Search:

Extraordinary ornamental edibles : 100 perennials, trees, shrubs and vines for Canadian gardens / by Lascelle, Michael Kenneth,1961-author.;
"Growing your own food continues to gain popularity, but planting and tending vegetables every year certainly requires more effort than the ease of maintaining a backyard full of well-established hardy perennials. Now, with the help of this volume, gardeners can have the best of both worlds by planning a garden full of edible perennials that are both gorgeous and easy-to-maintain. From Akebia vine, with its scented flowers and tasty purple-skinned seed pods, to shade-loving Japanese Zingiber-there are so many options for Canadian gardeners beyond the traditional veggie plot. One hundred of the most notable trees, shrubs, vines and perennials are highlighted for both their aesthetic and edible appeal, with each entry including such information as ideal exposure, water needs, pollination requirements, harvesting and food preparation suggestions. More than just a listing of delicious plants, Extraordinary Ornamental Edibles is also a comprehensive guide to the edible landscape as a whole with sensible information about microclimates, pollinators, pests, ecological concerns, organic gardening tips, container growing, space-saving espaliers for small spaces, propagation, grafting, pruning, and design essentials-such as selecting edible ground covers and choosing plants for fall colour. Also included are culinary suggestions and recipes for everything from herbal teas to tempura. From cold-tolerant cultivars of exotic fruit such as the new hardy lemon or yuzu, to surprising varieties of better-known garden staples, like columnade apple trees suitable to growing in pots and blueberries that bear pink fruit, this volume details the full range of unique and exciting options, making it an inspiring and easy-to-reference A-to-Z guide to growing extraordinary ornamental edibles across Canada."--
Subjects: Edible landscaping; Plants, Edible; Plants, Ornamental;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Into the shadow mist / by Soontornvat, Christina.; Hong, Kevin(Illustrator);
"Plum and her friends are traveling to the misty Bokati Island. There, they will study with the mysterious Guardian Master Em, who is the keeper of the ancient forest. The field trip comes just in time for Plum, who still can't figure out why she's so different from the other Novices on Lotus Island. At first, Plum doesn't know what to make of this quiet and sometimes gloomy place. But it doesn't take long to discover that Bokati is brimming with an incredible array of fascinating animals and plants. When an unseen force begins to destroy the trees, putting the entire ecosystem at risk, Plum and her classmates must spring into action. Plum is determined to help, even though she's hiding secrets about her own Guardian powers from even her closest friends"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: School fiction.; Fantasy fiction.; Shapeshifting; Friendship; Magic; Human-animal communication; Schools;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Groundcover revolution : how to use sustainable, low-maintenance, low-water groundcovers to replace your turf / by Jentz, Kathy,author.;
"Reducing the lawn is among the biggest trends in homeownership, with an endless stream of homeowners looking for an eco-friendly alternative to a traditional turfgrass lawn. In the last few years alone, over 23 million American adults converted part of their lawn to a natural landscape, and now they're looking to do even more. The biggest challenge to adopting this new ideal of the perfect lawn? Knowing how and when to replace your turf, and which plants are the best ones for the job. Groundcover Revolution is here with all the answers you need (and some you didn't even know you needed!) How replacing a lawn with groundcovers reduces resource consumption on a significant level; Why groundcovers require far less long-term maintenance than turf after establishment; The many additional benefits of groundcovers, including erosion control, a reduction in chemical usage, a boost in biodiversity, and mitigation of climate change as a carbon sink; The ways groundcovers overcome challenges such as tree roots, compacted soils, poor drainage, and dense shade; The step-by-step mechanics of how to get rid of your lawn, how to place and plant groundcovers from seeds, plugs, or transplants, and how to care for your new "quilted lawn" once it's in place"--
Subjects: Handbooks and manuals.; Gardening.; Gardens; Ground cover plants.; Landscape gardening.; Lawns.; Sustainable horticulture.;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Spring rain : a life lived in gardens / by Hamer, Marc,author,illustrator.;
"From the beloved author of How to Catch a Mole and Seed to Dust comes a highly original memoir of childhood, old age, and the restorative power of the garden. In this restorative little book, best enjoyed in a single sitting under a tree, an adventurous young boy who traveled the world in his mind meets the old man he becomes, and together they build a new garden from a neglected plot behind his house on the edge of town. Alternate chapters follow author and professional gardener Marc Hamer as a child and his current life as a 65 year old. Hamer weaves practical gardening knowledge through these two memoir strands as he describes the planning and planting of his new small garden near Cardiff, Wales. In the words of Hamer, "Spring Rain is about the joy of your own back garden. It is a story about the joy of small things, the world in a grain of sand, a universe in a small garden, with love for all the insects and slugs and flowers and weeds and seeds and roots and boundaries and shade and weather that the garden contains.""--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Hamer, Marc.; Gardeners; Gardens; Human ecology.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Hurricane lizards and plastic squid : the fraught and fascinating biology of climate change / by Hanson, Thor,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In his three previous books-Feathers, The Triumph of Seeds, and Buzz-Thor Hanson has taken his readers on unforgettable journeys into nature, rendered with great storytelling, the soul of a poet, and the insight of a biologist. In this new book, he is doing it again, but exploring one of the most vital scientific and cultural issues of our time: climate change. As a young biologist, Hanson by his own admission watched with some detachment as our warming planet presented plants and animals with an ultimatum: change or face extinction. But his detachment turned to both concern and awe, as he observed the remarkable narratives of change playing out in each plant and animal he studied. In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, Hanson tells the story of how nature-both plants and animals, from beech trees to beetles-are meeting the challenges of rapid climate change head-on, adjusting, adapting, and sometimes noticeably evolving. Brown pelicans are fleeing uphill, seeking out new lives in the mountains. Gorillas in Uganda are turning to new food sources, such as eucalyptus trees (which humans only imported to Africa in the past several decades), as their old sources wain. Auklets, a little sea bird, aren't so lucky: changes in the lifecycles of their primary food source means they return at specific times of year to oceanic feeding grounds expecting plankton blooms that are no longer there. As global warming transforms and restructures the ecosystems in which these animals and others live, Hanson argues, we are forced to conclude that climate change will not have just one effect: Some transformations are beneficial. Others, and perhaps most, are devastating, wiping out entire species. One thing is constant: with each change an organism undergoes, the delicate balance of interdependent ecosystems is tipped, forcing the evolution of thousands more species, including us. To understand how, collectively, these changes are shaping the natural world and the future of life, Hanson looks back through deep time, examining fossil records, pollen, and even the tooth enamel of giant wombats and mummified owl pellets. Together, these records of our past tell the story of ancient climate change, shedding light on the challenges faced by today's species, the ways they will respond, and how these strategies will determine the fate of ecosystems around the globe. Ultimately, the story of nature's response to climate change is both fraught and fascinating, a story of both disaster and resilience, and, sometimes, hope. Lyrical and thought-provoking, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is poised to transform the conversation around climate change, shifting the focus from humans to the lattice of life, of which humans are just a single point"--
Subjects: Adaptation (Biology); Bioclimatology.; Biotic communities.; Climatic changes.; Global environmental change.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The climate change garden : down to Earth advice for growing a resilient garden / by Morgan, Sally,1957-author.; Stoddart, Kim,author.;
The long-predicted extremes of weather caused by climate change are now on our doorstep and gardens around the world are suffering. No matter where on the planet you live, the climate and weather patterns are changing fast, and our gardening practices need to catch up. This book reveals which plants are better suited to deal with extremes and which techniques, practices, and equipment can help temper the issues. This is a global gardener's guide to successful growing beneath the shadow of a changing climate.
Subjects: Gardening; Gardening.; Gardens; Gardens; Plants, Flowering of; Sustainable horticulture.; Vegetation and climate.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Seduced / by White, Randy Wayne,author.;
"Hannah Smith returns in the stunning new adventure in the New York Times-bestselling series by the author of the Doc Ford novels. A fishing guide and part-time investigator, Hannah Smith is a tall, strong Florida woman descended from many generations of the same. But the problem before her now is much older even than that. Five hundred years ago, Spanish conquistadors planted the first orange seeds in Florida, but now the whole industry is in trouble. The trees are dying at the root, weakened by infestation and genetic manipulation, and the only solution might be somehow, somewhere, to find samples of the original root stock. No one is better equipped to traverse the swamps and murky backcountry of Florida than Hannah, but once word leaks out of her quest, the trouble begins. "There are people who will kill to find a direct descendant of those first seeds," a biologist warns her--and it looks like his words may be all too prophetic"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Murder;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The Serviceberry [electronic resource] : by Kimmerer, Robin Wall.aut; Kimmerer, Robin Wall.nrt; cloudLibrary;
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world. As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.” As Elizabeth Gilbert writes, Robin Wall Kimmerer is “a great teacher, and her words are a hymn of love to the world.” The Serviceberry is an antidote to the broken relationships and misguided goals of our times, and a reminder that “hoarding won’t save us, all flourishing is mutual.” Robin Wall Kimmerer is donating her advance payments from this book as a reciprocal gift, back to the land, for land protection, restoration, and justice.
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Plants; Indigenous Studies;
© 2024., Simon & Schuster,
unAPI

The Serviceberry Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World [electronic resource] : by Kimmerer, Robin Wall.aut; Burgoyne, John.ill; cloudLibrary;
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world. As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.” As Elizabeth Gilbert writes, Robin Wall Kimmerer is “a great teacher, and her words are a hymn of love to the world.” The Serviceberry is an antidote to the broken relationships and misguided goals of our times, and a reminder that “hoarding won’t save us, all flourishing is mutual.” Robin Wall Kimmerer is donating her advance payments from this book as a reciprocal gift, back to the land, for land protection, restoration, and justice.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Plants; Indigenous Studies;
© 2024., Scribner,
unAPI

The hidden kingdom of fungi : exploring the microscopic world in our forests, homes, and bodies / by Seifert, Keith A.,author.; Dunn, Rob,writer of foreword.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."For readers of Entangled Life and The Hidden Life of Trees comes an illuminating account of the "invisible" fungi that share our world: from the air we breathe to the dust beneath our feet. The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi traces the intricate connections between fungi and all life on Earth to show how these remarkable microbes enrich our lives: from releasing the carbon in plants for the benefit of all organisms to transmitting information between trees, to producing life-changing medicine, to adding umami flavor and B vitamins to our food. Divided into sections, each one exploring an environment where fungi live, this enthralling, science-backed book ventures into our homes, bodies, farms, and forests to profile the fungi that inhabit these environments, most of them invisible to the naked eye. Along the way, the author, the esteemed career mycologist Keith Seifert, explains the latest research into where these fungi came from: how yeast, lichens, slimes, and molds evolved and adapted over millions of years. And he shows us that, surprisingly, fungi share almost a quarter of human genes. We may have more in common with yeast and slime than we think ... But not all fungi are good for us. In fact, fungal diseases lead to over 1 million deaths each year and more than a quarter of our food goes to waste. How can we strike a better balance with our microbial cousins, both for their sake and ours? The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi urges us to better understand our relationship with fungi--and to plan our future with them in mind--while revealing their world in all its beautiful complexity."--
Subjects: Fungi; Fungi.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI