Enjoy Your Garden: Gardening for Everyone Book

Enjoy your Garden is brought to you by the green-fingered goddess of BBC's "Ground Force" but this laid-back, cheerful and practical guide is no mere TV tie-in. Ever "earthy", Charlie Dimmock introduces concepts and features relating to "real" gardens rather than ones designed for show or an instant makeover. This means focussing on plants that are easy to care for, features that are quick to construct (but resistant to the wear and tear of friends and kids) to create an easy-care garden you'll want to play, entertain and, most significantly, relax in. Charlie is very emphatic on the "enjoyable" aspect of gardening. Kicking off with a list of essential equipment, she bounds through some simple and fashionable projects: scented pots of lavender and herbs, a Mediterranean garden of terracotta pots and citrus trees, contemporary containers alongside grasses and decking. The book goes on to cover outdoor lighting, "wild" gardens, tropical plants and of course Charlie's speciality--imaginative but surprisingly simple water features. Enjoy your Garden succeeds above all in taking the terror out of gardening, making projects appear remarkably easy to recreate. Charlie avoids the language of intimidating expert at all times--there's as few Latin plant names as possible. Instructions are clear and accompanied by luscious photography and personal anecdotes that take it far beyond the traditional "how-to" manual. Her approach to gardening is very personal but also inevitably popular. Well-rounded, Charlie is very much the modern woman; there are evocative descriptions of the romantic glow of fairy lights on a balmy summer evening, followed by brisk information on suitable voltage and circuit breakers. Gardening traditionalists could deem some of the projects rather whimsical (and even "girlie") but it's truly refreshing to see Charlie let loose in the garden without the boys. (Alan Titchmarsh, the consummate Yorkshire man, would surely never approve of anything as bohemian as wind chimes made from old cutlery!) Charlie Dimmock has succeeded in the creating of a great book for people who have an inclination but limited time, energy and knowledge to garden. Enjoy your Garden is a substantial and beautifully illustrated guide to encourage green fingers in everyone. Creating lovely gardens to walk in bare foot with a glass of wine, whether or not you're inspired to dispense with your underwear, is another decision altogether. --Rachel O'ConnorRead More