Book Review - Carol Klein's Favourite Plants

I was recently asked by Octopus Books to have a look at Carol Klein's Favourite Plants and write a review.

Photo taken from Amazon.co.uk

This is a slight deviation from my normal blog but I figured that since my blog is about food and without gardening we wouldn't have any food I would have a look at the book.

I do love gardening (afterall I have three compost heaps in my small garden) and have over the years gained quite a lot of gardening knowledge.  Currently I have quite a small garden but have my name down for an allotment locally.

I must be honest and was expecting a gardening book with hints and tips of what to grow where and when and what pests to look out for and how to get rid of them and other conventional stuff.

But what I found was a book of beautiful photographs and a text narrative about each plant.  The plants are divided into 9 categories such as 'Drama Queens', 'Shooting Stars'. 

Carol has been a gardener for quite a few years and currently runs a nursery in Devon and is a regular contributor to BBC 'Gardener's World'

When you start reading the text in each chapter and about each of the selected plants you can almost hear the love of gardening in her voice as if she was telling you personally about each plant.

This photo of Fritillaria meleagris otherwise known as Snakeshead plants are one of my favourites and something I have had in my gardens over the years. They feature in the chapter 'Cinderella Plants' which is all about plants that sprout, flower and die back in a short space of time.

Fritillaria meleagris - photo taken from Amazon.co.uk

Another favourite of mine is the Helleboris which again has featured in my gardens over time.




Helleboris x - photo taken from Amazon.co.uk

 

Each photo is a work of art, a real pleasure to gaze at with absolute detail in each one. This book will make a great addition to any coffee table or book shelf and will be enjoyed as a novel about plants rather than a 'how to' book of gardening.