Describes seventy-nine herbs, explains how to plan and prepare an herb garden, and offers advice on planting, cultivating, harvesting, and pest control

For all-season color and a bountiful supply of cut flowers for the house, annuals fill a unique niche in a gardener's landscape plans.

Both the Taylor's Guides to individual plant groups and the Taylor's Weekend Guides on basic techniques and popular gardening styles are highly acclaimed and well established. We now enthusiastically add a quick-reference series for readers who don't have the time or the experience to do their own research. Taylor's 50 Best books highlight the most attractive foolproof plants and include detailed information that every gardener needs in order to grow them. Color photos, full-color drawings, and growing tips make each plant entry useful and complete. Six books introduce the series and cover the most popular plants for backyard gardeners: perennials for sun, perennials for shade, herbs and edible flowers, roses, shrubs, and trees.

Salsa and guacamole wouldn’t be the same without cilantro, and you can’t make pizza without oregano or a mojito without mint. You can use peppermint to settle an upset stomach, ease arthritis pain with stinging nettle, and heal burns and wounds with aloe vera. And then there is cannabis—perhaps the most notorious and divisive herb of all. Despite the fact that herbs are often little more than weeds, cultures around the globe have found hundreds of uses for them, employing them in everything from ancient medicines to savory dishes. While much has been written on cooking and healing with herbs, little has been told about the history of the plants themselves and the incredible journeys they have made. This book elucidates how these often overlooked plants have become a staple in our lives. Unlike spices that quickly traversed the globe through trade, Gary Allen shows that herbs were often hoarded by their cultivators and were central to distinctive regional dishes. He draws on his extensive knowledge of food history to examine herbs in new ways, making Herbs essential reading for any serious foodie. Filled with beautiful illustrations and delicious recipes, this book will complete the kitchen library.

Flowering shrubs are the belles of the garden ball. Along with such stars as rhododendrons, azaleas, lilacs, and spirea, many other great shrubs for all parts of the country are included in this book.

With seed companies offering hundreds of varieties of vegetables, gardeners need this book to sort out the best species to grow for their particular needs.

The foodie's ultimate herbal encyclopedia Created as the ideal reference for anyone with a serious interest in cooking with herbs, spices, or related plant materials, The Herbalist in the Kitchen is truly encyclopedic in scope. It provides complete information about the uses, botany, toxicity, and flavor chemistry of herbs, as well as a listing for nearly every name that an ingredient is known by around the world. Even including herbs and spices not yet seen in the United States (but likely to be featured in recipes for adventurous cooks soon), The Herbalist in the Kitchen is organized into one hundred and four sections, each consisting of a single botanical family. The book provides all available information about the chemical compounds responsible for a plant's characteristic taste and scent, which allows cooks to consider new subtleties and potential alternatives. For instance, the primary flavoring ingredient of cloves is eugenol; when a cook knows that bay leaves also contain eugenol, a range of exciting substitutions becomes clear. The Herbalist in the Kitchen also provides guidance about measuring herbs, enabling readers to understand the dated measuring standards from antique cookbooks. A volume in The Food Series, edited by Andrew W. Smith

Whether you’re a hiker taking a walk through your local wilderness, or a chef looking for new ingredients to incorporate in your dishes, Foraging for Survival is the book for you. As consumerism and a meat-heavy, processed diet become the norm and the world’s population continues to grow at an exponential rate, more and more people are looking toward a more sustainable path for food. Authors Douglas Boudreau and Mykel Hawke believe that the future of food lies in the wild foods of times spanning back to before the mass-agriculture system of today. People have become distanced from the very systems that provide their food, and younger generations are increasingly unable to identify even the trees in their backyards. In response, Boudreau and Hawke have provided a compendium of wild edible plants in North America. Foraging for Survival is a comprehensive breakdown of different plant species from bearded lichen to taro, and from all over the United States. There are also tips for growing local native plants in the backyard to facilitate learning and enhance table fare at home. Other information you’ll find inside: A list of different types of edible wild plants Foraging techniques Bugs and other grubs that can be consumed Warning signs of poisonous plants And much more! Start eating wild today with Foraging for Survival!

This gorgeous little book is a joyful exploration of the many ways in which flowers can be used in a range of delicious recipes. From Rose and Lavender Cocktail Syrup to Jasmine and Green Tea Ice Cream, the ideas and flavours are subtly, deliciously floral. Savoury options include Courgette Carpaccio with Wood Sorrel Flowers and Artichokes with Roasted Garlic and Chive Flowers, while the drinks range from Fermented Elderflower Fizz to soothing Poppy Milk. Rebecca's creative ideas and thoughtful approach make the entire process of cooking a mindful experience, from picking the flowers through to the very last bite. Bursting with beautiful creations and infused with natural flavours, this volume offers recipes suitable for all abilities.

The colorful, low-maintenance plants in this book are particularly useful for gardeners who have difficult, steep, rocky, dry, or infertile spots where more finicky plants won't grow.