Gardening Step by Step

402 Pages·2011·69.45 MB·English

by  Phil Clayton

GARDENING

STEP BY STEP
Easy-to-follow advice f0r great results
Material previously published in Planting a Small Garden,
Low-maintenance Garden, Easy Pruning, and Vegetable Gardening

GARDENING
STEP BY STEP

GARDENING
STEP BY STEP
Phil Clayton, Jenny Hendy,
Colin Crosbie, Jo Whittingham
Material previously published in Planting a Small Garden,
Low-maintenance Garden, Easy Pruning, and Vegetable Gardening
LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH,
MELBOURNE, DELHI
First American edition 2011
First published in the United States by
DK Publishing
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
11 12 13 14 15 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright© 2011 Dorling Kindersley Limited
Text copyright© 2011 Royal Horticultural Society
Individual titles copyright © and text copyright ©:
Planting a Small Garden 2007;
Low-maintenance Garden 2008; Easy Pruning 2007;
Vegetable Gardening 2007
The material in this book originally appeared in:
Planting a Small Garden, Low-maintenance Garden, Easy Pruning
and Vegetable Gardening, published by DK Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written consent of the copyright owners.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Ltd.
A catalog record for this book is available from the
Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-7566-6367-4
177806—March 2011
Important notice
The authors and the publishers can accept no liability for
any harm, damage, or illness arising from the use or
misuse of the plants described in this book.
Dk books are available at special discount when purchase in bulk for
sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use.
For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 or
[email protected]
Printed and bound by Toppan, China
discover more at
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Contents
Planting a Small Garden
Designing with plants 10
Disguising boundaries • Using color
• Focal points • Themed planting schemes
• Seasonal interest • Spring beds and borders
• Summer beds and borders • Fall beds
and borders • Winter beds and borders
Where to start 30
High and low maintenance • Choosing
a planting style • Planting style ideas
• The effects of exposure • Understanding
soil • Making the most of your soil
How to plant 44
Making a border • Finishing touches
• Making your own compost • Planting a
perennial • Planting a tree • Planting a shrub
• Planting a climber • Sowing annuals outside
• Sowing hardy annuals
Planting recipes 66
Sun-baked gravel garden • Cottage garden
medley • Foliage effects • Tree and shrub
combination • Spring hot spot • Lush leaves
for shade • Formal front garden • Mediterranean
moods • Mixed herb tapestry • Fall elegance
• Winter blaze
Container ideas 88
Choosing a container • Plant up a colorful
container • Spring selection • Sizzling tropics
• Color clash • Fire and ice • Winter perfume
Low-maintenance
Garden
Inspiring easy-care gardens 98
Design ideas for low-maintenance gardens
• Formal design • Contemporary creations
• Havens for wildlife • Courtyard gardens
• New wave planting
Creating your garden 112
Benefits of a low-maintenance garden
• Low- and high-maintenance ingredients
• Assessing your site • Boundaries and
garden dividers • Green dividers
• Selecting landscape materials
Planting ideas 126
Spring mix • Sparkling summer bed
• Elegant fall border • Winter color
• Cool foliage collection • Architectural
design • Early perennials • Contemporary
prairie • Aromatic herb border • Chic foliage
collection • Cottage garden in a container
Caring for your garden 148
Tidying up your garden
Easy Pruning
Why and when to prune 150
Informal pruning • Pruning for a formal
look • Pruning to create space • Pruning
to encourage flowering • Pruning for
colorful stems and bark • Pruning for fruit
How to prune 162
Choosing pruning tools • Tool care
and safety tips • Essential pruning jobs
• Making pruning cuts • Removing branches
• Spur pruning • Minimal pruning
Pruning shrubs and trees 174
Pruning hydrangeas • How to prune
a smoke bush • Pruning witch hazel
• How to prune a shrubby honeysuckle
• Hard-pruning a camellia • Cutting back
California lilacs and philadelphus • How to
prune a patio rose • How to prune a shrub rose
• Pruning other types of roses • Shearing lavender
• How to prune wall shrubs • How to prune
a mahonia • Pruning a holly bush • How to
prune an apple tree
Pruning climbers 204
How to prune wisteria • Cutting back
clematis • How to prune a Group 3 clematis
• Cutting back honeysuckle and ivy • How to
prune a rose on a tripod • Pruning rambling
and climbing roses
Vegetable Gardening
Where to start 216
Choosing a site • Making compost
• Water-wise gardening • Cloches
and cold frames • Root crops • Brassicas
• Alliums • Legumes • Cucurbits • Fruiting
vegetables • Perennial and stem vegetables
• Salad and leafy vegetables and herbs
How to grow vegetables 236
Sowing beet seeds outside • Growing
zucchini from plug plants • Growing first
early potatoes • Growing runner beans
• Planting tomatoes in a growing bag
• Growing chard in a container • Intercropping
lettuce and sweet corn • Planting an herb garden
Planting recipes 250
Vertical vegetable garden • Hanging herb
and vegetable basket • Cut-and-come-again
windowbox • Decorative climbing display
• Exotic vegetable raised bed • Courtyard
vegetable garden • Pretty potager
Caring for your crops 264
Garden allies • Ways to weed • Gallery
of weeds • Dealing with pests • Dealing
with diseases