BOOK REVIEWS

Gardenwork

Stephen Bradley
Ryland, Peters & Small, distributed by Reed
$NZ49.95

MANY new gardeners can find the enormous range of maintenance chores - from pruning to propagation - a little overwhelming at first, which is where reference books come in so handy.

This practical "step-by-step guide to vital gardening tasks through the year" covers it all, albeit from an English perspective, in a reader-friendly but comprehensive format. The book has a ringbound spine and a number of fold-out pages that explain the more complicated concepts in detail.

The how-to components that make up the majority of the book are nicely balanced with inspirational projects, such as creating a pebble pond complete with clipped border of box hedging or planting a romantic herb walkway.

Growing plants for free - or for very little cost - is covered extensively, with helpful advice every step of the way. There are sections on collecting your own seed through to taking cuttings and the techniques needed to graft and layer more tricky subjects.

As well as being practical, Gardenwork is also very attractive, with a large number of photographs to complement the step-by-step illustrations.

Stephen Bradley is a very well-known British garden writer, lecturer and television personality whose hands-on style is accessible and useful. His books sell worldwide.

Weekend Gardener, Issue 94, March 14-27, 2002, Page 28

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