a guide to living in this condition of changing nature, to paying attention instead of turning away, and to gathering facts from which a fuller understanding of the natural world can emerge over time. Featuring detailed guidance for keeping records of the plants, invertebrates, amphibians, birds, and mammals in your neighborhood, this book also ponders the value of everyday observations, probes the connections between seasons and climate change, and traces the history of phenology--the study and timing of natural events--and the uses to which it can be put. An expansive yet accessible book, Ground Truth invites readers to help lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the nature of change itself.   

Readers will learn about the relationships between people and the gardens of Earth, seed preservation, Native diets and meals, natural pest control, and the importance of the Circle of Life.

Highlighting an enduring interest in natural history from the 16th century to the present, this gorgeous book explores depictions of the natural world, from centuries-old manuscripts to contemporary artists’ books.nbsp; It examines the scientific pursuits in the 18th and 19th centuries that resulted in the collecting and cataloguing of the natural world.nbsp; It also investigates the aesthetically oriented activities of self-taught naturalists in the 19th century, who gathered flowers, ferns, seaweed, feathers, and other naturalia into albums.nbsp; Examples of 20th- and 21st-century artists’ books, including those of Eileen Hogan, Mandy Bonnell, and Tracey Bush, broaden the vision of the natural world to incorporate its interaction with consumer culture and with modern technologies.nbsp; Featuring dazzling illustrations, the book itself is designed to evoke a fieldwork notebook, and features a collection pocket and ribbon markers.

June 1914 and a young woman - Clara Waterfield - is summoned to a large stone house in Gloucestershire. Her task: to fill a greenhouse with exotic plants from Kew Gardens, to create a private paradise for the owner of Shadowbrook. Yet, on arrival, Clara hears rumours: something is wrong with this quiet, wisteria-covered house. Its gardens are filled with foxgloves, hydrangea and roses; it has lily-ponds, a croquet lawn - and the marvellous new glasshouse awaits her. But the house itself feels unloved. Its rooms are shuttered, or empty. The owner is mostly absent; the housekeeper and maids seem afraid. And soon, Clara understands their fear: for something - or someone - is walking through the house at night. In the height of summer, she finds herself drawn deeper into Shadowbrook's dark interior - and into the secrets that violently haunt this house. Nothing - not even the men who claim they wish to help her - is quite what it seems.

Reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier, this is a wonderful, atmospheric Gothic page-turner.