Ian Shenton

The Trouble with Plants: Tales of Trivia and Tribulation from an English Garden Ian Shenton

The Trouble with Plants is unique. Out has gone the traditional recipe for a garden plant guide, plant directory or plant encyclopaedia of compiling a plant's cultural details into a dry and dusty list, decorating with a stock colour photograph, and repeating for 10,000 plants. Instead here's a book that pioneers a radical new recipe for each of maybe 200 popular plants from 100 or so genera. To a simple base of cultural details add the author's personal experience of growing them. Stir in a generous measure of trivia, either directly or peripherally connected to the name, folklore, history and usage of the genus. Spice with a dash of the author's own wry perspective, and serve in digestible portions. The result is destined to please the palate of most gardeners, and perhaps even some non-gardeners too.