The best book on herbs and cultivation, much better than the bulky RHS one. It also has excellent sections on cooking, making garlands and tussie-mussies, beauty: eyes, teeth, skin, and more.

Changes the way you view your garden. A guide themed by the small animals and insects that will visit, but it's badly put together and the public's Q&A is a waste of space.

Really good. Has an absolutely excellent plant directory.

Proper gardening, roots, rhizomes, division, breaking dormancy, stooling. Most of the tedious (or rude)sounding but essential stuff, strangely doesn't explain the bare basics like- what is a biennial?

Covers more veg and unlike the 'Expert' the author has heard of crop rotation, if not clover leys. Even better as with the above it doesn't have an egomaniacal BBC presenter's face on every other page

Like a rambling, interesting conversation with a big detour in the kitchen - and all about apples.

Could do with some photos of recreated gardens, but the best one on the subject I can find.

There's no single book on trees that I'm satisfied with, but this is the best tree-spotting guide overall.

Avoid. Don't be seduced by the cover. Highlights such forgotten varieties as Victoria, Bramley’s, Cox’s, morello, conference. Reads like an overlong newspaper article. Ok nursery list at the back.