BOOK REVIEWS

The New Zealand Pleasure Garden
Gardening for the Senses

Beatrice Hale
Longacre Press
$NZ29.95

DUNEDIN gardener/author Beatrice Hale's enthusiasm for the therapeutic benefits and sensory delights of gardening set the tone for this delightful book. Beatrice Hale works with the elderly and disabled, a calling that has obviously sharpened her appreciation.

The section headings - such as The Fragrant Garden; The Pleasures of Taste; The Sensuous Garden - give an idea of the book's general approach.

Pleasure Garden is not your usual "how-to" title. However, its conversational style is peppered with a wealth of useful tips and its refreshing directness leaves the reader in no doubt about the writer's authenticity.

Here's an excerpt from her section on colour: "I like a riot of colour and in consequence tend to have a spotty or patchy garden. For years I have kept a diary to try to learn from the mistakes made . nowadays, I revert to the experts for advice."

The chapter on overcoming the limitations of space, time, mobility and dexterity has lots of useful tips and ends with the cheerful advice: "Never forget gardening is for everyone."

Very reasonably priced and with a compelling cover from the work of Nelson artist Jane Evans, this is an inspiring paperback that will appeal to many Weekend Gardener readers.

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