The Natural Gardener

The Natural Gardener
The Natural Gardener
Author: Val Bourne
Published by: Frances Lincoln
Published April 2004
RRP: £16.99

Winner of the The Practical Book of the Year 2004

Val really wanted to call this book 'Gardening With the Planet', which is what it's all about. But the publishers insisted on 'The Natural Gardener' instead. The book follows twelve months in her previous garden (Homefield in Hook Norton) and it is all photographed there. Clive Nichols also shot 17 of the pictures but Val took most of the others.

It explains why Val is a green gardener and it's full of practical advice about how to deal with tricky problems naturally  -  including slugs, cabbage white butterflies and black spot.

It also outlines 12 natural principles and these include
  • having a supply of nectar throughout the year to sustain insect life - particularly bumble bees
  • using evergreens to shelter insect and animal life
  • planting in the correct place to avoid plant disease
  • using drought resistant plants in hot spots
  • using companion planting to deter pests etc in the vegetable garden.