BOOK REVIEWS
INCREDIBLE EDIBLES by Matthew Biggs Dorling Kindersley, £14.99 ISBN 978-0241302101
Incredible Edibles is an invitation to look beyond the familiar fruit, vegetables and herbs, and try something deliciously different. The book is split into seven chapters, organised by food type, with early pages devoted to growing tips and techniques. Author Matthew Biggs is a hugely knowledgeable and respected horticulturist, and his practical wisdom flows through the pages; this is not a book that will leave you struggling to know what to do and when to do it. Reviewed by Mark Diacono in the March 2018 issue.
FIVE SEASONS OF JAM by Lillie O’Brien Kyle Books, £20 ISBN 978-0857834393
Five Seasons of Jam is a collection of seasonal recipes for jam, jelly, wine and vinegar. All the recipes make small batches, so that the end product is fruitdriven rather than sugar-driven. As well as an impressive number of fruit varieties, O’Brien uses fruit kernels and nuts, herbs and spices, and unusual ingredients such as Earl Grey tea, cocoa nibs and watermelon rind to make her jam. Her products are on sale at the London Borough of Jam shop in east London. Reviewed by Alys Hurn in the September 2018 issue.
WREATHS by Katie Smyth and Terri Chandler Quadrille, £14.99 ISBN 978-1787131200
Not just for Christmas, or doors, and no longer limited to spruce and cinnamon sticks, wreaths are having a moment; be they explosive asymmetrical summer arrangements or something more organic for autumn. Wreaths is a book for people who love having flowers in their home but might want to try something a bit different from traditional floristry and rethink how to use flowers in a more artful form. Reviewed by Rosanna Morris in the May 2018 issue.
A LANDSCAPE LEGACY by John Brookes Pimpernel Press, £40 ISBN 978-1910258934
For almost a decade before the publication of his seminal Room Outside (1969), John Brookes had been making a splash with his designs. His early look was fiercely geometric, with angular pools, black-painted pergolas and ‘architectural’ plantings – a design system based on the concept of ‘the grid’, whereby the volumes of the garden are extrapolated from those of the house. This memoir is a fitting companion to Barbara Simms’s 2007 monograph on Brookes. Reviewed by Tim Richardson in the April 2018 issue.
THE JAPANESE GARDEN by Sophie Walker Phaidon, £49.95 ISBN 978-0714874777
Sophie Walker has assembled a starry line-up of essayists to bolster what would be an impressive book even without the brief contributions of artist Anish Kapoor, mathemetician Marcus du Sautoy and architects John Pawson and Tadao Ando. The Japanese garden can seem a difficult topic, but the author’s approach, which involves writing in a free, direct and unembarrassed way about actual emotions experienced at the gardens, creates its own gateway. Reviewed by Tim Richardson in the January 2018 issue.
SUNFLOWERS by Stephen A Harris RReaktion Books, £16 ISBN 978-1780239262
This book covers sunflowers and their relatives, known collectively as Asteraceae, encompassing marigolds, daisies, lettuce and thistles among others. It is a fascinating exploration of biology, ecology and cultural significance. Harris describes the importance of thistles for the Scots, edelweiss for Austrians and chrysanthemums for the Japanese, often with amusing anecdotes. Open the book at any page and you will discover something new and fascinating. Reviewed by John Hoyland in the August 2018 issue.
WALLED GARDENS by Jules Hudson National Trust, £16.99 ISBN 978-1909881969
Archaeologist and historian Jules Hudson is beguiled by walls and what they reveal about the evolution of horticultural and social history. From 15th-century gardens adjoining the main house, with low walls intended to keep animals off the crops, to elaborate Victorian creations with hot-water heating systems and vast glasshouses protecting an array of tender plants collected from around the Empire, Hudson charts the development of these amazing spaces. Reviewed by Jodie Jones in the March 2018 issue.
SHADES OF GREEN by John Sales Unicorn, £25 ISBN 978-1911604181
When the National Trust’s former head of gardens John Sales joined the Trust in 1971, garden history was in its infancy. In this study of 50 projects, we see the birth of historic garden conservation and the genesis of innumerable garden features that delight today’s garden visitors. Sales is unstinting in his praise for the gardeners with whom he has worked. The book is a testament to his tenacity and clarity of vision; his wisdom and wry humour shine through. Reviewed by Ambra Edwards in the June 2018 issue.
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