I’ve had my copy of this book (the 2001 edition) for 20 years. It was the first gardening book I bought when I started out with my tiny patch of earth in front of the house I lived in when I first moved to London, not really knowing where to start, what to do when, or how to do any of it.
For years and years I’ve read my way through this book, month by month, reminding myself each fresh January of the jobs to be done and the plants in flower or harvest this month. Each year, coming to each month’s chapter afresh, I’ve found something new to think about or do, or another project to finally have a go at doing this year. I love the familiarity of it; I read it to calm myself, give myself a sense of structure and a plan when the world seems chaotic and overwhelming.
The book is structured around the months of the year. For each month you get a summary of what’s happening in the garden, what the weather’s likely to be like, the jobs to be done and the star plants of the month. For me, it’s at just the right level of detail to be useful, accessible and not overwhelming, but with enough information to make it feel substantial and meaningful (some books of this genre are too light, I find, and don’t bear more than a single skim read).
It covers trees, shrubs, flowers, fruit and veg, and there’s enough in here for anyone to get going with any of these things.
I love the star plants of the month – there’s a few pages of lovely photographs for each month. I’ve taken many an idea from these pages to keep my garden interesting throughout the whole year.
There are useful technical tips on a huge range of things including how to get to know your soil, plant a hedge or a bare-rooted tree, take cuttings, store dahlia tubers, create and maintain a lawn, manage a simple crop rotation, prune your fruit trees or roses, sow seeds, or look after a pond.
There are projects to do each month: make a potting tray (one I still haven’t got around to, after all these years – maybe this will be the year…), make a light box for seedlings on a windowsill, build an obelisk (I did this one and absolutely loved the result), make an alpine trough and build a half-barrel pond amongst other things.
So, if you’re just starting out, or if you’re looking for a gift for someone who’s into gardening, then I recommend this book as someone whose copy is still well-loved and well-leafed, 20 years later.
Keeping the Plot 