Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007155689 ISBN 13: 9780007155682

Publisher: Harper UK, 2003

A city garden need not be a dusty square of cracked concrete and a few scraggy bushes struggling against giant weeds. In this book, written to accompany a Channel 4 gardening series, Matt James - "The City Gardener" - leads a call to arms for urbanites everywhere: "Green the city, hide the flat, featureless grey". With space ever more difficult and expensive to come by in our cities today, people are starting to realise how that plot out the back - or that balcony, or that rooftop - should be seen as an extra room in its own right. A space that with a little effort and the right know-how can be transformed into a lush, green oasis of calm: a space to relax away from hectic city life; a space to entertain friends; where kids can play safely; where you can explore your creative side, recover the link with nature and bring the pace of life in the country to the town. Matt knows the difficulties of an urban garden - limited space, limited time, limited cash - and the book is crammed full with creative design and planting ideas developed from his professional experience working in London. An extensive directory recommends plants that thrive in urban conditions and identifies those it is best not to waste your money on. There are chapters on maximising space through the use of different levels, heights and "rooms"; combating noise, pollution and eyesores; using trees for instant architecture and privacy; and achieving the "gardenless" garden with window boxes, pots and trellises. The book also shows that it's not just the farmers who can go organic, with tips throughout on chemical-free gardening and a section on growing a "kitchen" garden which brings the allotment to the back door. The book takes a refreshing attitude towards gardening that will be sure to energise a new generation of green-fingered city dwellers: chuck out the rule book, don't worry about monster earthworks and building expensive "features" - just get to know and love the things that really matter in a garden: the plants.

About the Author:

Matt James is the fresh new face of contemporary gardening and star of the hit Channel 4 series The City Gardener. His gardening career began as a teenager working on a small farm, and he then went on to study at various horticultural colleges and work at nurseries. Matt was honoured in 2000 as Londoner of the Year in the field of Environment and Regeneration, in recognition of his work establishing a successful circuit of Farmers' Markets in the capital. Matt's greatest passion as a gardener is trees - he is a genuine, 21st-century tree hugger and has made it his mission in life to get as many cityfolk as possible planting trees again!

From Booklist:

Host of The City Gardener, a British TV series, James lives in a London high-rise and he gardens on his balcony. His attractive book is intended to help beginners create gardens in small spaces. James writes that it is important first to evaluate the amount of sun and shade the site will get, then to work with the proper soil mixture. He offers advice on choosing the correct design and surface materials, on privacy and screening, on making use of levels, on picking garden furniture, and on creating a sense of tranquility. He recommends a variety of annuals and perennials and describes their colors, scents, and shapes, and demonstrates how some can be grown in pots and hanging baskets. Another fine feature: lovely color photographs appear throughout this helpful book. George Cohen
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