The Best Plant Books for Beginners

A stunning guide to growing, harvesting, and arranging gorgeous dahlia blooms from celebrated farmer-florist and New York Times bestselling author Erin Benzakein, founder of Floret Flower Farm. World-renowned flower farmer and floral designer Erin Benzakein reveals all the secrets to growing, cultivating, and arranging gorgeous dahlias. These coveted floral treasures come in a dazzling range of colors, sizes, and forms, with enough variety for virtually every garden space and personal preference, making them one of the most beloved flowers for arrangements. In these pages, readers will discover:.

Expert advice for planting, harvesting, and arranging garden-fresh dahlias A simple-to-follow overview of the dahlia classification system An A–Z guide with photos and descriptions of more than 350 varieties Step-by-step how-to's for designing show-stopping dahlia bouquets that elevate any occasion. EXPERT AUTHOR: Erin Benzakein's gorgeous flowers are celebrated throughout the world. Her first book, Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden, won the American Horticultural Society Book Award. The follow-up Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers is a New York Times bestseller. LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS: Overflowing with hundreds of lush photographs and invaluable advice, Discovering Dahlias is an essential resource for gardeners and a must-have for flower lovers, avid and novice gardeners, floral designers, florists, small farmers, stylists, and designers. BEAUTIFUL GIFT BOOK: A beautiful present for Mother's Day and a thoughtful gift for nature lovers, flower enthusiasts, and gardeners, this colorful, flower-forward package pairs perfectly with a bouquet of flowers, seeds, or a vase. Perfect for: Fans of gardening, flower arranging, and decorating Birthday, Mother's Day, housewarming, or hostess gift Pair with other beautiful items from the Floret Farm collection, including Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden and Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers books, as well as Floret Farm's Garden Journal, 100 Postcards, Garden Dahlia Notes, and Sweet Pea Notes stationery and gifts Readers of Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers, The Flower School, Square Foot Gardening, and Flower Color Guide.

If you’re tired of battling blight on your tomatoes, losing your basil to downy mildew, and watching deer raid your vegetable garden, you’ll find all the answers you need right here. *2024 American Horticultural Society Book Award Winner*. In The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook, author and veggie-growing guru Susan Mulvihill of YouTube’s Susan’s in the Garden is ready to set you up for long-term success in the vegetable garden.

In these pages, Susan hands you all the info you need to stand firm against plant diseases, viruses, disorders, stressors, and even animal pests, and to do it without having to turn to harsh synthetic chemical products. All-natural solutions to your worst gardening woes are featured in an organized, problem-by-problem manner that makes this a quick and useful reference for both beginner and expert gardeners. This book is a wonderful companion to Susan’s previous book, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, which covers organic solutions for managing insect pests common in home veggie gardens. In this book, not only will you discover how to get your plants off to a healthy start, you’ll also find out how to properly identify plant pathogens, how to troubleshoot problems like pollination issues and weather-related disorders, and how to prevent ailments such as fruit cracking, leaf roll, and blossom end rot. In addition, Susan hands you natural solutions to:. Over 28 bacterial and fungal diseases, including nasties like powdery mildew, potato scab, and leaf spot Limit damage from plant-eating animals, including birds, chipmunks, rabbits, groundhogs, gophers, deer, and 8 other critters Manage a dozen physiological disorders common to the veggie garden, including bitterness, bolting, and sun scald Prevent problems before they occur using the many strategies detailed throughout these pages. Keeping vegetable plants healthy and productive is no easy task. An extensive quick-reference chart is included to help with identification and to direct you to the best possible solutions based on both the symptoms you see and the vegetable those symptoms have appeared on. This truly is THE guide every vegetable gardener has been waiting for!

The beloved best-selling classic for the modern herbalist—a definitive guide to 250 safe and effective herbal medicines, preparations, and single-herb remedies to make at home. This comprehensive, full-color guide offers detailed and easy-to-follow instructions for making and using approximately 250 all-natural DIY herbal medicines. With practical tips, in-depth preparation techniques, and an inside look at some of the authors’ own favorite formulas, The Modern Herbal Dispensatory walks beginners and advanced herbalists alike through:. • The 12 major categories of herbs, from aromatic to sweet.

• Herbal preparations: the many ways to prepare and use herbs, from capsules and tinctures to standardized extracts and essential oils. • Choosing the best dosage form for each category of herb. • How to harvest, dry, and use fresh herbs. • Extractions: terms, equipment, solvents, and calculations, plus how to extract herbs in water, alcohol, glycerin, and vinegar. • Advanced techniques: like percolation extracts, fluid extracts, and soxhlet extracts. • Preparations like oil-based extractions, topical applications, concentrates, lozenges, traditional Chinese methods, and more. • Formulas and dosages: how to design herbal formulas and use herbs safely and effectively. • Herbal insights and need-to-know wisdom, like why different preparations of the same herb affect the body differently; which herbs are medicinal when dry, but could be toxic when fresh; and why beginners typically see more potent results with formulations versus single-herb preparations. The text includes multiple appendices, recommendations for further reading, in-depth full-color photo guides, and a helpful index. With advice on herbal preparations for 100+ illnesses and conditions and a comprehensive materia medica, The Modern Herbal Dispensatory is an enduring classic and beloved plant-medicine reference manual for herbalists, natural medicine practitioners, and anyone seeking safe, holistic, at-home care and inexpensive all-natural remedies.