The colorful, peculiar history of the houseplant—from ancient Rome to Victorian England to Instagram—a botanical adventure full of histrionic highs, devastating lows, and sensational turning points along the way. From the hanging gardens of Babylon to that fiddle-leaf fig in your living room, houseplants have been humanity's companions for a millennia. Taming the Potted Beast explores the history of our air-purifying friends with an entertaining narrative of the peculiar, often dramatic story of the cultivation and domestication of the not-so-humble houseplant. Including entertaining historical vignettes, DIY plant projects, and accessible tips and tricks for caring for your own historical houseplant collection, this book has any plant-curious reader covered. Readers will come away with practical projects, expert advice, and an understanding of the historical significance of houseplants as well as an appreciation of the cultures from which they emerged. Both fascinating and fun, Taming the Potted Beast will take readers on exhilarating botanical adventure through the ages.

Taming the Beast: Part One &– a box set 1 - Freeing the Beast No more Mr. Nice Guy. 2 - Surrendering to the Beast When she's good, she's very good—but when he's bad, she's better... 3 - Mastering the Beast Surrendering is the only option she desires... Magic has never been as sexy or as fun. In New Orleans' French Quarter From Crud to Stud is the makeover service for supernatural beings who want to tame their beasts so they can date mortal babes. Owned by a half-witch and staffed by a good fairy, a reformed female demon, and a voodoo priestess—among others—the place is always hopping. There's moonlight therapy for weres, aversion therapy to keep vamps from sinking their fangs in anyone's neck, and no end of spells, potions, and treatments. These ladies definitely put the boys through their paces. But it's not all work as they search for their one true love. Their journeys aren't easy, but they're definitely magical.

Taming the Beast: Part Two &– a box set 4 - Muzzling the Beast When all hell breaks loose, playing fair isn't an option... 5 - Disciplining the Beast Thank heaven for babes who like to raise hell. 6 - Seducing the Beast She's pure heaven... He's a whole lot of hell. Magic has never been as sexy or as fun. In New Orleans' French Quarter From Crud to Stud is the makeover service for supernatural beings who want to tame their beasts so they can date mortal babes. Owned by a half-witch and staffed by a good fairy, a reformed female demon, and a voodoo priestess—among others—the place is always hopping. There's moonlight therapy for weres, aversion therapy to keep vamps from sinking their fangs in anyone's neck, and no end of spells, potions, and treatments. These ladies definitely put the boys through their paces. But it's not all work as they search for their one true love. Their journeys aren't easy, but they're definitely magical.

Explore the darker side of nature with this accessible guide to choosing, growing, and caring for carnivorous and predatory plants like Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, sundews, and other spooky guys. Carnivorous plants: they're weird, they're gorgeous, and they're the perfect addition to your urban jungle of pothos, snake plants, and succulents. However, they can also be intimidating to grow and care for. Let Killer Plants be your guide as it walks you through the different types of carnivorous plants and how to keep each variety alive and well. The book answers the many questions you may have surrounding these freaks of nature, such as: Where the heck do I buy a pitcher plant? Can I grow it from a seed? Do I need to feed my carnivorous plant flies, or can it survive on water and light alone? What carnivorous plants are safe to have around pets and kids? I have a gnat problem -- what predatory plant can help?

"The book is broken into four sections-the first offers a microhistory of gardening and explores our evolving relationship with plants. The second section includes an overview of the "basics" of plant care-light, water, soil, and tools needed, as well as a glossary for plant lingo. Part Three reviews the variations of indoor gardens, including temperate houseplants, tropical houseplants, arid houseplants, epiphytes, citrus, vegetables, microgreens, and herbs. Each section will include: - "How To" instructions for planting and caring for greenery - Fun facts - Troubleshooting tips - Interactive quizzes - Informative, handy charts - DIY crafts and projects"--

In this fascinating book we learned how potted plants are as much subject to fashion as pieces of furniture. For the Victorians, it was the aspidistra in the front parlour, the Edwardians loved a palm, and, for today's millennials, no home is complete without the ubiquitous fiddle-leaf fig. This book show that there is little new when it comes to plants in the home. In the mid-18th century, Wedgwood created a market for special bulb pots and in the 1950s, some of Terence Conran's earliest designs were for houseplant containers. Across the ages, the choice of potted plants has been influenced by the layout of houses, the levels of dirt and pollution and the equipment to hand. Now, with so much choice, we seem happy to treat houseplants as disposables. This book gives a better understanding of the miracles that were once achieved with indoor plant displays, inspired by Sir Hugh Platt's 1608 vision of a garden 'within doores'. This new edition has been revised with new material added to bring the history of the houseplant and its massive explosion in popularity right up to date.

“Eloisa James’s writing is absolutely exquisite.” —New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros “Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.” —New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn A wonderful spin on a much-beloved fairy tale, Eloisa James’s When Beauty Tamed the Beast is heart-soaring and fun historical romance at its finest. No wonder People magazine raves about her books, saying, “Romance writing does not get much better than this.” Eloisa’s delightful take on Beauty and the Beast unfolds in Regency England, where a beastly, bad-tempered Earl matches wits with a brazen beauty who has vowed to make the handsome grump fall in love with her in two short weeks.