BOOK REVIEWS

Gardeners' Advice —
All Your Questions Answered

RHS Wisley Experts
Dorling Kindersley
Distributed by Bookwise
$NZ55.00

As the introduction tells us, the Royal Horticultural Society's advisory service - a 13-strong team of scientists and horticultural advisers - answers more then 46,000 queries from its members each year.

The subjects range from pest control to plant identification and how to find a reliable contractor. This book, one of several published to mark the society's bicentenary, brings together advice that is scattered throughout other publications or simply not available elsewhere.

Twelve chapters are crammed with tips on 300 topics, most of it relevant to Kiwi gardeners. Although you may not want to know about bullfinch damage or how to control voles, you'll be more interested in eradicating oxalis or how to prune wisterias. There's even an entry on how to grow kiwifruit.

The chapters are simple categories. They start with general advice, move through subjects like trees and shrubs, and perennials and on to water gardens.

The book's clear layout - page numbers are highlighted in reverse type on the margin with the topic printed underneath - makes information readily accessible. This is an ideal working manual for the gardener who wants a quick reference for practical advice, planting ideas, techniques and plant problems. If the RHS boffins haven't heard of it, you can bet your best garden boots it doesn't exist.

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