Christine Shaw (3)

Defining "Architectural Plants", the flyleaf says: "it has to have either a very string shape or a very strong presence in the Garden" - of course what fits that definition is open to conjecture, but here it is taken to include plants such as yuccas, agaves, palms, tree ferns, bamboos and the like. It would be easy to point out omissions or question inclusions, although of course personal taste comes into the equation; but I suspect it is as much a catalogue for the nursery of the same name, Architectural Plants in Sussex where the author is manager, and this has possibly influenced what is included.

Following a couple of introductory chapters the book considers the pants according to category: Palms; Ferns; Grasses; Bamboos; Climbers; Tress; Other leafy exotics; Spiky and succulent plants; the book concludes with a section on pests and diseases and includes and index.

Each section has an introductory page or two, and then follows a selection of plants each given a page of description along with cultivation advice and a photograph or two. It is a well designed and produced book, clear and easy to follow. It is illustrated with I estimate around 500 full-colour photographs including some useful pictures in the diseases section.

The book is intended for gardeners in the British Isles, and even here many of the plants included are of questionable hardiness even in the most favourable parts, but with very careful attention to soil preparation and situation might be worth trying, although the gardener would have to be prepares for some losses. It should be noted too that some of the plants here are suitable for greenhouse or conservatory cultivation only in the British Isles, this is usually stated in the description, but such plants are not discussed separately and appear amongst the more hardy, so it would be easy to assume mistakenly they too are hardy - it might have been more instructive to have a distinct section for such plants.

This is a useful book in as much as it groups together a particular category of plants, but such a book cannot be neither inclusive nor exclusive; however it is well presented and the information can only add to ones understanding of growing such plants.… (plus d'informations)