Gardening

Happy Plants will tell you everything you need to know about how to boost your mood with the happiest house plants, herbs, flowers and fronds.

It has long been known that immersing ourselves in the natural world makes us happy. But what are the happiest plants? How do you make the most of their joy-bringing properties like scent, taste and colour? And how do you bring this positive plant power into your life?

Happy Plants features 100 planty reasons to be cheerful, with engaging and authoritative text and gorgeously colourful images from leading gardening charity the Royal Horticultural Society. From cut flowers and containers to forests and fields, each entry will describe how plants can fight sadness, induce calm and otherwise brighten your day - and how you can make these accessible species happy, too.

For centuries we have harnessed the ancient wisdom of botanical healing, with plants used for a multitude of remedies that nurture both body and soul.

Kew: The Apothecary's Garden is a fascinating exploration of nature's pharmacy and the healing power of plants, from soothing hops, chamomile and valerian, and invigorating guarana, maca and ginseng, to the infection-fighting turmeric and tea tree and the immunity-boosting turkey tail mushroom. Herbal remedies, natural tinctures, and the historical and botanical background of plants are revealed through expert text and beautiful illustrations from the renowned Kew archive.

This curious history of plants that heal describes the incredible properties of over 60 species. Exploring the original folk remedies they inspired and the science behind them, this is the weird and wonderful story of how humans have harnessed nature's apothecary.

Take a trip into the world of hallucinogenic plants.

From ancient ayahuasca rituals in the Amazon to substance-fuelled partying in the Summer of Love, psychoactive plants have been used for thousands of years for everything from shamanic ceremonies to staying awake. The Psychedelic Garden is a fascinating exploration of these incredible species that, for centuries, have helped shape the way we see the world.

With expert text and gorgeous botanical illustrations from the archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this mind-expanding book delves into the folklore, cultural relevance and botanical background of these remarkable plants.