BOOK REVIEWS
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TREES by Jonathan Drori Laurence King Publishing, £17.99 ISBN 978-1786271617
Starting in England looking at two familiar iconic hybrid trees – the London plane and the Leyland cypress – the author takes readers eastwards in an anti-clockwise direction around the world. The 80 featured trees are a clever and diverse representation of the 60,000 distinct tree species that can be found on our planet, all with inspiring, descriptive and true stories that bring them alive. Reviewed by Tony Kirkham in the May 2018 issue.
BRILLIANT & WILD by Lucy Bellamy Photographs by Jason Ingram Pimpernel Press, £20 ISBN 978-1910258637
Brilliant & Wild promises a garden from scratch in a year, with barely any maintenance or horticultural knowledge necessary. It could sound too good to be true, but Bellamy has selected a handsome variety of hardy perennials that will flourish without taking over. The argument that urban soil is perfect for perennials – its low fertility creates tough plants – is refreshing for city gardeners who bemoan their overworked earth. Reviewed by Alice Vincent in the March 2018 issue.
COLLINS BOTANICAL BIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WILD AND GARDEN PLANTS by Sonya Patel Ellis William Collins, £30 ISBN 978-0008262273
This hefty tome brings together plant history, edibility, healing properties, art and science. Six chapters examine the beginnings of plants, followed by mankind’s interaction with them – the first gardens, cooking with plants, producing art inspired by them, and their medicinal uses. A mixture of illustrations, prints and photographs demonstrate the enormity, diversity and beauty of the plant world. Reviewed by Rosanna Morris in the November 2018 issue.
DREAMSCAPES by Claire Takacs Hardie Grant Books, £35 ISBN 978-1743793527
For almost a decade readers of Gardens Illustrated have enjoyed a privileged view of some of the world’s most beautiful gardens, as seen through the expressive lens of Claire Takacs’s camera. While primarily an inspiring coffee table book, this is also a fascinating insight into the life of a garden photographer, the hard slog of 16-hour drives and pre-dawn alarm clocks, and the fleeting moments of magic that make it all worthwhile. Reviewed by Jodie Jones in the February 2018 issue.