There are sections on developing your own design; vertical gardening (hedges, climbers etc); patio gardening; beds & borders; water features; edible gardens; and gardening under cover. (There's also a tiny bit about wildlife gardening.) Although there are lots of glossy pictures, they're all useful and relevant. The text is friendly and very helpful.

Don't buy it, even if you fancy it, if you already know a lot about planning a garden, because you'd find it patronising.

I find the tone really encouraging, and it is less chatty than the programmes. Definitely worth getting if you enjoy the series and want to put it into practice, or if you weren't able to see the programmes.


At last! A gardening book for the true novice   May 6, 2002
 76 out of 79 found this review helpful

How good it was to read a gardening book written for a true novice. Alan does not assume that you know anything except that the garden is usually outdoors. All is explained clearly but not in a patronising way, the pictures would surely inspire anyone to get out there and have a go at creating their own little paradise.
What a refreshing change this book is to all the fashionable 'no plants' type of gardening, I was quite sad when I finished reading it. I have had a garden for quite a while,mine has grown randomly without any design whatsoever, but Alan's book has inspired me to have a go at designing my own triangles.


Welcome to the Jungle!   May 1, 2002
 116 out of 116 found this review helpful

My wife and I required help. We had just bought a house with gardens that required much attention - Lawns that had had many football tournaments played on them, flowerbeds that resembled war zones and barren areas of land that made the Sahara desert look positively fertile.

We had studied many gardening books, many of which were good, but none aimed at the 'absolutely useless'. After watching Mr. Titchmarsh's series on back to basics gardening we decided to check out the accompanying book.

Were we impressed? Absolutely. There's everything here that the beginner could wish for. What tools you require and their uses. Garden pests and ways to remove them. Correct ways, positions, and times of year of planting, to name but a few topics. My only gardening 'skill' was mowing the lawn. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I'd been doing it wrong (Cutting too short, not removing dead grass, etc).

If the only time you get green fingers is after picking your nose (sorry) then this is a perfect book and cannot be recommended enough.


If you only buy one gardening book, make it this one!   April 19, 2002
 60 out of 62 found this review helpful

The secret of Alan Titchmarsh's success lies in his ability to communicate with novices and old hands alike, at the same time and with neither feeling patronised or talked down to. He is at the same time a teacher, friend and fount of all wisdom. I particularly liked the section on design which made it quite impossible to fail to produce results. I have been a gardener for a few years, and found that this book plugged some of the gaps that inevitably occur when one is self-taught. For the beginner, it could quite possibly be the only book you will need (for a few years at least!)


Excellent for the new gardener   March 24, 2002
 73 out of 77 found this review helpful

Alan really has the nack of putting something that is often shrouded in mystery in a clear and simple way. This book does just that. It takes you through the stages of assessing your plot, how to plan your next move and how to maintain the beautiful garden you have created.

It is particularly helpful to the first time or less experienced gardner often faced with a myriad of other books and magazines.

Choose this one and you'll be off to a flying start!