English Plants For Your Garden

Jill Hamilton

Editions

Review

Our native plants are enjoying something of a renaissance, and are at the heart of a new way of creating gardens more in harmony with our countryside.

Gardening with vernacular flora might call for some adjustment on our part; colours tend to be understated in comparison with the tone of imports from sunnier climates (though a field of native Viper's-bugloss is pretty startling!).

Ecologically, the use of native species encourages insect and bird life.  Beautiful as it is, the London plane tree, not native to our shores, makes for a fine city specimen, but it is a grave disappointment to the bird community, as it does not support the insects they require - only one compared with our native oak which sustains over 284.

Horticulturists can play only a role in building a flourishing wildlife mosaic and this charming book, by the authors of The Gardens Of William Morris hbk £25pbk £17.99, provides an index of our native plants, herbaceous flowers, trees, shrubs and climbers, with suggestions as to how we can incorporate more of these plants which naturally do well and require less maintenance than their exotic cousins or hybridised progeny. - review by Stewart Grimshaw

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