Practical information in a glance

For anyone starting out in gardening, I would recommend this book for its practical info and coverage of all aspects regarding containers. From beginning to end, from utensils to choosing plants to types of soil to the containers themselves, the user-friendly text provides answers to all the questions and difficulties encountered.

Just one word SUPERB

This book is fabulous in true Tricia style it is beautifully designed with each page bursting with an array of colour and texture you just get enveloped in the photography and can almost touch the fabrics even the cover has tactile flock detailing (very now) - this will take pride of place on my bookshelf along with my other treasured Tricia titles.

Still a worthwhile investment so long after publication.

Having already got hold of"Grow your own cut flowers" by the same author, I agonised for a long time about whether to buy this as well. Although there is some repetition, there is also a lot of different material. There are more arrangements and techniques in this book than in the later"Grow your own...", more detail on floristry equipment, and more information about more plants, which are organised by time of year and colour in this book, rather than by bulb/perennial/annual/half hardy annual, etc.

Although the styling of some of the photos is perhaps a little dated, the arrangements still look fresh and modern, and could be adapted if you want something a little less prescriptive. My only real complaint is that you would need a very extensive garden to grow as much as she suggests you would require for the really impressive arrangements (highly invasive, pond-liner wrecking bulrushes? Really?), which would not be practical for most people.

However, this book is very much a step up in volume of flowers and scale of arrangements from"How to Grow Your Own Cut Flowers". If you are after larger scale and more variety, this is definitely a worthwhile buy.

(If you want to see more pages, search for it on google books - more are available than on"Search Inside" here.)

basic introduction for the novice

A basic introduction the subject of green roofs and walls. Technical issues are not covered in great detail, but there is a comprehensive plant-list at the back. Most of the subjects are geared towards novices of urban greenery and somewhat haphazardly spaced throughout the book. Definitely not a thorough coverage, which I suppose is reflected in the budget price. There are some fine pictures and it is a pleasantly sized hardback.

Inspirational with excellent instructions and drawings.

This book is a must for those who want to build a water feature but have no previous experience in this area. It is well laid out, informative and inspirational. As a garden design student I have consulted many books on this subject but felt this was the one I should buy.

Ideal for the novice

This colourful and concise book explains in suitable detail the methods for growing all types of vegetables, including less common varieties such as horseradish and okra. The book also contains sections about vegetable fruits and herbs. It begins with the basics of growing vegetables: appropriate tools, preparing the soil. Watering, compost, manure and fertilisers are all given attention, as are the best sowing techniques. Each vegetable is discussed, along with useful tips relevant to each. A practical month-by-month guide for the gardening year is also included. The only drawback for the environmentally-friendly gardener is that it does not emphasise organic techniques enough, for the environment-conscious gardener.

a pretty little book but do you need two?

This book is a recycling of Cath Kidstons' original book 'Vintage Style' so dont make the mistake loads of others have by buying both and being really dissapointed (me included!)

By recycling I mean it's basicaly exactly the same book, same text, same pictures but a smaller,cheaper, paperback version with a different cover.

Having said that, it is great and you should read the reviews for her Vintage Style book to get a better idea of what you are buying!

The Garden Expert

This book covers the basics of gardening and does not give any in-depth information. Although it was useful I then had to go out and buy other books about gardening to get specific information. To be fair it is such a big subject that it would be difficult to cover everything you need to know in one small book. Having said that, I found it quite irritating that everytime I tried to get information on a subject e.g. trees, I was given very basic information and then told to buy his book that was specific for that subject.

Georgian delights

When I ordered Georgian House style, I did not know what to expect. We are renovating an old Georgian Lock Keepers House, so needed major help on the Architectural and Interior Design features for the house. This we have found to are delight in this book, it is a constant source of help and information which is needed so we can restore our lovely old house to her former glory.

Inspiring and useful

I found this book particularly useful in focusing more on all the idea I had for my new appartment. As the title of the book implies, it gives attention to details in design that really can make a hole difference! The book explains things like how to assess a space, spaces between objects, harmony between the rooms, symetry and asymetry, cushions , reflections an echoes and other issues such as scent and flowers. I loved it!

great book

Finally I found an instructional book, well-written, very practical, clear and complete, that helped me through the entire process of conceiving and then building the play structures for my kids from A to Z.
There is nothing missing, even detailed drawings and step-by-step instructions. I warmly recommend this book to anyone who is inexperienced but has the ambition to finally 'do it yourself'.

If you love plants and gardening, this is it!

Glad I followed the advise: indeed this is the one gardening book! What a thrilling experience! What an inexhaustible source of new ideas! Besides, it is a pleasure being able to share Piet and Anja's love for planting. It will certainly make a difference to my garden.