BOOK REVIEWS

Natural Gardening
in Small Spaces

Noel Kingsbury
Frances Lincoln, distributed by Bookwise International
$AUS65; $NZ74.95

THIS hardback shows how even in small space you can create a sustainable ecosystem that looks great, and, once established, largely looks after itself.

The book includes information on how to plan a natural garden with maximum benefit for the owner; more than 150 full colour photos; and a plant directory detailing the best plans for the natural garden chose for visual qualities.

Kingsbury, a leading exponent of contemporary naturalistic planting and design, explains how communities work and what this means for the gardener, then proceeds to examine the various types of natural habitat that can offer inspiration to the small-space gardener.

If your garden is shady for example, you might take natural woodland as your model: think of wildflowers carpeting the ground in spring, ferns and mosses growing lushly in the moister spots. In a more open position you can consider planting a miniature wildflower meadow, or a late-flowering prairies, in place of a conventional lawn.

There's even a chapter on how to garden without watering, using mulches, and boosting opportunities for wildlife with bird boxes and mammal hibernation sites.

Weekend Gardener, Issue 124, 2003, Page 30

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH