Alan Titchmarsh, the Gardener's Year

View other editions of Alan Titchmarsh, the Gardener's Year.
View books by Alan Titchmarsh.

A surprisingly good read, but will need supplementing - Rated
This book is great fun to read because it is written so much in Alan's own voice - you can just hear him reassuring, joking and encouraging. I'm really glad I bought it, but I warn you that you are likely to need a more encyclopaedic book too, as a back-up to this. At first it seems pretty comprehensive, until you try to use it as a reference. For example, I've just bought some freesias, and some anemones (bulbs), but when I looked for them in the index there was no mention. If you are a keen gardener, I strongly recommend you try to get hold of AGL Hellyer's "Your Garden Week by Week" which is very old, and bossy, but covers more. (Of course for a non-calendar approach there are lots of good reference books to choose from .)

From a gardening numpty! - Rated
Really! When it comes to gardening i truly havent got a clue.
Having spent vast amounts (now having an actaul whole real life garden now, and large one at that!) on gardening books trying to figure out what i'm supposed to do and when and with what i got this book from that lovely bloke....Uncle Alan.
I now have a rough idea when spring is!
The detailed check lists of monthly task's is a real brilliant for your average gardening plonker, fantastic pictures and how to's. Uncle Alan reasurringly pats you on the back all the way through and supplies you with the how to's, when's and why's including ideas etc.
I will be combining this with Cassells gardening encyclopedia i think it's called, and have all the information me, your garden plonker information she can really work with.
Go on, get the book, you know you want it!

Excellent advice and motivation - Rated
Given that I'm currently living in a flat several floors above the earth, I have to do my gardening vicariously these days … largely through reading and reviewing books. My present situation is one of choice - I don't have time to maintain the garden I'd want. And my reason for advocating that we should all do a bit of garden is that it is relaxing and plays a vital role in making you feel a connection with the world and life. Even if you don't have a garden, you can keep pot plants and window boxes, can enjoy seeding and taking cuttings and growing your own herbs and a few salad vegetables.

Alan Titchmarsh has established himself as the face and voice of gardening. He has served his apprenticeship, has done all the cold, dirty, wet jobs, and spent most of his life working with the soil. He has the experience, he has undoubted practical knowledge, and he has an extraordinarily warm and communicative personality which regularly graces television. His "The Complete How to be a Gardener" is a first class guide for anyone wanting practical advice.

"The Gardener's Year", meanwhile, supplements and extends this earlier title. Gardening is intimately bound to the seasons and the weather. To garden successfully, you have to plan ahead, have to visualise. Those beautiful blooms or that rich crop of potatoes didn't happen over night. You have to time things, prepare the ground at the right time, plant at the right time, prune, feed, stake, weed at the right time.

Titchmarsh looks at the routines of gardening, the planning of gardening. It's a good book to buy at Christmas so you can map out your year ahead. What do you want from your garden? Colour? Wildlife? A year round harvest of vegetables? Much television latterly has emphasised garden design - but planning your gardening, getting the jobs into the right order is really the essential factor. And planning should be a joy - sitting on a cold, wet January night and imagining the bulbs in bloom, or the taste of fresh picked strawberries, or whatever … that's one of the real joys of gardening.

Excellent package, loads of first class advice, but also a book which should motivate and enthuse you. A book to enjoy and use … but enjoy it first.