A treasure trove of age-old customs and time-honoured advice, as well as intriguing old wives' tales.

Did you know that banana skins, laid just below the surface of the soil, have long been said to be beneficial for roses, and that horticulturists now approve the practice? Or that mulching strawberries with pine needles will improve their flavor? Or that hollyhocks thrive on beer? Maureen and Bridget Boland have been collecting garden wisdom for many years, both from "old wives" and from books ancient and modern. In this charming little volume, they pass on the best of their store of useful and curious information. It will be seized upon with delight by all gardeners who are not afraid of finding a sprinkling of superstition mingled with much good sense.

Packed full of the age-old wisdom and expertise of generations of gardeners, who used their down-to-earth and practical experience to create beautiful, productive, and useful gardens without spending a fortune. Behind every beautiful garden is the skill and experience of the gardener who tends it. How do you know which plants will thrive in your patch, given the bewildering array on offer? How do you know what soil and location they will like? And what do you do about all those pests just waiting to tuck in, not to mention the fungal diseases that suddenly turn your rose leaves from glossy green to blotchy yellow and coat other leaves with a powdery white dust? Just how do you tackle these gardening challenges, while being eco-friendly at the same time? This is where Old Wives' Lore for Gardeners comes in. Packed within its pages is all the age-old wisdom of generations of gardeners, people who knew a thing or two about plants. They lived before the days of chemical pesticides and concocted kitchen-cupboard remedies to treat pests and diseases. They gardened organically - although they wouldn't have called it that - because there was no other choice on offer. With a wealth of savvy and cost-effective tips and advice, intriguing facts, snippets of history, and quotes, Old Wives' Lore for Gardeners is not only a fascinating read but also an invaluable guide to the gardening practices of old, which are as relevant today as they have ever been.

Behind every beautiful garden is the skill and experience of the gardener who tends it. How do you know which plants will thrive in your patch, given the bewildering array on offer? How do you know what soil and location they will like? And what do you do about all those pests just waiting to tuck in, not to mention the fungal diseases that suddenly turn your rose leaves from glossy green to blotchy yellow and coat other leaves with a powdery white dust? Just how do you tackle these gardening challenges, while being eco friendly at the same time? This is where Old Wives' Lore for Gardeners comes in. Packed within its pages is all the age-old wisdom of generations of gardeners, people who knew a thing or two about plants and used their down-to-earth experience to create beautiful, productive and useful gardens without spending a fortune. They lived before the days of chemical pesticides and concocted kitchen-cupboard remedies to treat pests and diseases. They gardened organically - although they wouldn't have called it that - because there was no other choice on offer. With a wealth of savvy and cost-effective tips and advice, intriguing facts, snippets of history and quotes, Old Wives' Lore for Gardeners is not only a fascinating read but also an invaluable guide to the gardening practices of old, which are as relevant today as they have ever been.

Gardener's Magic and Other Old Wives' Lore is the companion volume to theuch loved Old Wives' Lore for Gardeners. In it will be found, among muchlse, the magical or healing properties of certain herbs and other plants;atural ways of protecting the garden not only against pests and otherhysical troubles and the importance to gardeners of the phases of the moon.t is a book to warm the heart, cheer the soul and restore the spirit of anyardener.

Explains how to plant fruits and vegetables in harmony with the stars and planets, and discusses lawns, and pest control

Offers reflections on the challenges and rewards of gardening, and includes advice on planning and maintaining flower, herb, and vegetable gardens

Knowledge of plant names can give insight into largely forgotten beliefs. For example, the common red poppy is known as "Blind Man" due to an old superstitious belief that if the poppy were put to the eyes it would cause blindness. Many plant names derived from superstition, folk lore, or primal beliefs. Other names are purely descriptive and can serve to explain the meaning of the botanical name. For example, Beauty-Berry is the name given to the American shrub that belongs to the genus Callicarpa. Callicarpa is Greek for beautiful fruit. Still other names come from literary sources providing rich detail of the transmission of words through the ages.Conceived as part of the author's wider interest in plant and tree lore and ethnobotanical studies, this fully revised edition of Elsevier's Dictionary of Plant Names and Their Origins contains over 30,000 vernacular and literary English names of plants. Wild and cultivated plants alike are identified by the botanical name. Further detail provides a brief account of the meaning of the name and detailed commentary on common usage.* Includes color images * Inclusive of all Latin terms with vernacular derivatives * The most comprehensive guide for plant scientists, linguists, botanists, and historians