Green plants are all around us. We are totally dependent on them for food; we cultivate them for our pleasure; and we have used them in a vast number of ways down the centuries to our advantage. But have you ever wondered how plants work? Where do trees get the material to make wood? How does a bulb 'know' to sprout in the spring? Why are flowers different colours and why do they smell? This book answers these questions in a charming and accessible way. From their ability to take energy from sunlight to make their own food to their amazing range of life-sustaining, death-defying strategies, John King explains why plants dominate our planet. Plants might live life at a different pace from animals but they are just as fascinating. This is not just a book for keen gardeners and naturalists. This is a book for anyone who wants to understand why the earth is green.