Like many of my generation, I learned my gardening from parents, watching what they did and being encouraged to grow – with my own patch – from an early age. But what if you don’t have that help? Michael Griffiths hopes to fill that gap with The Easy Garden, what he describes as his “straight-talking guide”.
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It is, he tells us, the sort of book he needed when he began gardening and found it difficult to know where to start, what tools to buy, or what all the jargon meant.
The Easy Garden opens with a look at the very basics including how to prune, potting on, watering and essential tools – I was interested to see it included a hori hori (reviewed here).
The book then moves through the seasons covering tasks and how to carry them out successfully. These range from planting bare-root strawberries in spring through how to protect plants in a summer heatwave, and autumn bulb planting to winter pruning of fruit trees.
Each task is set out as a series of short paragraphs written in an easy style while the accompanying photographs make each step clear.
Scattered through these ‘techniques’ are projects, such as repurposing a Christmas tree to make mulch or a bug hotel, and setting up a tropical garden, which includes suggestions of what to grow.
Little of what is described is new to an experienced gardener and some, such as how to pick the best fresh Christmas tree, are arguably not really gardening. However, for a newcomer to growing, it is the ideal starting point.
The Easy Garden by Michael Griffiths, Photography Jason Ingram is published by DK with an RRP of £18.99. #Ad You can buy it here for £14.75. (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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