A Woman's Garden Review & GIVEAWAY

Grow beautiful plants and make useful things with A Woman's Garden by Tanya Anderson! Tanya gardens on the Isle of Man and is founder of the popular YouTube channel Lovely Greens. She introduces 8 inspiring female gardeners from across the globe (Canada, USA, UK, Germany), including herself. Through lavish photography we visit their gardens - getting a peek at what they grow and make. They share ideas for growing herbs, vegetables, flowers and fruits and using them creatively. Each of their gardens is unique and incorporate different elements like edible crops, culinary herbs, organic edible flowers, medicinal plants, plants for skin care, pollinator-friendly plants, garden art, wildlife oasis and dye garden. Over 35 projects for gardeners and crafters alike are featured. Learn how to prepare delicious recipes, steep, muddle and infuse herbs, mix all-natural household cleaners, create plant-based dyes, craft homemade skin care products, make useful handicrafts and build practical garden features. It's a delightful tour of garden grow and make possibilities! The complete table of contents is listed below.  Cool Springs Press will release this 192 page paperback on April 27, 2021. Reserve your copy now. An electronic version is currently available. Get your copy below!

C O N T E N T S

Introduction

THE EDIBLE GARDEN

THE KITCHEN GARDEN

DEANNA'S GARDEN

Gallery of Homegrown Produce

Creating a New Vegetable Garden

Pallet Strawberry Planter

Growing Salad Greens

A Berry Delicious Garden

Low-Maintenance Edibles

EDIBLE FLOWERS

JAN'S GARDEN

Gallery of Edible Flowers

Edible Flowers in Your Garden

Edible Flower Planter

Floral Ice Cubes

Edible Flower Frittata

Lavender Shortbread

CULINARY HERBS

REHKA'S GARDEN

Gallery of Culinary Herbs

DIY Herb Spiral

Herb-Infused Oil

Three-Mint Mojito

Herb-Embedded Pasta

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

PLANTS FOR SKINCARE

TANYA'S GARDEN

Gallery of Skin Care Plants

Creating Botanical Extracts

Rose Petal Face Mist

Herbal Bath Fizzies

Lavender and Alkanet Soap

HERBAL MEDICINE

GIOVANNA'S GARDEN

Gallery of Medicinal Plants

A Home Herbalists Garden

Growing Chamomile for Tea

Chamomile Tincture

Calendula Skin Salve

Lemon Balm Cold Sore Balm

HOME AND CRAFTS

HERBS FOR THE HOME

ASHLIE'S GARDEN

Gallery of Plants for the Home

Growing a Home Garden

Raised Garden Bed

Rosemary and Citrus Kitchen Spray

Natural Wood Furniture Polish

Soapwort Multipurpose Cleaner

NATURAL PLANT DYES

TERESINHA'S GARDEN

Gallery of Plants with Natural Color

Growing a Dye Garden

Using Dye Plants

Dying Yarn with Onion Skins

Naturally Coloring Handmade Soap

THE CRAFTY GARDEN

MELISSA'S GARDEN

Gallery of Creative Garden Makes

A Creative and Low-Cost Garden

Fossil Imprint Stepping-Stone

Pressed Flower Candles

Papier-Mâché Leaf Lanterns

A Word of Thanks

About the Author

Index

Growing culinary herbs.

Three-mint mojito.

Growing plants for skin care.

Rosemary and citrus kitchen spray.

Edible Flower Frittata, page 55.

Plants for skin care, page 86.

A Woman's Garden ISBN-13 : 978-0760368404 is available worldwide at Cool Springs Press. Cool Springs Press is an imprint of the Quarto Publishing Group USA. Cool Springs Press is the leading publisher of step-by-step how-to books for both DIY gardening and home improvement. Check out their unique catalog at Cool Springs Press. Quarto has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until May 7, 2021. Canadian and USA only. Good luck!

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Seasonal Plant Dyes Review & GIVEAWAY

Learn how easy it is to make color from plants with Seasonal Plant Dyes by Alicia Hall. In her gorgeous debut book the English plant dyer and owner of Botanical Threads shares her passion for dyeing. It's a general guide to the process of plant dyeing and contains dye recipes for 19 botanical specimens such as herbs, flowers, roots, leaves, berries and cones, etc. Learn about harvesting plants, choosing fabrics, tools, soya milk, dyeing basics and modifiers as they relate to plant dyeing. Almost all of the recipes are straightforward and uncomplicated. They are organized seasonally and contain short sections on color, what you need, making the dye and dyeing the fabric. Along side each recipe is very useful plant information. No expensive equipment is required - you just need a few old pots and pans, wooden spoons, a sieve/colander and a place to forage. Four projects are included - a linen cushion cover, embroidered picnic blanket, hot water bottle cozy and quilt. The complete table of contents is listed below. It's everything you need to know to start making colorful and environmentally friendly plant dyes at home! Also check out Alicia's inspiring web-site. You'll find the special recipe for soya milk she uses as an alternative to harmful chemicals. Casemate IPM released this 104 page paperback on May 27, 2020. It is also available in e-book format. Get your copy below!

contents 

INTRODUCTION 

CHAPTER ONE 

Harvesting Plants

CHAPTER TWO 

Choosing Fabrics 

CHAPTER THREE 

Tools 

CHAPTER FOUR 

Soya Milk 

CHAPTER FIVE 

Dyeing Basics 

CHAPTER SIX 

Modifiers 

CHAPTER SEVEN 

SPRING 

Mint leaves 

Madder roots

Bay leaves

Nettle tops

Forsythia flowers

Spring Project

Linen Cushion Cover 

CHAPTER EIGHT

SUMMER

Buddleja flowers

Lavender leaves

Woad leaves

St John's wort flowers

Summer Project

Embroidered Picnic Blanket

CHAPTER NINE

AUTUMN

Dahlia flowers

Walnut shells

Elderberries

Dyers chamomile flowers

Yarrow flowers

Autumn Project

Hot Water Bottle Cozy

CHAPTER TEN 

WINTER

Rosemary leaves

Ivy leaves

Eucalyptus leaves

Alder cones

Dyers alkanet roots

Winter Project

Patchwork quilt

chapter one: harvesting plants, pages 12/13

chapter one: harvesting plants, pages 16/17

chapter two: choosing fabrics, pages 24/25

chapter three: tools, pages 26/27

 

A botanically dyed rainbow from Alicia 's Instagram feed.

My copy of the book open to page 41 - the mint leaf dye recipe. Beside it a bowl of freshly picked chocolate and apple mint I have growing in abundance.

Seasonal Plant Dyes is available in Canada and the USA at Casemate IPM and in the UK and Europe at Pen and Sword Books. It is published by White Owl an imprint of Pen & Sword Books, a publisher based in the UK. Casemate IPM has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until August 23, 2020. Canada & USA only. Good luck!

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Harvesting Tomato Seeds Tutorial

The second project I've done from my new book Propagating Plants is harvesting tomato seeds. I looked up tomato in the index and was directed to page 307.

Above is an excerpt from pages 307. I followed the instructions for harvesting tomato seeds. "Aside from F1 hybrids, tomatoes come true to type, so it is worth saving seeds. If you are doing so, allow the fruits to ripen just beyond the eating stage. Cut open and squeeze the seeds and pulp into a bowl. Label and leave undisturbed in a warm place for 2-3 days. A thick skin should form, and the gel that coats the seeds will ferment. After 3-4 days (no longer), scoop the skin off the top and rinse the seeds thoroughly in a sieve under running water. Spread out on paper towels to dry. Seeds can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to four years."

A few tomatoes from the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens. I'm especially interested in the seeds from the tiny yellow tomatoes. I think they are an heirloom variety called yellow currant tomato. I would like to grow them next spring.

September 1st, evening. Seeds from the tiny ripe yellow tomatoes only. It doesn't take many. The seeds neatly squirted out. I going to top off with a little water so they don't dry out.

 

September 5th, morning. A skin has formed as indicated so I'll scoop it off, rinse the seeds thoroughly and spread them out on a paper towel to dry.

September 6th, morning. Here are my tomato seeds! When they dried I brushed them off the paper towel onto the above plate. Why harvest tomato seeds? It costs nothing, plus it's easy, satisfying and rewarding.

A scan of pages 306 and 307 from Propagating Plants.

Propagating Plants: How to Create New Plants for Free ISBN-13: 978-1465480125 is available worldwide at DK Canada, DK US, and DK UK. DK was founded in London in 1974 and is now the world leading illustrated reference publisher and a member of the Penguin Random House division of Bertelsmann.

Sprouting Beans in a Jar Tutorial

The first project I've done from my new book Propagating Plants is sprouting beans in a jar. I looked up beans sprouts in the index and was directed to pages 308 and 309. The technique is rated easy.

Above is an excerpt from pages 308 and 309. I followed the instructions for sprouting beans in a jar. "Soak beans in 1 in (2.5 cm) of cold water in a jar overnight (see inset). Seal with muslin; drain off the water. Leave in a warm, dark place. Rinse twice daily until sprouted."  That's it.

The small green beans above are mung beans. They are commonly used to make bean sprouts. I bought about a cup of them at the bulk food store for less than a dollar.

Morning of August 11. My beans are prepped for overnight soaking. 

Morning of August 14. After soaking overnight, followed by two days of rinsing twice daily my beans have sprouted and are ready to eat. 

The above photo shows my beans sprouted in the mason jar. I have removed the muslin and sampled the sprouts. They taste nice, crunchy and delicious. I'm thrilled! Have a go. It's fun! Why sprout mung beans? Because they are packed with healthy nutrients and taste great. Have you tried sprouting?

A scan of pages 308 and 309 from Propagating Plants.

Propagating Plants: How to Create New Plants for Free ISBN-13: 978-1465480125 is available worldwide at DK Canada, DK US, and DK UK. DK was founded in London in 1974 and is now the world leading illustrated reference publisher and a member of the Penguin Random House division of Bertelsmann.

Propagating Plants: How to Create New Plants for Free Review

Want more plants for free or next to nothing? A revised new edition of Propagating Plants: How to Create New Plants for Free, with Alan Toogood Editor-in-Chief has just been released! For clarity, propagate means "to produce a new plant using a parent plant". This attractive hardcover contains everything you could want to see, learn and know about plant propagation.The volume is compiled by experienced horticulturalists and focuses entirely on propagation facts. It's a comprehensive guide on how to propagate more than 1,500 plants with detailed coverage of individual plants. It is designed so that the information is easy to access. The books layout is inviting and engaging with excellent typography and an abundance of photographs and illustrations. A nine page index makes it very easy to reference a specific plant. Contents includes sections on garden trees, shrubs and climbing plants, perennials, annuals and biennials, cacti and other succulents, bulbous plants and vegetables. The complete table of contents is shown below, as are multiple sample pages. There are hundreds of tutorials with techniques that are rated easy, moderate and challenging. The methods are explained well. There is a one page glossary of horticultural terminology. I used it to look up "latex" which I now know means "milky white sap or fluid that bleeds from some plants when stem is cut or wounded; may be irritant." This book is for beginner through serious gardeners. I'm learning a lot. It's an excellent resource on plant propagation. The only one you'll need. DK Publishing released the 320 page hardcover on May 7, 2019. Get your copy below!

Contents

How to use this book

INTRODUCTION

Learning from nature

Propagation in the past

Modern propagation

Sexual increase of plants

Vegetative propagation

Tools and equipment

Soils and growing media

Propagation in different climates

The propagation environment

Plant problems

GARDEN TREES

Taking cuttings

Sowing seeds

Grafting and budding

Layering

Palms

Cycads

Conifers

A-Z of garden trees

SHRUBS AND CLIMBING PLANTS

Taking cuttings

Division

Sowing seeds

Layering

Grafting

Heaths and heathers

Roses

A-Z of shrubs and climbing plants

PERENNIALS

Division

Sowing seeds

Taking cuttings

Ferns

Alpine plants

Water garden plants

Bromeliads

Ornament grasses

Orchids

A-Z of perennials

ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS

Sowing seeds

A-Z of annuals and biennials

CACTI AND OTHER SUCCULENTS

Sowing seeds

Division

Taking cuttings

Grafting

A-Z of cacti and other succulents

BULBOUS PLANTS

Division

Sowing seeds

Scaling and chipping

A-Z of bulbous plants

VEGETABLES

Sowing seeds

Culinary herbs

A-Z of vegetables

Glossary

Index

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION, Tools and equipment, pages 28 & 29.

SHRUBS AND CLIMBING PLANTS, Roses from seeds, pages 116 & 117.

PERENNIALS pages 146 & 147.

CACTI AND OTHER SUCCULENTS, Taking cuttings, pages 236 & 237.

A-Z of vegetables, pages 298 & 299.

Propagating Plants: How to Create New Plants for Free ISBN-13: 978-1465480125 is available worldwide at DK Canada, DK US, and DK UK. DK was founded in London in 1974 and is now the world leading illustrated reference publisher and a member of the Penguin Random House division of Bertelsmann.

Countertop Gardens Review & GIVEAWAY

Curious about growing food indoors? Even if natural light is low? I am. So I decided to check out Countertop Gardens: Easily Grow Kitchen Edibles Indoors for Year-Round Enjoyment by Shelley Levis. Shelly shares a variety of methods for growing herbs, greens, fruits and vegetables indoors. Growing inside has never been easier. You wouldn't believe all of the innovative products designed for indoor growing. Shelly personally tested and sourced those discussed in her book. Alternatively she shows astonishing DIY options. Relying on 20 years of experience, she advises on the best edibles for indoor growing. They include varieties of tomatoes, herbs, mushrooms, peppers, strawberries, root vegetables, alliums, salad greens, sprouts, micro greens and edible flowers - as well as those to avoid. Chapters on Growing Basics (light, photosynthesis, fertilizer, water, air, ph, temperature, humidity) and Troubleshooting are very useful. Shelly is the passionate horticulturist, turned author, speaker and entrepreneur at Sow & Dipity, a thriving gardening blog. Her 160 page paperback from Cool Springs Press was released on June 19, 2018. Get your copy below!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 

Countertop garden methods

CHAPTER 2 

Growing basics

CHAPTER 3

Best edibles for countertop gardens

CHAPTER 4

Countertop growing devices

CHAPTER 5

DIY Countertop gardening

CHAPTER 6

Toubleshooting

Resources

Index

About the author

DIY Countertop Gardening

Water Garden Fish Tank

Mushroom Kit

Hydroponic AeroGarden

Garden In A Bag, Oregano

Window Lettuce Box

.

Self-Watering Flower Garden Jar - Pansy

Countertop Gardens is available worldwide at Cool Springs Press. Cool Springs Press is a division of the Quarto Publishing Group USA. Cool Springs Press is the leading publisher of step-by-step how-to books for both DIY gardening and home improvement. Check out their unique catalog at Cool Springs Press. Quarto has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until August 13, 2018. Canadian and USA addresses only. Good luck!

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This is my Apache chili pepper plant. It's growing in a pot on my patio.