Sustainable Gardens

• Presents information in a non-technical format
• Synthesizes sustainability issues, information, language, facts and figures that are currently widely dispersed through a range of media and difficult to access
• Provides a context to the many ways in which we can manage our parks and gardens in a way that contributes to sustainable living

This book is designed to reduce the environmental impact of horticulture by providing horticulturists, both amateur and professional, with a resource for making informed decisions about how they design, construct and maintain their gardens and parks.

Our gardens are a microcosm of nature; the ecological processes that go on in a garden mirror those operating on a global scale. The better we understand and quantify these cycles and processes, as they operate on both large and small scales, the more effective will be our management strategies.

The book introduces the reader to the historical context of the global, national and local environmental issues that confront us and examines the idea of sustainable living as a means of addressing these issues. It draws attention to the new discipline of sustainability science with its emphasis on environmental accounting, and how this is being applied at the global, national, country, household and individual levels to establish benchmarks, set management goals, assess trends and measure progress towards sustainability.

The contribution of parks and gardens to sustainable living is assessed by quantifying the horticultural consumption of energy, water and materials. The book also discusses how gardens can make a major contribution to a sustainable future through increased food production and a close connection with the local environment.

• Presents information in a non-technical format
• Synthesizes sustainability issues, information, language, facts and figures that are currently widely dispersed through a range of media and difficult to access
• Provides a context to the many ways in which we can manage our parks and gardens in a way that contributes to sustainable living

This book is designed to reduce the environmental impact of horticulture by providing horticulturists, both amateur and professional, with a resource for making informed decisions about how they design, construct and maintain their gardens and parks.

Our gardens are a microcosm of nature; the ecological processes that go on in a garden mirror those operating on a global scale. The better we understand and quantify these cycles and processes, as they operate on both large and small scales, the more effective will be our management strategies.

The book introduces the reader to the historical context of the global, national and local environmental issues that confront us and examines the idea of sustainable living as a means of addressing these issues. It draws attention to the new discipline of sustainability science with its emphasis on environmental accounting, and how this is being applied at the global, national, country, household and individual levels to establish benchmarks, set management goals, assess trends and measure progress towards sustainability.

The contribution of parks and gardens to sustainable living is assessed by quantifying the horticultural consumption of energy, water and materials. The book also discusses how gardens can make a major contribution to a sustainable future through increased food production and a close connection with the local environment.

Rob Cross is a horticultural botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, where he works on the conservation and horticultural development of Australian plants, and has previously worked in the landscape design, garden maintenance and nursery areas of horticulture. Rob has written scientific papers, books on Japanese flowering cherries and plant names, and contributed to other horticultural books.

Roger Spencer has worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, for over 30 years. He is Senior Horticultural Botanist and has written many popular and scientific articles on horticultural topics including books on elms, grey and silver foliage plants, plant names and, most recently, a 5-volume horticultural flora of South-Eastern Australia.