Gardening in different conditions and soil types. I wrote the chapter on coping with clay soil.

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Product Description

For those seeking inspiration for their own plots, hundreds of gardens open to the public through the National Gardens Scheme are, for the first time, used as examples of gardening expertise. They include a broad spread of soil types, site constraints and gardens of every size and style, from small urban areas to country estates and royal gardens. Interviews with garden owners demonstrate the passion that goes into good gardens and the secrets of achieving internationally recognised standards of maintenance.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #400801 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Review
Written to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the National Gardens Scheme, this an impressive book, full of gardening information and tips, and featuring contributions from both renowned gardening experts and amateurs and accompanied throughout by photographs from leading photographers. Set up in 1927, the National Gardens Scheme is a charity which depends on gardeners throughout the country opening their gardens to the public: from estates through to tiny town gardens. Money is raised by the entrance fees, plant sales and teas and all gardens open are listed in the annually produced Yellow Book. More than 3,600 gardens open on various days throughout the year from snowdrop gardens to those glorious, blowsy, typically English summer gardens. Divided into garden type, ie clay, arid, shade etc, each chapter deals with the practicalities of the situation, lists suitable plants and includes articles from well-known gardeners on their particular experience of that medium. Mention is made of the NGS gardens which cope with these problems and advice given by their owners along with their experiences - both good and bad. A list of those gardens which open for the NGS is included at the end of each section. Accompanied by the sumptuous photographs, a full picture is given in each chapter of the specific benefits and difficulties of each situation. For afficionados of the Yellow Book, this book demonstrates the wealth of knowledge held by amateurs and experts, this being the main reason so many of us travel the country each year, map and Yellow Book in hand, searching out the jewels of British gardens. For those yet to discover this enlightening experience, the book will whet the appetite and entice them out of their own gardens into those so generously opened for charity by others.

About the Author
David Stevens is one of the UKs leading garden designers. He has written and broadcast extensively on the subject, and has won a total of 10 Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show.

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Customer Reviews

A delightful book for all those interested in gardening.
This is the best book around to give to gardening friends for Christmas or at any time of year. It gets to grips with the nitty-gritty of gardening - soil, weather,pests and diseases, the right plants for the conditions - and is also a visual feast. Masses of gorgeous photos show how ordinary gardeners in England and Wales create and look after beautiful flowerbeds, even when they face the challenges of steep slopes, searing winds, deep shade, salt spray by the sea, poor or waterlogged soil. Just reading the picture captions is a treat! Delve deeper into the text and the Expert Insights (by such gurus as Beth Chatto, Dan Pearson and Alan Titchmarsh) and you'll find great practical tips. So, for gardeners from dry Essex to rain-swept Lancashire, this book is the one to give . . . and to put on your own wish list.