For many years, first as a student and then in a rented flat, I had no garden, and my growing was confined to houseplants and window boxes. I wish I’d had How to Garden When You Rent as there was so much more I could have done.
Written by RHS Wisley curator Matthew Pottage, it shows that even if you’re not privileged enough to own a garden – and many people aren’t – it need not limit your gardening.
(I was given a copy in return for a fair review.)
Container grown annuals – “just like a tenant on a short-term lease, summer bedding plants don’t stick around for long” – and bulbs are obvious but there’s so much more that can be done from easy veg, to interesting perennials and even trees. The book even suggests a window box of cottage garden plants such as lupins.
As someone who has rented long term, Matthew knows how easy it is to “find reasons to feel discouraged or disinterested in gardening” when you’re not sure how long you will be staying.
But he’s glad he made the effort: “If I had stubbornly done nothing with the space, simply because it wasn’t ours, I would have lost so much enjoyment and well-being from time spent gardening,” he tells us.
Among the benefits were a boost for mental health, creating a habitat for wildlife, and getting to know neighbours as he tended plants at the front of the house.
The advice in How to Garden When You Rent ranges from the basic – how to plant bulbs, when to water, how to prune – to the more complicated, such as making a living green wall.
There are projects with step-by-step instructions and illustrative photos for making a clematis tripod, creating a water feature, and building a raised vegetable bed, among others.
Indeed, although it is aimed at renters the information is ideal for anyone taking on a new space whether they own it or not.
Ideas are divided into ‘Quick Fixes’, suitable for those who won’t be long in a place through to the ‘Making it Your Own’ section for people with long leases.
Equally comprehensive are the ‘Get Started With’ ideas for perennials, bulbs and other plants with images, information on planting positions, eventual sizes, and a brief description.
Practical advice includes essential tools and how to store them – he keeps his under an evergreen shrub – how to plan your space, taking into account the time you have and length of lease, and the all-important how to move a garden when you leave.
The book has an easy style without being patronising and I loved the description of the garden he took over with its “picnic table that was slowly composting itself from the legs up.”
‘Keep Your Landlord in the Loop’ pointers ensure you should be able to improve your surroundings without causing a problem with your lease.
As he says: “Settling into a garden can really make a house feel like a home . . .”
How to Garden When You Rent by Matthew Pottage is published by Dorling Kindersley with an RRP of £14.95. You can buy it for £11.43 here (If you buy through this link, I get a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.)
Enjoyed this? You can read more of my gardening and garden-related book reviews here.
Don’t miss a new post, sign up for an email alert.