Product Description

Scotland is one of the best places in the world to garden. Its maritime climate, ample rainfall, and the rarity of severe droughts and really hot weather mean that huge numbers of plants grow well there. But the climate varies considerably - from the colder, wetter, windier mountainous areas to the west coast where tender plants can be grown outdoors all year round - and choosing plants that are suited to the local conditions is critical to success. Kenneth Cox and Raoul Curtis-Machin have evaluated the performance of thousands of plants in gardens all over Scotland, drawing on the knowledge and experience of many gardeners and nurserymen, and in this book they describe - with over 800 photographs - the most reliable shrubs, conifers, trees, fruit and perennials for Scotland. In this book Scottish gardeners will find accurate information and hundreds of great plants ideally suited to where they live.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71482 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Review
A must-have for keen gardeners from The Borders in the south to Shetland in the north. --Scots magazine

Imagine if you were to head off on a tour of Scotland, stopping to chat with the country's garden experts at every town along the way.You could find out which trees stand up to the wind in Shetland, which climbers will survive on a north facing wall and even which plants are widely offered for sale in Scotland but should be left on the shelf. Sadly most of us don't have the time, resources or contacts to take such a trip, but the good news is that two men have done it for us. --Scotsman

There are many gardening books which, once bought, simply sit on the shelf and are rarely consulted, but Garden Plants for Scotland is one book which every passionate gardener will want to consult regularly. --Reckless Gardemer

About the Author
Kenneth Cox is grandson of planthunter, writer and nurseryman Euan Cox and son of Peter Cox VMH. These three were and are considered the world's leading experts on rhododendrons. Himself a nurseryman, Kenneth is managing director of the family firm Glendoick Gardens Ltd near Perth and author of numerous books, including The Encyclopedia of Rhododendron Hybrids (with Peter A. Cox), A Plantsman's Guide to Rhododendrons, Cox's Guide to Choosing Rhododendrons (with Peter Cox), The Encyclopedia of Rhododendron Species (with Peter Cox), Rhododendrons: a Hamlyn Care Manual and Rhododendrons and Azaleas.

Born in Scotland, Raoul Curtis-Machin developed a passionate interest in gardening from the age of thirteen. With an honours degree in landscape management from Reading University, he became Head Gardener for ICI, then set up his own London-based business, designing gardens for celebrity chefs, rock stars, Crown Arab Princes and business tycoons. He has improved gardens and estates throughout Scotland, the UK, France, and Istanbul. After freelancing for a year, Raoul launched The Northern Garden in 2003, a new glossy magazine specifically aimed at gardening in the cooler northern climate. Raoul is currently Landscape Historian with Historic Scotland. He lives with his family in Fife and is also gardening correspondent for The Herald magazine, and a part-time lecturer in garden design. Image © Ray Cox

Customer Reviews

Plants for Scotland
I suppose it depends what you're looking for, but I found this book disappointing. The blurb promised advice on 'gardening in Scotland's unique conditions', which was what I wanted to know about. Well, there is some, but it is minimal and is hidden in a very general introductory section of only 25 pages, which also includes information such as how to pick a good plant in a garden centre and how to deal with pests and diseases. You can get these in any gardening book.

The rest of the book, about 200 pages, is simply a catalogue of plants. Most of them are quite ordinary and having been gardening and reading about plants for over thirty years I didn't find it at all useful. However, for a beginner it would probably be very helpful.

The blurb also mentions 'the variation in climate from region to region'. I didn't find anything about this aspect of Scottish gardening, except the fact that the variation exists. There was nothing about how it would affect the choice of plants in particular areas eg east or west coast, Highlands, Central Belt or Borders, sea level or hilltop. The writers seemed to assume that all readers would be wanting to grow half-hardy exotics, which, unsurprisingly, they did not recommend in general, although they gave some instances of places where they could be grown.

As a summary I should say that someone who was new to Scottish gardening would probably get a fair amount out of this book, but if you've been gardening here for a while, don't bother with it, or borrow it from a library or browse it in a bookshop, to get the very small amount of useful information it contains for experienced gardeners. That information is certainly not worth £25 + p&p.

a great starting point for scottish gardens
Informative, well laid out, beautifully illustrated, even entertaining on occasions. Inevitably of more use for beginners than experienced gardeners, but will keep you right in curbing any flights of fancy as to what might actually grow well in your garden. Utility may vary as to where you live - sheletered coastal dwellers may wonder what the fuss is about - however those on the wind scoured fringes, or (like us) up in the hills will find the specific scottish guidance as to what will flourish long-term invaluable.

Garden plants for Scotland
A fantastic, informative but easy read. I couldn't put it down. I was so impressed by it that I've bought my sister a copy too. So many of the plants recommended on gardening programmes don't survive in Scotland it is good to have such a book to refer to - and it will save me a fortune.