| The magnificence of gardening is that it is so | | | | growing your own vegetables and having an |
| diverse. Recently it has become fashionable for | | | | allotment has connotations of an organic lifestyle |
| guerrilla and organic gardening (with the aim of | | | | that is beyond our materialistic standard of living. |
| self sufficiency). However, trends are ever | | | | The techniques of simple, practical gardening are |
| changing and ideas are always morphing which | | | | ageless and therefore they are perfect content |
| makes a gardening book very much in danger of | | | | for a book. There is a trend for gardening books |
| being outdated as soon as it hits the shelves. | | | | combined with recipe books which show you how |
| So what can make a good gardening book? | | | | to grow your own food and cook it. The vivid |
| Perhaps by considering aspects of gardening as | | | | images and practical advice in these books make |
| separate factions rather than lumping them | | | | them a seducing read. |
| together as one topic. A book trying to cater for | | | | Some of the most successful gardening books |
| all forms of gardening would be a foreboding and | | | | are those which consider gardening seasonally. |
| impractical tome! | | | | The winter garden is far removed from summer |
| Landscaping is almost considered an art form. A | | | | blooms and books which acknowledge this tend to |
| book with clear diagrams and inspiring pictures as | | | | succeed. |
| well as the technical knowledge of how to build | | | | What makes up a good gardening book is |
| and landscape a garden would be the most | | | | completely subjective. The tangibility of a book |
| appropriate type of book for this. Yet landscaping | | | | creates inspiration in itself but some forms of |
| is based on ideas and innovation and this is ever | | | | gardening are only suited to the internet. Although |
| changing. Surely the internet and other forms of | | | | some planting techniques are timeless, the |
| media would facilitate this form of gardening much | | | | excitement of movements such as guerrilla |
| more effectively than a book? | | | | gardening can be facilitated by a blog and photos |
| Over the last decade it has become fashionable | | | | with regular updates. |
| again to become self sufficient. The idea of | | | | |