Urban Nature Every Day
With Sally Hughes
The aim of this book is to encourage people to discover nature in urban areas. Not everyone wants, or has the time, to don wellies and waterproofs and traipse miles across muddy fields in search of a lesser-spotted something but you really don’t need to. Sally and I have seen amazing natural sights from pub terraces, canal-side paths, picnics in the park and walks round docks. This book aims to be a starting point to awaken your curiosity and alert you to the possibilities on your doorstep. It is aimed at beginners and experts alike and we have attempted to include something for every taste: large and small, good and bad, truly wild and partly cultivated. We want to encourage everyone to notice more; to look at the grand sweeps of the natural world or its minutest details and marvel at them. Go outside or look out of the window and prepare to be amazed.
Batsford Books 2024
The Orchard
With Chris Kelly
Orchards are one of the oldest and most beautiful types of garden. Forget large commercial orchards but, instead, think of sitting in the gentle shade of a graceful tree and eating a perfect piece of fruit. You do not need a lot of space to achieve this, you don’t even need much skill. Just a desire for really good fruit and a love of beautiful and civilised things. Whether you have a tiny balcony or a huge field you can easily grow apples, pears, plums, quinces, cherries, medlars or even a mulberry tree. Each fruit has its own fascinating history and can be used for delicious and varied recipes.
Pavilion, 2010, new edition 2019
The Tiny Garden
Stairs, passages, light wells, the tops of fire escapes – no site is too small for a garden, or the illusion of one. This book shows you how you can create a pocket handkerchief of a garden in even the most unpromising of spaces. Equally helpful for beginners and more experienced gardeners faced with an awkward plot, this book covers everything you need to know to make and maintain a tiny garden, showing you how to make the most of what you’ve got and suggesting designs for a variety of situations. You need not be restricted to a selection of containers: even things you thought beyond your wildest dreams – lawns, water features and kitchen gardens – are all surprisingly achievable. It fills a genuine gap in the market and covers the areas around a house that are frequently ignored, even in books specializing in small gardens.
Frances Lincoln, Hardback 2006, Paperback 2007
Micro-Jardins, Les Éditions Eugen Ulmer, France, 2007
Mini-Gärten, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Germany, 2007
Lost in London.
This beautiful quarterly began in 2010 and was about the unusual, the inspiring, the gentle and the wild things that make living in London wonderful. It included unusual cafes to visit, recipes to cook, crafts to make and a wealth of places to discover. Sadly, in 2012 the magazine stopped but the following year a book was published which encompasses the very best of this city. Written collaboratively by writers who had contributed to the various editions of the magazine, it includes practical gardening and cooking advice, things to do and places to go. I contributed to both the magazines and the book; I had a lovely time and it made me appreciate living in London.
Pavilion Hardback 2013
