It’s the time of year to be thinking about calendars, diaries and how to get through the long winter months and with this in mind, Gardeners’ World The Flower Book is designed to educate, entertain and bring a little daily floral cheer.
The concept is nothing new but this volume goes beyond simply pretty pictures and names. Combining folklore and cultivation notes, it is part information, part inspiration with flowers chosen to match the month they bloom in the UK.
(I was given a review copy but am not paid.)
The year begins with one of the plants with which I have a love-hate relationship. I love winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) but it hates me. I’ve tried three or four times to get it to grow in my garden and am waiting to see if the last attempt reappears this winter.
From then on, we move through the year from flower to flower, passing among others sweet violets, cosmos and bergamot until the year ends with Camellia ‘Sparkling Burgundy’. Some plants, such as dahlias, daffodils and iris, appear more than once with different varieties featured. There are also wildflowers, often considered weeds, such as common hogweed and colts foot, and the book covers everything from trees down to bulbs.
Each entry starts with the plant’s common name before giving its Latin name, plant family and cultivation tips, including height, spread and preferred aspect.
Further information ranges from descriptions and growing habit to folklore stories and uses. We learn that hellebores were used to repel witches, the Guelder rose features in Ukranian songs, helenium’s common name of sneezeweed comes from its use in snuff, and that in Irish folklore, primroses were believed to protect homes from fairies.
All the entries are illustrated with either a photograph or botanical drawing making it visually pleasing as well as informative.
If I had a criticism, it is that the print is extremely small and flowers are not given their own page – on some there are three entries. This means it’s very easy to ‘cheat’ and read ahead.
We’re told the book is “an opportunity to return to the tactile and immersive experience of gardening”. It would certainly be a way of bringing more flowers into the year and learning about them.
Gardeners’ World The Flower Book is published by BBC Books with an RRP of £22. You can buy it here for £16.39. (If you buy via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.) Alternatively, you may wish to buy from an independent bookseller here. All prices correct at time of publication of this post.
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This sounds like a lovely book and a great gift idea.
Yes, it would make a lovely Christmas present. Something to start each day with.
Is it simply a book then or a diary?
It’s a book with a daily flower entry.