More attuned to watching Stephen Lacey wander through stately home gardens on television, it is a pleasant surprise to find that this unassuming, erudite gardening writer and lecturer is actually a talented hands-on gardener. Dividing his time between a two-pot balcony in London and an acre of garden in Wales, his love and interest in plants, gardens and gardening is reflected in his intelligent but captivating text. As he himself says in his introduction, this book is an expose of my addiction. In this attractively presented work he endeavours and succeeds in taking the reader through the art of planting. Reflecting on both today's looser planting schemes as well as the more formal, he gently guides the gardener through the pitfalls and explains the design basics. Amusingly written, as if he is actually chatting to you rather than writing it, it is an easy and enjoyable read, perfectly suited for a deckchair repose or light reading before bed. The sumptuous photographs that accompany the text will inspire and enthral, making the reader want to get out there and recreate them for themselves. From common or garden plants to the rarer, more hard to find varieties, trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs are all examined in depth to give a fuller, rounder picture of what is achievable with a little effort - more so than most garden books of this ilk. For anyone wanting a stylish, atmospheric garden, this self-effacing broadcaster will give you ideas, facts and planting schemes season by season to assist creating ones own piece of heaven. A wonderful read from a man too long regarded as someone who only does grand gardens.
