{"id":15144,"date":"2022-10-04T15:24:39","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T13:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?post_type=purple_issue&#038;p=15144"},"modified":"2022-10-04T15:24:39","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T13:24:39","slug":"book-reviews-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/2022\/10\/04\/book-reviews-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Book reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image bild\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-630x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15265\" width=\"190\" height=\"306\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>HUSBANDRY: MAKING GARDENS WITH MR B <\/strong><br>by Isabel Bannerman <\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Pimpernel Press, \u00a314.99 <br>ISBN 978-1914902949 <\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\">A perceptive and engrossing view of making a new garden \u2013 with a little help from Mr B \u2013 by one of today\u2019s leading garden designers. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Reviewer Anna Pavord is a garden writer and <\/em>GI <em>contributing <\/em><em>editor. <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u2018Making a garden together\u2026 is what Mr B and me like to do best,\u2019 writes garden designer Isabel Bannerman. <em>Husbandry <\/em>tells the story of the garden she and her husband are currently making at Ashington Manor in Somerset, where they moved three years ago. But, as the title suggests, it is also a book about a quixotic marriage, and a working relationship that has lasted for four decades. And it is brilliantly done. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">There\u2019s an exuberance and generosity about the Bannermans\u2019 gardens that is very beguiling, impressive too, since here, at Ashington, as in their previous gardens at Trematon Castle and Hanham Court, they start with a fair amount of chaos. But finding a balance between \u2018chaos and charm\u2019 is the key to the Bannerman style. \u2018We like a bit of wonk,\u2019 says the author. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Since most of us are not professional garden designers, it\u2019s refreshing to be told at the outset that there is no such thing as taste, only \u2018one\u2019s personal whims and fantasies\u2019. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">But a great deal of excellent advice follows. Understand, for instance, that a garden \u2018is always in the throes of becoming something else\u2019. Take time to absorb its surroundings. Understand, too, the soil you have inherited. There is excellent advice on paths, and what they should be made of. Plants are not the start of her own garden making, says Bannerman, but whatever plants you use, use a lot of the same thing. She is also refreshingly honest; the newly planted rose garden at Ashington has not worked out as she hoped. \u2018Maybe it will come right, or it could be one of those little bits which never works.\u2019 We all have those. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Isabel Bannerman\u2019s last book, <em>Scent <\/em><em>Magic <\/em>(2019), was a luscious production, heavily illustrated. <em>Husbandry <\/em>is more modest, the size of a paperback, but so beguiling in its content, so poignant in its perceptions, that when I had finished it, I started at the beginning once more, to read it all over again. <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image bild\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/OvS_BB_HR_Cover-737x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15263\" width=\"190\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/OvS_BB_HR_Cover-737x1024.jpg 737w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/OvS_BB_HR_Cover-216x300.jpg 216w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/OvS_BB_HR_Cover-768x1067.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/OvS_BB_HR_Cover-1106x1536.jpg 1106w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/OvS_BB_HR_Cover-1475x2048.jpg 1475w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/OvS_BB_HR_Cover-scaled.jpg 1843w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>BEYOND BOLD: INSPIRATION\/ COLLABORATION\/EVOLUTION <\/strong><br>by Shelia Brady, Lisa Delplace and Eric Groft <\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Pointed Leaf Press, $85 <br>ISBN 978-0977787586 <\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\">An enthusiastic and detailed review of the design projects of landscape architecture firm OvS, pioneers of the naturalistic planting style. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Reviewer Tim Richardson is a garden critic and writer. <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Nearly half a century ago, Wolfgang Oehme and James van Sweden founded OvS in Washington, DC. At the time, they were outliers, pursuing a naturalistic planting style, using a fairly narrow range of plants for climatic and maintenance reasons, more than a decade before designers in Europe. The typical OvS landscape is still defined by broad swathes of perennials and grasses in simple but powerful shapes. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Oehme and van Sweden passed away in 2011 and 2013 respectively, and the authors of this book have taken up the mantle of the firm. All three have had a long association with the company. They have maintained the practice authentically with a few updates, chiefly involving sustainability issues. This book is a series of case studies of projects from the past decade or so, loosely arranged into thematic chapters, with detailed descriptions of the design challenges faced. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Highlights include the gardens at the American Museum in Bath, and Lake Forest, Illinois, a reinvigoration of a classic design by early 20th-century naturalistic designer Jens Jensen. The Native Plant Garden at the New York Botanical Garden is probably the firm\u2019s most high-profile commission of the past decade, and it is given its due here. One surprising project is Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana, a 10,000-acre former ranch, which now contains sculpture and performance venues. The firm\u2019s light-touch role here was largely bound up with the creation of walking and cycling routes.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Beyond Bold <\/em>can be recommended \u2013 but with reservations. While the text is usefully descriptive, it is somewhat lacking in critical or historic insight, reading at times more like marketing or website copy. Perhaps in this case it should be read alongside the original \u2013 <em>Bold Romantic Gardens <\/em>(1991) by James van Sweden in which the author is consistently more generous to the reader than to his own practice \u2013 as a way to mitigate any sense of self-praise. <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image bild\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Gardening-in-a-changing-world-671x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15261\" width=\"190\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Gardening-in-a-changing-world-671x1024.jpg 671w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Gardening-in-a-changing-world-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Gardening-in-a-changing-world-768x1172.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Gardening-in-a-changing-world-1007x1536.jpg 1007w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Gardening-in-a-changing-world-1342x2048.jpg 1342w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Gardening-in-a-changing-world-scaled.jpg 1678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>GARDENING IN A CHANGING WORLD: PLANTS, PEOPLE AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS <\/strong><br>by Darryl Moore <\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Pimpernel Press, \u00a320 <br>ISBN 978-1910258286 <\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\">A timely, in-depth book that is an essential read for anyone who gardens and cares about the future of our planet. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Reviewer Annie Guilfoyle is a garden designer and lecturer. <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">If there were a prize for \u2018most timely publication\u2019 of the year, this book would be a contender. Having experienced the highest-ever recorded temperatures in the UK this summer, with gardens that were completely scorched, is this our wake-up call? Landscape designer Darryl Moore explores how we have reached this position and suggests how we might find a way, through designing and gardening more sustainably, to improve the situation. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Garden books are often inclined to be picture-led, with less focus on words and hard facts. This book bucks the trend, with few images and plenty to say. I was struck by the amount of meticulous, in-depth research that has gone into the writing of this book. Moore has left no stone unturned in his quest to unravel the complex situation that we find ourselves in. He writes: \u2018We all have responsibilities as gardeners in the widest sense of the word, and our actions matter.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The first part of the book focuses on Plants as Producers and as Panacea, tackling subjects such as nature disconnect, novel ecosystems and cleaning up the garden, where Moore draws our attention to the \u2018unholy trinity of pesticides, peat and plastic pots\u2019 to which our industry is still firmly wedded. Plants as Pictures then describes how and why people have gardened throughout history, from the early Mesopotamians to the late Beth Chatto. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">In the second half of the book, Plants as Processes; Possibilities and Partners, Moore focuses on the people and places who have been advancing the study of plants and planting in more recent times. We travel from Germany and the USA to Sheffield and southern France. Moore has a great deal to say, yet this must-read book is expertly divided into neat, digestible sections that are jam-packed with fascinating and vital information. <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image bild\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Brilliant-English-Gardens-791x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15262\" width=\"188\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Brilliant-English-Gardens-791x1024.jpg 791w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Brilliant-English-Gardens-232x300.jpg 232w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Brilliant-English-Gardens-768x994.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Brilliant-English-Gardens-1187x1536.jpg 1187w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Brilliant-English-Gardens-1583x2048.jpg 1583w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Brilliant-English-Gardens-scaled.jpg 1979w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>BRILLIANT ENGLISH <strong>GARDENS <\/strong><\/strong><br>by Clive Nichols <\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Clearview, \u00a360 <br>ISBN 978-1908337641 <\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\">A celebration of the English garden through a sumptuous masterclass in garden photography by one of the UK\u2019s foremost garden photographers. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Reviewer Rae Spencer-Jones is a garden writer. <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Twenty-seven gardens, spanning several centuries, and in locations ranging from the West Sussex coast to County Durham, feature in this latest book from Clive Nichols, one of the UK\u2019s foremost garden photographers. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">With no introduction to explain why Nichols chose these of the many brilliant English gardens that he must have photographed, the reader can only surmise, but there is no doubt that each one is worthy of its presence in the book. They range from well-known classics such as the 18th-century Forde Abbey created by Sir Francis Gwyn in the grounds of a former 12th-century Cistercian monastery, to the contemporary and ingenious 21st-century coastal garden, with its drawbridge access to the beach in West Wittering, by designer Anthony Paul. <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter\"><img src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/4c92da16-4563-4a97-bcbc-c06e91ec7ff9.jpg\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 4c92da16-4563-4a97-bcbc-c06e91ec7ff9.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Silver Street Farm in Devon, from the beautifully photographed <em>Brilliant English Gardens<\/em>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">This book is a visual ode, not only to the gardens but to some outstanding designers, head gardeners and garden owners. Through a short explanatory text for each garden, but mostly luxurious images that spill off the edge of each page, Nichols pays homage to, among others, Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf and his glorious prairie planting at the Hauser &amp; Wirth garden in Somerset; garden owners Stephen and Jane Baughan of Aston Pottery in Oxfordshire, who take four days to plant their 70m border with 5,000 flowering annuals from 120 packets of seed; and Mat Reese, latterly a gardener at Great Dixter, who now oversees the spectacular flower gardens at Malverleys in Hampshire. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Brilliant English Gardens <\/em>is a big book by any standards. However, the sumptuous format offers an invitation to fully immerse oneself in this masterclass in garden photography. Through Nichols\u2019 artistry in capturing the magical qualities of light, whether at dawn, noon or dusk, or his innate ability to compose the perfect garden image, each of these superb gardens shows up at its very best, and Nichols demonstrates why he remains at the top of his game. <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image bild\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Pots_FrontCover_with-hinge-734x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15259\" width=\"190\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Pots_FrontCover_with-hinge-734x1024.jpg 734w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Pots_FrontCover_with-hinge-215x300.jpg 215w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Pots_FrontCover_with-hinge-768x1071.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Pots_FrontCover_with-hinge-1101x1536.jpg 1101w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Pots_FrontCover_with-hinge-1468x2048.jpg 1468w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Pots_FrontCover_with-hinge.jpg 1676w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>POTS: FILL YOUR CONTAINERS WITH PLANTS, TEND TO THEIR NEEDS, WATCH THEM FLOURISH<\/strong><br>by Harriet Rycroft <\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Frances Lincoln (Bloom Gardener\u2019s Guide), \u00a312.99 <br>ISBN 978-0711272484 <\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\">For the aspiring curator of planted containers striving for fresh ideas, this manifesto on the art of gardening in pots is essential reading. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Reviewer Tom Attwood is a plantsperson and nursery co-owner. <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">I have long been an admirer of Harriet Rycroft\u2019s work and it is a joy to have her philosophy on this multidisciplinary artform distilled so eloquently in this small but sumptuous book. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The shackles of horticultural convention all too often stifle creativity in the garden, but Rycroft urges the reader not to worry about \u2018doing it wrong\u2019, but to think about creating a \u2018beautiful plant community\u2019. There is an emphasis on experimentation stemming from years of practical experience beyond the confines of the author\u2019s own garden. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Topics include the cyclical nature of working with planted containers, the virtues of seasonal bulbs, recalibrating your planted pots for the next portion of the year, and creating a semi-permanent display with ornamental trees or shrubs. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The chapters of the book are a sequential journey beginning with the art of planting containers and concluding with how to keep your planted creations in good condition and help them to thrive \u2013 an all too often overlooked skillset. A wealth of knowledge is there to be absorbed. I particularly enjoyed the breakdown of all the components that make up the featured arrangements (including quantities of bulbs and so on). <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Extensive photographs sit harmoniously alongside the text, helping to articulate the techniques covered, but also skilfully capturing the atmosphere and authenticity of the author\u2019s own garden. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">A catalogue of plants worthy of consideration makes up a significant portion of the book, where trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and grasses that have been described or photographed in other chapters are lauded with fuller, more comprehensive cultural notes. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The joy of planting in containers is the creative fluidity it affords you. That freedom to experiment and unashamedly stray beyond boundaries is something this book expresses and celebrates at every opportunity. <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image bild\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Hortus-curious-798x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15258\" width=\"190\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Hortus-curious-798x1024.jpg 798w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Hortus-curious-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Hortus-curious-768x985.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Hortus-curious-1197x1536.jpg 1197w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Hortus-curious-1596x2048.jpg 1596w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Hortus-curious.jpg 1969w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>HORTUS CURIOUS: DISCOVER THE WORLD\u2019S MOST WEIRD AND WONDERFUL PLANTS AND FUNGI<\/strong><br>by Michael Perry <\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Dorling Kindersley, \u00a316.99 <br>ISBN 978-0241561553 <\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\">This plant book with a difference aims to instill a sense of curiosity in the plant blind and bring the wonders of botany to new audiences. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Reviewer Jane Perrone is a freelance writer and podcaster. <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">One glance at the shocking pink cover and it is glaringly obvious that <em>Hortus <\/em><em>Curious <\/em>is not your average plant book. Perhaps we need a shock. Plant blindness \u2013 or plant awareness disparity, as it is also known \u2013 is a serious and growing issue: one survey found that 82 per cent of British children could not identify an oak leaf. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Hortus Curious <\/em>is aimed at people who would be unlikely to pick up a regular plant book, introducing them to 40 charismatic plants and fungi, from cotton and cacao to the carnivorous Venus flytrap and the squirting cucumber, which gets its name from its explosive, seedspreading fruits. The book is arranged into chapters that include Plants Behaving Badly and Superheroes, designed to entice even the greatest plant sceptic to dip into its pages. Watercolourist Aaron Apsley\u2019s pictures bring the words to life beautifully, offering accurate illustrations that reminded me of some of my favourite plant books from my childhood in the 1970s and 80s. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Hortus Curious <\/em>is certainly in the author\u2019s wheelhouse. Michael Perry, via his alter ego Mr Plant Geek, is often to be found dispensing plant knowledge on daytime television, including the shopping channel QVC, and on social media. Perry\u2019s presenting experience shows in his writing. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The book is squarely aimed at the gift market, and its writing style is very casual and conversational \u2013 Ihave to admit that the editor in me winced at a sentence starting with the word \u2018Okay\u2019. However, readers who find more traditional plant books too intimidating (or indeed dull) may well be drawn in. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">This certainly happened in my house: I left a copy of <em>Hortus <\/em><em>Curious <\/em>on the dining room table and came back to find my 12-year-old son avidly turning the pages. He soon began telling me about the biggest flower in the world and an orchid that looks like a duck. <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image bild\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Seed_Detective_cover_UK__V2-684x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15260\" width=\"190\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Seed_Detective_cover_UK__V2-684x1024.jpg 684w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Seed_Detective_cover_UK__V2-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Seed_Detective_cover_UK__V2-768x1149.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Seed_Detective_cover_UK__V2.jpg 903w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>THE SEED DETECTIVE: UNCOVERING THE SECRET HISTORIES OF REMARKABLE VEGETABLES <\/strong><br>by Adam Alexander <\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Chelsea Green Publishing, \u00a318.99 <br>ISBN 978-1915294005 <\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\">The fascinating tale of one man\u2019s detective hunt to uncover the stories behind some of the world\u2019s most unusual vegetables and save them before it\u2019s too late. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Reviewer Sally Nex is a writer and professional gardener. <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Some years ago, BC (Before Covid), my family owned a house in France. It was surrounded by vineyards and pretty villages where you\u2019d find <em>march\u00e9s <\/em><em>des <\/em><em>producteurs <\/em>with stalls tumbling with tomatoes, melons and lettuces grown and sold by local people. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Once, I bought a plump, pink garlic bulb and brought it home \u2013 this was also BB (Before Brexit) so I was still allowed to. I save cloves from its descendants to this day. They produce spicy heads the size of a toddler\u2019s fist and nothing has matched them since. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">I think Adam Alexander might be interested in my garlic. His quest for locally grown vegetable varieties has taken him to many markets, from Laos and Syria to Donetsk in Ukraine, where (in happier times) he bought the sweet red pepper that started it all. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Like Alexander, I find seeds passed from gardener to gardener incredibly evocative: each time I plant my garlic, I\u2019m back in that Gironde marketplace. He\u2019s an entertaining storyteller, full of quirky encounters with impatient stall holders and helpful translators (one shared the contents of his mum\u2019s veg garden). His eclectic curiosity skips from favism (a genetic mutation rendering you allergic to broad beans \u2013 who knew?) and its role in Pythagoras\u2019 death, to Neanderthal eating habits, via Louis XIV\u2019s France. At its heart are tales of extraordinary, colourful, rare vegetables. We\u2019ve now lost 90 per cent of vegetable varieties: Garden Organic board member Alexander is devoted to finding those that are left so he can grow them in his three-anda-half-acre Welsh garden and provide seed for the Heritage Seed Library. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Alexander\u2019s descriptions just make you want to try them yourself. Now on my must-grow list are towering Luang Prabang mangetouts, Lamon beans and dauntingly named \u2018Bloody Warrior\u2019 lettuces. It\u2019s down to people like Alexander that I can still get hold of seeds. I\u2019m profoundly grateful. <\/p>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-uagb-section uagb-section__wrap uagb-section__background-color uagb-block-035c12e8-ba16-47e1-bea4-f42996b2d19b article-boxout\"><div class=\"uagb-section__overlay\"><\/div><div class=\"uagb-section__inner-wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif article-subhead\"><strong>Other books <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center article-full-body sans-serif\">More new releases, from how to make the most of groundcover plants to experiencing the restorative power of trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>TEAMING WITH BACTERIA <\/strong><br>by Jeff Lowenfels Timber Press, \u00a318.99, ISBN 978-1643261393 <\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bacteria-1-676x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15268\" width=\"169\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bacteria-1-676x1024.jpg 676w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bacteria-1-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bacteria-1-768x1164.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bacteria-1-1013x1536.jpg 1013w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bacteria-1-1351x2048.jpg 1351w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bacteria-1-scaled.jpg 1689w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center article-full-body sans-serif\">Lowenfels digs into new science behind how endophytic bacteria supply nutrients to plants and explains how this applies to gardeners and growers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>BLOOM <\/strong><br>by Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan Smith Street Books, \u00a328, ISBN 978-1922417855 <\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bloom-CVR-945x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15269\" width=\"170\" height=\"185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bloom-CVR-945x1024.jpg 945w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bloom-CVR-277x300.jpg 277w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bloom-CVR-768x832.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bloom-CVR-1418x1536.jpg 1418w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Bloom-CVR-1891x2048.jpg 1891w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center article-full-body sans-serif\">The co-founders of the Sydneybased online plant store Leaf Supply demonstrate how to enjoy flowering plants indoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"has-text-align-center\">  <strong>THE COMPLETE BOOK OF GROUND COVERS <\/strong><br>by Gary Lewis Timber Press, \u00a340, ISBN 978-1604694604 <\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Book-of-ground-covers-784x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15270\" width=\"170\" height=\"222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Book-of-ground-covers-784x1024.jpg 784w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Book-of-ground-covers-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Book-of-ground-covers-768x1004.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Book-of-ground-covers-1175x1536.jpg 1175w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Book-of-ground-covers-1567x2048.jpg 1567w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Book-of-ground-covers-scaled.jpg 1959w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center article-full-body sans-serif\">Expert advice on groundcover plants of varying colours, textures and forms for a wide range of situations and conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>HABITAT CREATION IN GARDEN DESIGN <\/strong><br>by Catherine Heatherington and Alex Johnson The Crowood Press, \u00a320, ISBN 978-0719840968 <\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Habitat-Creation.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15272\" width=\"171\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Habitat-Creation.jpg 654w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Habitat-Creation-227x300.jpg 227w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 171px) 100vw, 171px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center article-full-body sans-serif\">Advice on marrying garden design principles and an ecological outlook to create wildlife havens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>TREE GLEE<\/strong><br>by Cheryl Rickman Welbeck Publishing, \u00a316.99, ISBN 978-1801291170 <\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Tree-Glee-739x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-15273\" width=\"170\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Tree-Glee-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Tree-Glee-1109x1536.jpg 1109w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Tree-Glee-scaled.jpg 1848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center article-full-body sans-serif\">A look at the science behind how trees comfort, restore and revitalise us \u2013 plus what we can learn from woodlands to improve our wellbeing. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<p class=\"footer\">PHOTOGRAPHS: CLIVE NICHOLS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HUSBANDRY: MAKING GARDENS WITH MR B by Isabel Bannerman Pimpernel Press, \u00a314.99 ISBN 978-1914902949 A perceptive and engrossing view of making a new garden \u2013 with a little help from Mr B \u2013 by one of today\u2019s leading garden designers. Reviewer Anna Pavord is a garden writer and GI contributing editor. \u2018Making a garden together\u2026 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":15265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"114","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"114","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_114-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_114-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"October-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"October-2022","purple_external_id":"October-2022-114-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"October-2022-114-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000090146||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000090146||","purple_android_product":"com.im.gardensillustrated.318","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.gardensillustrated.318","purple_ios_product":"com.im.gardensillustrated.318","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.gardensillustrated.318","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"7d582053-f286-4aed-b67e-c3b795d70c4d","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-10-04T13:24:49Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"a3fc6cc7-9ba5-4975-af84-ddf7150d3056","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-10-04T13:24:49Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/Ao_xsx5ulSXWvhN33FQ0wVg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[19],"tags":[45],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-scaled.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"14","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-scaled.jpg",1575,2560,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-185x300.jpg",185,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-768x1248.jpg",768,1248,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-630x1024.jpg",630,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-945x1536.jpg",945,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/09\/Husbandry-1-1260x2048.jpg",1260,2048,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"HUSBANDRY: MAKING GARDENS WITH MR B by Isabel Bannerman Pimpernel Press, \u00a314.99 ISBN 978-1914902949 A perceptive and engrossing view of making a new garden \u2013 with a little help from Mr B \u2013 by one of today\u2019s leading garden designers. Reviewer Anna Pavord is a garden writer and GI contributing editor. \u2018Making a garden together\u2026&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15144"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15144"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16086,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15144\/revisions\/16086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}