| Pond Plants & Cultivation |
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  ond plants & Cultivation is a well organised, easy to understand and, as with the others in the series, beautifully illustrated book covering most of what you need to know when introducing pond plants or marginals.
The author, Philip Swindells starts by stressing the importance of plants for shade, oxygenation and providing a natural environment for fish and other pond dwellers.
There is a large section devoted to water lilies, explaining which varieties are suitable for different sizes of pond. This continues with a section on other deep water loving plants.
 hroughout all sections the imagery is inspiring to say the least. With beautiful full colour examples of plants covered with some very colourful group shots as well. Even for a complete beginner the problems of which plants to buy and where to put them is laid out in very simple, easy to understand terminology. The reader is certainly provided with a huge selection of marginals, floating, submerged and bog loving plants to chose from in and around the pond.
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he soils and composts section shows a neat way to work out if your soil is suitable for pond planting, and warns you that if the wrong types of compost are used this could lead to overgrowth of algae or slimes.
The planting section gives step by step guides on the many methods and containers used for different types of plant. This leads on neatly to the various forms of propagation then how to over winter less hardy varieties.
here is finally a general section on pond maintenance, water quality and caring for your wildlife. The format of this book as with all the others in the range is very much the same. It is well researched, logically presented and creates interest at every turn of the page. It is the sort of book you will read from cover to cover and then refer to on a regular basis. Philip Swindells has managed to produce another very interesting, informative and useful reference book.
Sample Pages
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Contents
Introduction
Pygmy and small waterlilies
Medium-sized waterlilies
Large waterlilies
Other deep-water aquatics
Reeds and rushes
Irises
Other marginals
Floating and submerged plants
Flowering bog plants
Foliage bog plants
Choosing plants
Soils and composts
Planting and containers
Natural planting
Planting a waterlily
Division of a crowded marginal
Fertilizing plants
Planting bog plants
Waterlily propagation from eyes
Divison propagation - reeds and rushes
Divison propagation - other marginals
Stem cuttings
Propagating submerged plants
Raising from seed
Root cutiings and plantlets
Storing plants overwinter
Routine maintenance
caring for your wildlife
Index
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| Reviewed by Chris Morgan |
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Other titles in this series...
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| All of the books reviewed are available from selected UK Garden Centres. To search for a garden centre near you or anywhere else in the United Kingdom click on the image to the right. * Note: It is always advisable to telephone a garden centre before you visit to check on stock levels of specific items. Should the item you require not be currently in stock, the garden centre will be happy to order it for you.
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