How To Create An Eco Garden

See 9780754834717 for the updated new edition 2020. This is the practical guide to greener, planet-friendly gardening. It includes garden layouts and planting plans, step-by-step techniques, a directory of 80 plants and over 500 photographs and illustrations. It shows how to reduce your garden's 'carbon footprint' and create a greener, more ecologically sustainable garden by working with nature. It includes step-by-step advice for establishing an eco system, controlling weeds, composting with worms, harvesting and storing water, planning a food garden, encouraging backyard wildlife, and landscaping with recycled materials. Detailed and inspirational 'greenprints' show layouts and planting schemes for city courtyards, food gardens, allotments, dry gardens and rain gardens, as well as how to eco-fit an existing garden. This title features a fully illustrated directory of 80 plant species chosen for their eco-friendly benefits, from flowers, shrubs and hedging plants to vegetables, tree fruits and herbs. Working in harmony with nature, eco gardeners can create attractive and resilient gardens that reduce our 'carbon footprint', while nurturing vibrant, biologically rich growing spaces that build soil, boost biodiversity and encourage a sense of self-reliance. Simple and fun projects include making a pond, a log pile and a wildlife hotel, turning a lawn into wildflower meadow, and making an edible green roof. A fully illustrated directory of 80 plant species describes the best plants for an eco garden, including flowers for attracting beneficial insects, and shrubs that provide winter food for birds.

Eco gardening can lessen our overconsumption of natural resources, reduce waste, cut energy use, and make a positive contribution to reducing our carbon footprint. Each page of this planet-friendly book is bursting with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Find out how to make soil-building compost from kitchen and household waste, how to save energy by harvesting rainwater, and how to utilise sunlight in your garden. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity and attract pest- eating animals and insects. Learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping. Six eco garden `greenprints' are packed with environmentally friendly ideas. Simple projects include making a pond and a wildlife hotel, turning a lawn into a wild ower meadow, and planting a `fedge'. Packed with practical advice and 500 photographs, this book is for everyone who wants a beautiful, productive backyard that won't cost the earth.