Christopher Brickell draws on 40 years of gardening experience to describe in this personal guide the 300 plants that he regards as his special favourites, together with more than 200 alternative recommendations. He offers planting assistance, as well as useful tips on many aspects of gardening skill, ranging from propogation to rock gardens. The coverage is season by season, with separate sections for plants that perform well in more than one season. Guidance is given on all major plant categories - trees, shrubs, climbers and wall shrubs, herbaceous perennials, bulbs alpines, warm-climate and greenhouse plants, and short-lived plants. The book contains a reference section with specialist listings of nurseries and other sources of plants. Christopher Brickell is Editor-in-Chief of Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers)