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There are around 1400 species of bamboo spread throughout the world's temperate, tropical, and subtropical regions. They grow from sea level to high mountainous regions and can be successfully grown in a range of climates, from coastal California to Minnesota, New England, the British Isles, and continental Europe. Versatile bamboos are both ornamental -- they have striking foliage and come in variety of colors and patterns -- and practical for providing screening and privacy and controlling erosion. They also play an important role in modern society: As a rapidly renewable resource, bamboos are an environmentally conscious solution for homes, gardens, construction, and manufacturing.

The Timber Press Pocket Guide to Bamboos covers 35 genera of bamboos in cultivation and describes more than 300 species and cultivars. Each entry includes the plant's maximum height, maximum culm diameter, light requirements, and minimum temperature tolerated. Includes 300 color photographs for easy identification. Packed with all the authority of an encyclopedia in a pocket-size format, the Timber Press Pocket Guide to Bamboos is a perfect reference for taking to the nursery or garden center.

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The urban landscape has swallowed vast swaths of prime farmland across North America. Imagine how much more self-reliant our communities would be if 30 million acres of lawns were made productive again. Permaculture is a practical way to apply ecological design principles to food, housing, and energy systems; making growing fruits, vegetables and livestock easier and more sustainable.

The Permaculture Handbook is a step-by-step, beautifully illustrated guide to creating resilient and prosperous households and neighborhoods, complemented by extensive case studies of three successful farmsteads and market gardens. This comprehensive manual casts garden farming as both an economic opportunity and a strategy for living well with less money. It shows how, by mimicking the intelligence of nature and applying appropriate technologies such as solar and environmental design, permaculture can:

• Create an abundance of fresh, nourishing local produce
• Reduce dependence on expensive, polluting fossil fuels
• Drought-proof our cities and countryside
• Convert waste into wealth

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Many gardeners can supply a significant amount of their own food during the plentiful summer harvest. But the key to substantial savings on your food bill is putting fresh, homegrown produce on your table every month of the year. And in the mild, forgiving climate of the maritime Pacific Northwest, it can be easier than you might think.

In Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest, Binda Colebrook provides a complete guide to cool-season crops and how to raise them. Gardeners from Southeastern Alaska to southern Oregon will benefit from her clear, practical advice on:

• Selecting and preparing the ideal winter gardening site
• Maximizing production and minimizing pests with cloches, cold frames, mulches and companion planting
• Choosing the best strains and hardiest varieties for a year-round growing season.

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The Montana Gardener's Companion explains how to identify and address common shortcomings of Montana soils, including alkaline soils (the most common soil in Montana), acidic soils (found in some soils in the mountains and near Great Falls), and salty soils (found especially in eastern Montana and in areas west and northwest of Great Falls east of the Divide and in the far northeastern portions of Sheridan County). This book explains the different climates of eastern and western Montana, the effect of elevation on growing seasons, and how Montana gardeners can lengthen their growing seasons through careful plant selection, choosing the correct exposure, planting properly on slopes and using season-extending products.

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The Guide to Rocky Mountain Vegetable Gardening is the first vegetable gardening book that addresses the unique growing conditions and challenges of the five states of the Rocky Mountain region. Authors highlight how to select, grow and harvest a host of vegetables that will succeed in this region.

Authors Bob Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough bring their horticulture experience to The Complete Guide to Rocky Mountain Vegetable Gardening. Bob and Cheryl include advice on everything from starting your garden from seed, to planning your garden with helpful space saving techniques. Their comprehensive presentation of vegetables suitable for Rocky Mountain gardeners make this guide a must-have resource for anyone interested growing vegetables, no matter what their space requirements. Helpful charts will outline when to plant and when to harvest cool and warm season vegetables.

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With its intoxicating scent, gorgeous wands of purple flowers, and silvery foliage, lavender is one of the most sought-after plants. But the horticultural reasons for choosing lavender go far beyond its beauty. Lavender attracts beneficial insects, requires little water once established, and is deer resistant.

In The Lavender Lover's Handbook, lavender grower Sarah Bader teaches gardeners how they can successfully grow this beloved plant. Featuring the 100 easiest, most stunning lavenders available today, this beginner's guide provides a complete checklist of the color, fragrance, size, and foliage of each plant, in addition to basic pruning, spacing, and planting requirements. The text is rounded out with tips on how to harvest, cook, and craft with this wonderful herb.

Its abundant variety, hardiness, fragrance, and culinary uses make lavender one of the most popular and versatile plants. And now, with this practical and accessible guide in hand, it's easier than ever to grow at home.

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Homeowners spend hundreds of dollars watering their yard, but there is an easy way to save money and resources — rain gardening. But what is it? As simple as collecting rain to reuse in front and backyards.

Creating Rain Gardens is a comprehensive book for the DIY-er, covering everything from rain barrels to simple living roofs, permeable patios, and other low-tech affordable ways to save water in the garden.

Water conservation experts Cleo Woelfle-Erskine and Apryl Uncapher walk homeowners through the process, with step-by-step instructions for designing and building swales, French drains, rain gardens, and ephemeral ponds—the building blocks of rain-catching gardens. From soil preparation, planting, troubleshooting, and maintenance, to selecting palettes of water-loving plants that provide four-season interest and a habitat for wildlife, Creating Rain Gardens covers everything a gardener needs to create a beautiful rain garden at home.

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Interest in wine shows no signs of slowing down — wine tours, tastings, and vacations are now common and homeowners often have space dedicated to their collection. The logical next step? Learning to grow and make your own.

In The Organic Backyard Vineyard expert Tom Powers walks the small grower through the entire process of growing grapes, with a month-by-month maintenance guide covering all regions of the U.S. and Canada. He explains everything a beginning grape grower needs to know: how to design and build a vineyard; how to select grapes for each region; how to maximize yield using organic maintenance techniques; how to build a trellis; how to harvest at peak flavor; and how to store grapes for winemaking.

Updated from his self-published version, this edition includes organic growing information and all new photography. The Organic Backyard Vineyard features everything a wine lover needs to build and care for a backyard vineyard.

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Focusing on containers, trellises, and raised beds, this book shows how everyone can garden, including those with physical limitations like arthritis or location limitations like apartment-dwellers without backyards.

Knowing where our food comes from is a huge issue; food safety and costs seem to figure more prominently in our lives all the time. Many people would like to grow their own vegetables but don’t know how to begin—digging, plowing, planting, weeding, and watering a large plot can be daunting. Stand Up and Garden shows how everyone can garden, including those with physical limitations like arthritis or location limitations like apartment-dwellers without backyards. Imagine harvesting radishes, carrots, and strawberries in the spring; herbs, tomatoes, and cucumbers all through the summer; beets, spinach, and even potatoes in autumn. By focusing on containers, trellises, and raised beds, Master Gardener Mary Moss-Sprague has improved upon traditional gardening by developing ways to grow plants that produce large amounts of food—enough for canning and other preservation—in small vertical spaces. New gardeners will find basic planting and growing information for a wide range of vegetables and herbs. Experienced growers will find economical, space- and energy-saving ideas. In addition to vertical gardening techniques, there are tips on overwintering plants and details on sustainable and eco-friendly gardening practices. Step-by-step illustrations and supply lists of inexpensive materials make projects like building a trellis or constructing a raised bed using straw bales accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or skill. There’s even a chapter on installing a micro-drip irrigation system—a very helpful innovation that eliminates the need for heavy hand-held watering devices. Use this great reference for inspiration and instruction on sustainable and economical gardening practices and techniques.