Any book which starts with a quote from Audrey Hepburn is off to a good start with me. She said that to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. No wonder there are now so many areas of artificial turf and gravel. But this book is an antidote to that as a ‘practical and easy-to use’ guide to gardening. Any guide is always called practical and easy to use but this one really is.
How to create nectar-rich borders, a wildflower meadow, a hedge or a pond are all explained here. So too are the ins and outs of producing compost and/or a wormery or a leaf cage. There is helpful advice on which plants to choose to benefit different groups of wildlife. All in all, the amount of information imparted, clearly and briefly, is impressive. I learned a lot – but then, I’m no gardener, and I guess that means I’m in the target audience.
The author is a Garden Manager at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. That seems quite a good provenance.
The cover? As with all the illustrations, it is by Hazel France. The style is simple, but fairly accurate, and very pleasing. I’d give it 8/10.
Planting with Nature: a guide to sustainable gardening by Kirsty Wilson (illustrated by Hazel France) is published by Birlinn and the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.
My forthcoming book, Reflections, will be published on 4 July and already can be ordered.
Details – click here.
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