Over the course of the nineteenth century, gardening came to be considered a respectable profession, providing a means to an education, a good chance of advancement and decent working conditions. The hierarchy of the garden staff became just as regimented as that of domestic servants, and progression was attained by hard work, self-improvement and ambition. Training courses and apprenticeships prepared young gardeners for their trade and horticulture became recognised as a skilled professi...

"Some plants are inherently rare, while others become rare through our actions."Rare Plants explores what makes the world's most uncommon plants so exceptional, and by what means they have become so scarce. From highlands to jungles, many of our most extraordinary plants are vanishing at shocking rates, and this exquisitely illustrated book explores 40 of these mysterious species.Featuring stunning archive images and expert insight from th...

Evelin Boots is nobody’s idea of a normal school girl least to herself. Although a high achiever, she is constantly confused by her distressing anxious thoughts. As her mental health declines, it fuels the darkness in the enchanted realm of Mare-Marie. Here its princess, Belleny Vera, must journey outside her solitary confinement to stop the growing evil that’s connected to Evelin. Follow two magical and evocative stories that weave and repel each other to find truth, peace and solace....

The kitchen garden was once a vital component of the country estate, supplying fruit, vegetables and flowers to meet the needs of the family and their household. A vast range of fruit and vegetables was grown, from everyday crops of potatoes and cabbages to the exotic delights of grapes, peaches and pineapples. The table had to be supplied all year round, and gardeners were expert in forcing, ripening and storage of produce. All sorts of gadgets and technology were employed, from cucumber ...

An increasing number of Australians want to be assured that the food and fibre being produced on this continent have been grown and harvested in an ecologically sustainable way. Ecologically sustainable farming conserves the array of species that are integral to key ecological processes such as pollination, seed dispersal, natural pest control and the decomposition of waste. Wildlife Conservation in Farm Landscapes communicates new scientific information about best practice ways to integrate ...

Science fiction loves strangeness. It relishes oddities, even when it piles on fear and dystopian loathing. The technical term for a fascination with the strange and alien is xenophilia, just as the term for a terror of the strange is xenophobia. At its core, then, science fiction is...Xeno Fiction. So science fiction seeks out the strange, roams far from home in space and time, looks with avid eagerness upon the ways of the Others, human or alien. It participates, in brilliantly lighted i...

In today’s fast-paced world, we’ve never seen people more stressed, anxious, and time poor than we are now. The big question is: how can we help individuals overwhelmed by constant pressures to cultivate a better mindset and cope with daily challenges? How can you transform your mindset and conquer these with ease?In the Time Poor Series: Mindset, we’ve gathered insights, practical tips, and real-life strategies fr...

Expect a life-changing experience[Re]Awakenings are the starting points for life-changing experiences; a new plane of existence, an alternate reality or cyber-reality. This genre-spanning anthology of new speculative fiction explores that theme with a spectrum of tales, from science fiction to fantasy to paranormal; in styles from clinically serious to joyfully silly. As you read through them all, and you must read all of them, you will discover along the way that ...

'Simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie' The Sunday TimesDiscover the novels that inspired the hit ITV series Midsomer Murders, seen and loved by millions.A Place of Safety by prize-winning writer Caroline Graham is the sixth Midsomer Murders novel starring much-loved Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. Featuring an exclusive foreword by John Nettles, ITV's DCI Tom ...

From the acclaimed author of the Charles Lenox series of mysteries, including the Agatha-nominated novel A Beautiful Blue Death, comes a riveting short story of death and detection on the East End.It's the end of winter 1865 when Lenox agrees to investigate the death of Phil Jigg, a beloved neighborhood regular, found strangled on Great St. Andrews Street. In a case that takes him through the noisy vendors and pickpockets, the rough-and-tumble back alleys ...

In the spring of 1817, I agree to track down the missing necklace of a society matron and prove the innocence of her maid, who has been arrested for the theft. The matron in question declares that the rival for her husband’s affections has stolen the necklace, but I soon realize that the problem is not so simple.I recruit Lady Breckenridge to infiltrate the household, while Lucius Grenville and I, assisted by Grenville’s robust footmen, follow other leads.The investigation ...

“Nell is one of the strongest, most honorable, and dearest heroines to grace the pages of an amateur sleuth novel.... P.B. Ryan knows how to write a tale that will grip and keep readers’ interest throughout the novel.” —Midwest Book ReviewsNell Sweeney, a young Irish-born governess in post-Civil War Boston, may not have much, but she does possess both a keen mind and a brave heart. As governess to the wealthy Hewitt family, she finds plenty of opportunities to use both—especially w...