Books appearing on this page are available from good bookshops or from www.Amazon.co.uk

    Excellent!     Recommended     Worth having     Don't bother

Reviewed 7.11.2011

Britain's ancient trees are legendary - we have more in the UK than any other North European country.  This book documents, species by species, many of our most impressive ancient trees including some we have lost, their history, folklore  and condition.  The information about each individual tree is fascinating and old photographs emphasise how times have changed around them.  This book shows us how important these trees are, not only from the ecological and biological point of view, but also from the historical perspective.  A fascinating book with wonderful photos.

   Recommended 

Reviewed 24.10.2011

Wild Flowers by Sarah Raven  Bloomsbury 2011  Hardback ISBN 978 4088 1394 2  £28

Sarah Raven’s credentials as a readable and authoritative writer are abundantly obvious in this gorgeously illustrated book.  Arranged by habitat, it can be used as a sumptuous identification guide, or simply as a beautiful book to read at your leisure.  With photographer Jonathan Buckley, Sarah has travelled the UK to seek out five hundred wildflowers, from the often overlooked adder’s tongue fern, through species of delicate beauty such as water avens and meadow crane’s-bill, to the frankly annoying bindweed.  Each subject is lovingly treated to a written portrait as well as botanical information to aid identification.  As a botanist I have more than enough books about plants on my shelves, but I certainly have room, and time, for this.

  Excellent!

Reviewed 5.9.2011

Nature's Garden - How to Garden in the 21st Century by Matthew Wilson  Mitchell Beazley 2011  ISBN 978 1 84533 652 3 £14.99

Anyone who has visited the RHS Gardens at either Hyde Hall in Essex or Harlow Carr in Yorkshire    already knows Matthew Wilson’s inspirational gardening style, his vision and his credentials, as he has been Curator of both.    This beautifully illustrated book is subtitled ‘How to Garden in the 21st Century’ and, as they say, it does exactly what it says on the cover.  Using an engaging style and an informed but highly sensible approach, Matthew looks at every aspect of how we garden and champions the New Gardening revolution – gardening with nature, gardening within your microclimate, avoiding chemicals and using natural predators to keep your plants healthy.  A book for every fledgling gardener or anyone who cares about our environment.

  Excellent!  

Reviewed 5.9.2011

The Curious Gardener – A Year in the Garden by Anna Pavord  Bloomsbury Press 2011 Hardback.  330 pages ISBN  9781408808887  £20.00

In spite of its title, this is not a book for the potting shed, but is more a bed side book to look forward to in the dark winter evenings, as long as you are not likely to keep the other members of your household awake with your laughter. Each chapter is written with entertainment value akin to the ladies from the TV programme ‘Grumpy Old Women’ meeting an episode of Mastermind – specialist subject, Gardening.   In spite of the fact that it is a 'no photos' prose only book, it is the perfect Christmas present for anyone with even a postage stamp sized garden, who enjoys intelligent writing by the wonderful Anna Pavord.

  Excellent!

Reviewed 11.7.2011

There is a little spate of 'gardening with nature' books at the moment - another one due next month, but that is all for the good. The more of us who garden in harmony with our surroundings, and in a sustainable way, the better.  This book by Jane Powers is a delightful read and written in a quirky style that's makes you feel, by the end, that the author is one of your friends!  The pictures too are lovely and her connection with her garden and the creatures in it comes through on every page.  Plenty about growing vegetable crops and keeping chickens and as well as every aspect of gardening in a nature friendly way.

   Recommended 

Reviewed 9.5.2011

I love this book!  A combination of good gardening common sense plus witty observational humour makes it a must have on my 'general gardening' bookshelf now.  Lovely photographs accompany straightforward, intelligent text with chapters ranging from the amusing 'Why did it Die', 'Hiding the Neighbours' and 'Difficult Places' to the more obvious 'Exotic Planting', 'Mobile Plants' and 'Gravel Gardens'.  An excellent book for someone who is really keen to learn more about gardening, but doesn't want to be patronised! There is very little in the way of wildlife gardening (actually only two pages) but it is still worth having for a good grounding in gardening practices and for a little inspiration.

   Recommended 

Reviewed 2.3.2011

This is a second edition of a well-known and well loved book.  Most dedicated birders will have a copy of this or one of the more county specific versions on their bookshelves.  These books are incredibly useful if you are going on holiday or visiting a new area and you want to do a little birdwatching while you are there.  The book describes both well known and lesser know birding hotspots throughout England, Scotland and Wales with information about the site, how to get there, what birds you might see and the type of habitat.  My only problem with this book (and the reason it didn't get 3 ladybirds) is that it entirely omits my own county of Shropshire and also Herefordshire!!  Quite why this should be, as these two counties have some extraordinarily good birding sites where great birds can be virtually guaranteed, is beyond me.  Thankfully Shropshire and Herefordshire are included in Where to Watch Birds in the West Midlands in spite of the fact that everyone who lives here know we are in the Welsh Marches. 

   Recommended 

Reviewed 10.2.2011

Gardening for Wildlife - A complete guide to nature-friendly gardening by Adrian Thomas   A.C. and Black ltd 2010 ISBN978 1 4081 2230 3  £19.99 

Of all the new wildlife gardening books that have been published in the last few years, this one immediately appeals.  The large format, great design, excellent photos and layout put it head and shoulders above most others.  But, as a long-time professional wildlife gardener and a stickler for accurate information, does it pass my horribly demanding criteria?  A nice conversational style and easy to read accurate and inspiring information gives it a big green light as far as I am concerned.  With information about gardening sustainably, using water wisely and a huge list of 400 plants that are good wildlife, this book is a one stop shop for all wildlife gardening information.  A proper wildlife gardening book!  Definitely on my recommended list for participants on the wildlife gardening courses I teach.

    Excellent!

Reviewed 3.11.2010

Bark - An Intimate Look at the World's Trees by Cedric Pollet  Frances Lincoln Ltd 2010  ISBN 978-0-7112-3157-5 £30

This book is an absolute feast for the eyes and is the kind of book to browse whenever you want to just appreciate the beauty and wonders of the natural world.  Cedric Pollet has taken photographs of trees and their bark from around the world - not a promising start I must admit - but the resulting images are truly amazing and stunningly beautiful.  There is an informative description of each species, its habitat and ecology as well as a selection of stunning photos.  This would make a perfect Christmas present for anyone who appreciates nature and art.

    Recommended

Reviewed 2.10.2010

The Apple Book by Rosie Sanders  Frances Lincoln Ltd  2010 ISBN 978-0-7112-3141-2  £25

As someone who grows about 40 varieties of apple, the original version of this book is my apple bible!  This updated version has even more varieties including several more modern types as well as the older ones that I know and grow.  The illustrations (watercolour paintings) are simply stunning.  Orchard fruit is great for wildlife and a proportion of ours is always left birds, mammals and insects in the garden.  If you are keen to grow even a single apple tree, get this book first and learn more about the wealth of apple varieties that are still available.  This book contains just a small number (144) but still enough to make your mouth water.

  Excellent!

Reviewed 9.9.20101

Garden of Dorset by Roger Lane  Frances Lincoln Ltd 2010 ISBN 978-0-7112-3090-2  £25

Dorset is a wonderful county with an enviably mild climate (at least from my perspective).  Gardens of Dorset looks at 37 gardens in this southern county ranging from cliff top to woodland valley, with all types in between.  There are some wonderful photos but there is little in this book to inspire the wildlife gardener.  Most of the gardens are large and formal in their layout although some of the cottage gardens have borders with a range of plants that would attract plenty of insects.  Only the garden at Abbotsbury really stands out as an exotic oasis.  If you are an avid garden visitor you could find this a really useful book if visiting this county.

  Worth having

Reviewed 13.8.2010

Fourteen Gardens by Ulf Nordfjell  Frances Lincoln Ltd 2010  ISBN 978-0-7112-3109-2  £30

Ulf Nordfjell is an award winning Swedish garden designer, whose work is often seen at the Chelsea Flower Show - his garden exhibited there in 2009 won Best in Show.  Like so many Continental designers, his style of planting is often naturalistic with grasses and perennials mixing with natural materials.  This style is much more wildlife friendly than other garden styles and his love of nature and commitment to the environment is apparent in his designs.  This book describes fourteen of his most beautiful gardens including the Chelsea winner, but the latter, although elegant, had little to offer wildlife.  Most of these gardens exhibit relaxed and exuberant planting with many wildlife friendly plants and the lovely photos are inspirational.

  Worth having

Reviewed 13.8.2010

While Flocks Last by Charlie Elder  Bantam Press 2009  ISBN 978-0-552-15754-4  £7.99

This book is described as 'an armchair birdwatcher goes in search of Britain's most endangered species', which does tell you what the book is about, but doesn't tell you how funny it is.  I really liked this book and it made me laugh all the way through, both at the events that took place, but also at the now well-known character of a 'twitcher' even though Charlie is an 'arm-chair' variety...normally. 

If you are interested in the conservation of our most endangered birds, but also like to mix a serious message with a more light hearted read, this is highly recommended.

  Recommended

Reviewed 16.4.2010

Make it Wild - 101 Things to do Outdoors by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield  Frances Lincoln 2010   ISBN 978-0-7112-2885-6  £16.99

I love Fiona and Jo's books and this latest one has loads more exciting things for children to do outside.  Exploring the countryside whilst being creative with natural materials found all around us, is not only fun but gives children respect and understanding for the natural world which lasts well into adulthood.

This book has some fantastic ideas for making kites, pots (with clay dug from the soil) toy boats and rafts and using natural dies and making jewellery amongst other topics.  In all a great book for anyone who likes to play outside including mums, dads and grandparents!

  Recommended

Reviewed 25.3.2010

Gardening for Bumblebees by Dave Goulson  produced by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, School of Biological and Environment Sciences, University of Sterling, FK9 4LA

This booklet is available from this website  It contains excellent information about how to attract bumblebees to your garden by growing the flowers they feed on (both wildflowers and garden flowers), providing nest sites for them and creating a wildflower meadow in your garden.  The information about their preferred flowers plus excellent pictures and details about the decline of bumblebees in our countryside all helps us to better understand their requirements and hopefully help them in our own gardens.  Highly recommended.

  Excellent!

Reviewed 11.2.2009

British Butterflies and Moths - A photographic guide by Chris Manley. A C & Black 2008  £24.99 Softback ISBN 978-07136-86364  

A new book on moths and butterflies is always an exciting prospect, especially when it contains beautiful, quality images.  This book contains stunning photographs of 850 macromoths, 74 butterflies and 500 micromoths, plus many wonderful pictures of caterpillars, eggs and pupae.  The author (a sculptor by profession as well as a photographer) says that the book 'aims to convey the beauty and fascination of moths to a new audience' and he most certainly succeeds admirably.  The information on each species is sparse, but there are many other books providing that kind of detail.  This book aims to provide sufficient information to identify almost any macromoth or butterfly recorded in Britain.  In fact the information is more than sufficient, giving details of size, distribution. habitat and flight period, plus larval food plant.  There is also a short section explaining the rather confusing classification of butterflies and moths, their distinguishing features, anatomy and life cycles.  This book must have been a labour of love and will be spending very little time on my bookshelf as it will be in constant use - if not for identification purpose, then simply for the joy of the images of these wonderful insects. Highly recommended.

  Excellent!

Reviewed 17.10.2008

RSPB Handbook of Garden Wildlife by Peter Holden and Geoffrey Abbott    Christopher Helm 2008  ISBN 978 0 7138 8860 3  £9.99

There has been a spate of guides to garden wildlife in the last few months and this could be one to add to your Christmas list.  Illustrated throughout with high quality glossy photographs, there are sections on everything from birds and mammals to dragonflies and moths.  A small selection of the plants you are likely to come across in your garden is also included, but this is very confusing and unnecessary.  There is also some information on how to create a wildlife garden, its management and a guide to monthly wildlife highlights.  By and large the addition information in this book is extremely limited but the identification section is colourful and attractive.  If you are a beginner to gardening for wildlife and need a handy book to identify a bird, butterfly or other creepy crawly this could be the book to get you started. Highly recommended.

  Excellent!