Ivydene Gardens Library Catalogue: Introduction |
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Welcome to Ivydene Gardens Library Catalogue.Please note that this listing is for information only. I am not able to lend or loan out these books. If you wish to obtain a copy of any book that interests you, visit your local library or Amazon.co.uk. If you live in Kent, I also thoroughly recommend The Rainham Bookshop, Station Road, Rainham (01634 371591). The chart below explains how Ivydene Gardens Library has been structured. Click a link to get the start page of each section. Each entry, where possible, has an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) to assist you in locating a copy. In order to assist the design process for a garden, the Library has been split into the following order of abstraction:-
The Reference Library and the Practical Projects categories will assist with construction. Private garden maintenance can then be assisted by the following:- |
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Please note that entries in the library pages in red text indicate books that Chris Garnons-Williams has found to be more useful than the others in that section. |
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Site design and content copyright ©December 2006. Page structure amended October 2012. Text altered to Verdana 10 pt Blue December 2023 as is being done to the remainder of this website. Chris Garnons-Williams. DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are not responsible for the content and/or quality of external web sites linked from this site. |
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Library Pages
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The Garden Style chosen at the beginning defines what a garden should look like. Following this choice of Garden Style, then:-
Plant Association shows which plant combinations give pleasing flower or foliage colour combinations, then Plant Type gives growing conditions of a family of plants - ie Primulas - with lists of primulas with the same flower colour, foliage colour or height and where is suitable for those plants, followed by Plant Species gives data about a family of plants in a restricted format - ie without lists - as the lowest level of useful information (unless you are prepared to read the text in a whole book each time you want to use this particular species of plant).
Gardening gives general information on how to garden for the whole garden. Garden Cultivation gives specific information on veg, fruit, lawn, pond, etc. Garden Pests details garden pests/diseases and their control.
Practical Projects gives details on how to construct hard landscaping. |
THE 2 EUREKA EFFECT PAGES FOR UNDERSTANDING SOIL AND HOW PLANTS INTERACT WITH IT OUT OF 15,000:-
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when I do not have my own or ones from mail-order nursery photos , then from March 2016, if you want to start from the uppermost design levels through to your choice of cultivated and wildflower plants to change your Plant Selection Process then use the following galleries:-
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There are other pages on Plants which bloom in each month of the year in this website:-
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EU Directive No. 456179 |
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Ground Cover Herbs from Seed I often get asked what herbs are suited as ground covers. Customers tell me, "I hate cutting grass," or "I like trying something completely different, and I don't mind if my neighbours think I'm crazy to dig up my lawn." Herbal ground covers are very different, but their pleasing leaf textures and often showy masses of colour are becoming more popular in place of grass. Being the tough little critters they are, they need next to no care once established. And if you don't mind foliage and flowers that tickle your ankles and beyond, you can dispense with the weekly trysts with the lawnmower to keep things trim and proper. The biggest problem with herbal lawns is the start up cost. Regrettably, some of the finest low growing herbs are only increased by cuttings or division – the flowerless variety of english chamomile, Treneague, is a notable example. You need the payroll of a CEO to afford enough plants for an instant lawn. Or, you need the patience for many seasons of divide and spread to cover much ground starting with a few plants. Fortunately there are several good choices for herbs you can grow from seed. By far the most popular is wild thyme (Thymus praecox subsp. articus), also known as mother-of-thyme. It grows 4 to 6 inches high, has masses of rose-pink flowers in July, and grows fast enough to crowd out weeds. At 110,000 seeds per ounce, the seeds are very fine, much smaller than grass seeds, so it is a good idea to mix seeds with a filler like sand to avoid dropping 90% of your seed in 10% of the area to be covered. We recommend an ounce of seed per 1000 square feet. In the kitchen wild thyme is not commonly regarded as a culinary herb in North America, but European cooks have long used it in meat dishes just like the more famous English and French thymes (Thymus vulgaris). If nothing else, wild thyme will at least drive you from drink should you dare to consumer alcohol and the leaves at the same time. The combination causes a mother-of-a-hangover! Another popular choice for lawnless lawns is yarrow (Achillea millefolium). While its white, red or pink flowering stalks can reach a foot in height, its dense, many-divided leaves make for a cushion lawn that just invites a picnic, a snooze or other prostrate activities. I have seen yarrow used very successfully in small urban settings. especially under partial shade. If the flowers get too high, one or two runs a season with the lawnmower will keep things in check. Yarrow seeds are small and light, lighter than wild thyme. there are 175,000 seeds per ounce, and an ounce per 2500 square feet is the recommended sowing rate. Yarrow tea is insurance for colds and flus, which is a good thing if you are going to lie around in your lawn a lot. If you don't mind a more rangy and taller cover, Fassen's catnip (Nepeta x faassenii) is a good aromatic choice, growing up to 12 inches in height. Don't worry, cats are not as enamoured by this variety as they are by the much taller growing regular catnip (Nepeta cataria). Sow an ounce per 600 square feet. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a good choice for warmer, sunny locales. It is a perennial, hardy to zone 6, with finely divided emerald leaves. The small daisy-like flowers are, of course, used to make the popular herbal tea. Be forewarned, there are those who insist that tea made from the Roman (sometimes also known as 'English') is superior to the annual German or Hungarian variety (Matricaria recutita), and there are others who argue just as strenuously the other way. As sides ten to fall along ethnic lines, we prefer to stay out of the debate! In any case, a Roman chamomile lawn is pure enchantment in many landscape settings. Again the seed are very fine – 155,000 per ounce – and one ounce will cover 2000 square feet. As with all seeds this small, it is crucial not to plant too deep; best simply to press the seeds, once broadcast, into the soil using a board or other object with a flat surface. |