Elements of Organic Gardening [Hardcover]

Prince of Wales Charles (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0297844164 | ISBN-13: 978-0297844167 | Publication Date: March 21, 2007

In THE GARDEN AT HIGHGROVE, HRH The Prince of Wales gave an overview of how the garden had developed over 20 years. In this more practical book he describes the organic practices that have turned Highgrove into one of the finest gardens in the country. The same organic principles are also employed at Clarence House and Birkhall, each with their quite different conditions and problems. Birkhall, photographed for the first time, has an extensive cutting garden used by the Duchess of Cornwall for the flower arrangements with which she fills the house. THE ELEMENTS OF ORGANIC GARDENING covers compost, healthy soil and propagation, plant combinations and rotations, and how to deal with pests the organic way. There is a calendar describing what is done at Highgrove throughout the year, all beautifully photographed by Andrew Lawson.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'as valuable to people who want to transform their own gardens as to those who aspire to adapt their farming practices.' THE FIELD 'The text is inspirational, and the copious photographs, by Andrew Lawson, are enchanting.' GOOD BOOK GUIDE 'some fascinating practical lessons... a good, earnest, comonsensical tour of organic gardening.' -- Stephen Anderton GARDENS ILLUSTRATED 'down-to-earth advice on composting, rotations, plant combinations and propagation with some great photos' -- Pippa Greenwood DAILY MIRROR

About the Author

HRH The Prince of Wales has been a keen gardener for more than 25 years and has developed his estate at Highgrove as a model for organic farming and gardening. Stephanie Donaldson is the gardens editor on Country Living magazine and the author of several garden books. Stephanie Donaldson is the gardens editor on Country Living magazine and the author of several garden books.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Illus (March 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297844164
• ISBN-13: 978-0297844167
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HRH Gets It Right In The Garden, September 7, 2007

By 

Nicole "Daily Mantra" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Elements of Organic Gardening (Hardcover)

A quarter of a century ago, when Prince Charles first spoke publicly about his belief in organic gardening and farming principles, he was dismissed as a tree-hugging eccentric that walked around talking to his plants. Twenty-five years on, he's considered an ecological visionary. His personal life may be somewhat controversial, but the garden is one place he gets it right (if only he could relate to people as well as he relates to his plants). In The Elements of Organic Gardening, published in the U.S. today by Kales Press, The Prince of Wales shares the sustainable growing methods he's used in his own gardens at Highgrove, Birkhall and Clarence House.

The book covers the time-honored principles of composting, crop rotation and water conservation that we've ignored for too long at our own peril. In a modest, personable style, Charles talks about his use of ducks and birds to naturally control pests such a slugs and snails, and the use of natural insecticides made from garlic extract to control bugs. He shares his ideas on the virtues of seasonal planting to work with nature's calendar rather then against it (Do we really need strawberries all year round?), and extols the traditional values of husbandry -- the care and cultivation of resources as well as crops -- since you can't have one without the other.

As you travel through the pages, the heir to the English throne gives an intimate tour of each individual area of his extensive Highgrove gardens; The Productive Gardens, where rare heirloom varieties of fruit and veg provide vivid flavors, and The Ornamental Gardens, where planting provides food for the soul. We stroll with Charles on his don't-call-it-a-lawn, flat, strictly non-monoculture, mossy green lawn-type areas, which are made up of a myriad green plants and what some might term weeds (what is a weed but something different that dares to stick its head above the uniform?). Precisely manicured and mown, with stripes that would make any Englishman proud, these areas perhaps illustrate best that fact that you don't have to compromise to go organic. Don't mistake this for a dry gardening tome, whether you're a royalist or a republican, whether you have an acre or a plant pot to play with, this holistic approach to gardening -- and ultimately life -- makes for an invigorating philosophical read.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A side of Prince Charles most of us don't know., October 6, 2007

By 

Robert Weaver "Royal fan" (WVa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Elements of Organic Gardening (Hardcover)

This most recent summary of Prince Charles's organic approach to farming and gardening at Highgrove follows two earlier efforts. The previous books are well-written and have wonderful photographs and the present effort, The Elements of Organic Gardening, is equally well thought out and beautifully presented. Twenty years ago, the Prince was thought to be an eccentric with naive and impractical ideas about conservation and an organic approach to living. The Elements of Organic Gardening presents tangible evidence that the Prince has accomplished a great deal in the last twenty years at Highgrove, his country estate and set a standard that puts him in the forefront of where we should be heading.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking., September 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Elements of Organic Gardening (Hardcover)

Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout with the full color photography of Andrew Lawson, and with the help of gardening expert Stephanie Donaldson in preparing the manuscript for publication, Charles, the Prince of Wales draws upon his more than twenty-six years of organic gardening practices used on the royal gardens at Highgrove (the royal family estate in Gloucestershire), as well as his other gardens at Birkhall (in the Scottish Highlands) and Clarence House (in central London), to instructively showcase organic techniques for maintaining healthy soil, planting a wide variety of shrubs, bushes, trees, and flowers, and generally sustaining a healthy and diverse ecosystem. "The Elements Of Organic Gardening" provides aspiring novice gardens and seasoned horticulturists a like with sound principles and practices that can be applied to just about any gardening situation, circumstance, size, or soil condition. Very strongly recommended for personal and community library Gardening & Horticulture reference collections, "The Elements Of Organic Gardening" is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking.