Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121008 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

The Guardian
`if a non-gardener like myself can be both enthralled and amused
by this book...I can only imagine how worked up the ecologically minded
gardener is going to get. On every page I found something interesting. It's
like a fascinating garden in its own right...This is why the book's so
good: in the end, it's about more than gardening. It's about the whole
system of predation and coexistence that underpins the biosphere. It's a
lovely intelligent, think-global-act-local manual - and, as I hope I've
made clear, often very funny.'

Bob Flowerdew, Gardener's Question Time
A good read: informative and well-explained

The Telegraph, Gardening supplement, February 4, 2006
BOOK OF THE MONTH: Attractive and highly readable follow-up to his excellent AN EAR TO THE GROUND.

Customer Reviews

Reassuring Indeed
This little book is a thoroughly readable, amusing, fact based, accessible account of a research project that will be relevant to anyone with a garden or outdoor space. The advice is unfailingly practical and the received wisdom questioned. The book does not simply regurgatate the same old advice about wildlife gardening, but offers in many cases a new approach, based on the empirical evidence of the research. The author is clearly aware that wildlife gardening is viewed by many gardeners as expensive and/or unattractive, and he offers lots of sensible suggestions for things that cost next to nothing, perfectly in keeping with the most traditional garden and are proven to be effective. He stresses that anyone, no matter what size garden, can garden with wildlife in mind with very little effort. (And the illustrations at the chapter headings are charming.)

Dispells Many Myths
When I first picked up this book I was expecting a repeat of most wildlife gardening literature. In fact there are few things that Thompson and the WG establishment agree on. It may seem a little dangerous to accept this 'loan voice' as fact, until you discover that unlike many publications this book is based on scientific studies.

Thompson studied 60 Sheffield gardens and investigated their invertebrate life in relation to the garden features. Based on these findings he has provided a book that disputes many WG preconceptions, and gives tips on how it can be improved with minimum expense and effort.

For this reason the book should be read if you are planning a WG, however there are some negatives. Firstly, the book is short. At only 173 pages it is unable to provide a comprehensive guide to WG, especially as some sections of the book are concerned with what you don't need to do.

Secondly it's a little dull. There are no photos or diagrams and the writing is small, the only change being italic text which features the practical tips.

Thirdly it is largely concerned with invertebrates with vertebrates only mentioned in relation to these. When carrying out his experiments Thompson killed and preserved upwards of 100,000 insects including rare species. Half of these were not even identified. This may have ethical implications for some potential buyers.

Overall this is an important book on WG if you don't want to waste your time and money. However there is significant room for improvement.

A must have!
I'm delighted to own this book. Until I read this book, I had no interest in gardening - actually I kind of feared it and wondered what all the fuss was about.
Learning about wildlife gardening has been a complete eye opener for me.
The author has written beautifully and amusingly. It is packed with information but doesn't feel busy. Fantastic illustrations. I've actually given the book as a gift to a friend - who is also enjoying it hugely!
Thanks to this book, I'm now truly enjoying my garden.