Table of Contents
Introduction 6
Assessing Your Space 8
How to assess your space 10
The weather 12
Sun, shade, and the seasons 14
Your microclimate 16
Your soil 18
Landscape inspiration 22
Flower Beds & Borders 26
Designing beds and borders 28
Size, shape, and layout 30
Choosing your plants 32
Making a planting plan 40
Sunny sites 42
Shady sites 46
Wet, sticky soils 50
Dry, free-draining soils 54
Exposed sites 58
Rock gardens 62
Choosing and buying plants 66
Perennials, Annuals, & Biennials 68
Growing perennials 70
Growing annuals and biennials 80
Bulbs 86
Growing bulbs 88
Shrubs 98
Growing shrubs 100
Pruning shrubs 106
Climbers 118
Growing climbers 120
Pruning climbers 126
Roses 134
Growing roses 136
Grasses, Bamboos, & Ferns 148
Growing grasses 150
Growing bamboos 156
Growing ferns 162
Lawns, Meadows, & Gravel Gardens 166
What sort of lawn? 168
Looking after your lawn 170
What's wrong with my lawn? 176
Making a new lawn 180
Alternatives to grass 183
Wildflower meadows 184
Gravel gardens 186
Trees 192
Trees 194
Caring for trees 200
Hedges 210
Hedges 212
Caring for hedges 218
Containers 222
Growing plants in containers 224
Care and maintenance 228
Growing crops in containers 232
Crops 240
Where to grow crops 242
Growing vegetables 244
Root vegetables 248
Leafy vegetables 254
Peas and beans 256
Fruiting vegetables 258
Growing herbs 261
Growing fruit 264
Fruit trees 268
Fruit bushes and soft fruits 272
Tools & Techniques 276
The basic tool kit 278
Watering 282
Mulches 286
Feeding your plants 288
Compost 290
Digging 292
Weeding 295
Eco-gardening 296
Propagating plants 298
Garden Doctor 312
What's wrong? 314
Garden pests and parasites 316
Plant diseases 320
Keeping plants healthy 324
Garden Year Planner 328
Early spring 330
Mid-to late spring 331
Early summer 332
Mid- to late summer 333
Fall 334
Winter 335
Glossary 336
Understanding plant names 340
Index 342
Acknowledgments 351
