Poisonous species have intrigued and beguiled people throughout history, and this fascinating book takes readers on a world tour of 50 dangerous plants and fungi.Across cultures and throughout history, humans have harnessed the toxic properties of plants and fungi - from creating lethal poisons and powerful medicines, to utilizing them for spiritual and ritualistic purposes.The Atlas of Deadly Plants is lavishly illustrated and explores the stories...

The Wild Garden was first published in 1870 but it is still hugely relevant to our gardens today. He introduced the world to the concept of wild gardening - naturalising hardy plants from Europe and North America and introducing them in ways that allow their natural way of growing to shine - that is still being implemented in the 21st century.This is the third edition of the book that was published in 1883.

The Allotment Keeper's Handbook is a no-nonsense guide to managing your own organic vegetable patch. Packed with invaluable advice, from how to choose an allotment and test its soil to knowing your chickweed from your chicory, it offers an enjoyable and inspiring shortcut through the trials, errors and frustrations of starting a kitchen garden. Dispensing with the strict calendar-based advice usually found in gardening manuals, Jane Perrone steers a carefree course through the gardener's y...

Have you ever wondered why the leaves of the Swiss cheese plant have holes? How aloe vera came to be harnessed as a medicinal powerhouse? Or why – despite your best efforts – you can’t keep your Venus flytrap alive?You are not alone: houseplant expert Jane Perrone has asked herself those very questions, and in Legends of the Leaf she digs deep beneath the surface to reveal the answers. By exploring how they grow in the wild, and the ways they are understood and used by the...

Poisonous species have intrigued and beguiled people throughout history, and this fascinating book takes readers on a world tour of 50 dangerous plants and fungi.Across cultures and throughout history, humans have harnessed the toxic properties of plants and fungi - from creating lethal poisons and powerful medicines, to utilizing them for spiritual and ritualistic purposes.The Atlas of Deadly Plants explores the stories and uses of some of the mos...

The author of The Drunken Botanist "offers practical and tantalizing composite views of toxic, irritating, prickly, and all-around ill-mannered plants" ( Booklist ).American Horticultural Society Book Award WinnerChosen One of the Best Gardening Books of the Year by the Washington Post and National Pub...

The author of The Global Forest--an international bestseller and a classic upon publication, beloved by readers around the world--gives us her tips and advice for achieving better health and peace of mind, with frugality, simplicity and pleasure not far behind.In The Sweetness of a Simple Life, Diana Beresford-Kroeger mixes science with storytelling, wonderment, magic, myth and plenty of common sense. Orphaned at an early age, Beresford-Kroeger was raised by elder...

"This combination of history, mythology, lore, science and sheer entertainment takes us on a tour of the world's most unusual plants." — Sacramento BeeThe Big, Bad Book of Botany introduces a world of wild, wonderful, and weird plants. Some are so rare, they were once more valuable than gold. Some found in ancient mythology hold magical abilities, including the power to turn a person to stone. Others have been used by assassins to...

From the author of the New York Times bestseller* Why You Shouldn?t Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless (or Gross) Information About Your Body: the be-all and end-all compendium of odd, quirky, and otherwise nauseating information.H ere is another thoroughly distasteful yet utterly compelling book from the author of the New York Times (extended list) bestseller Why You Shouldn?t Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless (or Gross) Information...

"A captivating page-turner of a book that blends history, science, and chemistry together into an evocative story." —Stephen Buchmann, author of What a Bee KnowsA fascinating exploration of the natural history of scent and human perceptions of fragrance from the viewpoint of plant and pollinator.Plants have long harnessed the chemical characteristics of aromatic compounds to shape the world around them. Frankincense resin from the...

With quick and easy instructions, Guinea Pig Care will help you set up a home for your guinea pig and provide you with all the necessary information you need to know to keep your new family member happy and healthy.

Get ready for gross, amazing, totally true scientific facts about the human body!Itching to know what bugs live in your eyelashes, why you get goose bumps, or how ants can be used to heal a wound? Use this delightfully disgusting collection of kid-tastic facts to gross out friends and relatives.In this abridged edition of the adult bestseller, readers will laugh, cringe and squirm over tons of bizarre facts about the human body. The science is in: You would...