For years before I had a house, I was a windowsill gardener, making do with houseplants and a few pots of bulbs on a small balcony.
It’s a style of gardening that’s commonplace for those in flats, or rented accommodation where a ‘garden’ might need moving, and there are many books on container gardening or houseplants.
The Windowsill Gardener, by Liz Marvin, takes the idea a stage further with ideas for turning not just your windows but the entire house into a garden and with far more than just houseplants.
I was sent a copy in return for a fair review.
Bookshelves, stairs, or the top of cupboards, all are suitable spots for growing something.
“. . . so long as they are getting the light they need, plants don’t have to just live on windowsills,” we’re told.
The book starts by suggesting we walk around our homes and list suitable places to grow and the sort of conditions provided. These will determine which plants to choose be they light-loving lavender, or ferns that will thrive in a steamy bathroom.
Pots too needn’t be conventional: old tins, tea caddies and even coffee sacks are all suggested. There are also instructions for making your own newspaper pots for seedlings.
The plants range from the incredibly easy microgreens through to the dwarf manadrin tree, which requires rather more skill.
In between are old favourites, such as basil, parsley and bean sprouts.
The idea of growing rainbow chard indoors – other than as micro veg – was new to me as was garlic greens from small cloves that are too fiddly to chop.
And you don’t need to buy established plants, or grow from seed, with carrot tops, lettuce and celery all suitable for rooting in water.
In addition, the book highlights three plants to ‘boost your wellbeing’ along with another three ‘with magical powers’.
There’s advice on the right compost for growing indoors, how to water and equipment that will be needed.
The style is chatty – mint, we’re told, needs its own pot as it “doesn’t play well with others” – and plants are given their common names with no Latin in sight.
Annie Davidson’s illustrations make it appealing to the eye and are also used for a ‘visual index’ rather than the more commonplace list of names and page numbers.
Although The Windowsill Gardener is probably best suited to a novice gardener there are things that a more experienced grower could learn.
I wish I’d had this book back when I was in a flat. My growing would have been far more adventurous.
The Windowsill Gardener, text Liz Marvin, illustrations by Annie Davidson, is published by Michael O’Mara Books with an RRP of £9.99. You can buy it here for £8.19 (if you buy through this link, I receive a small commission, the price you pay is not affected).
Enjoyed this? Read more of my gardening and garden-related book reviews here and follow my blog to get notification about new posts.