Book Review - First-Time Gardener by Frances Tophill

I recently bought this book. I don't normally buy garden books unless they are solely about sowing and growing edibles. However, this caught my eye as I've been enjoying Frances on Gardeners' World helping out on an allotment in Bristol.


I like the book for various reasons. There are lots of visuals to give you instant inspiration but in the written content you are not overloaded with information. Because I don't tend to grow many non-edible things I found it interesting to be reminded what an annual, a biennial plant etc is and then have suggestions made for the kind of plants to grow in various area of the garden. In general Frances gives around ten or so recommendations of things, be it which climbers, choices of trees, suitable grasses, vegetables to grow and border planting.

As the title says it's a great book for a first time gardener who wants to make a fresh start on an existing garden or deal with a new garden they have inherited. She gives advice on how to assess what you have, areas, soil type and a great questionnaire to identify how you want to use the garden. Following on from that she suggests ideas to consider when coming up with a design; this is done by looking at what style of garden you prefer.
Frances talks about hard landscaping including the materials you might use. She includes a small section on water in the garden and I enjoyed this as I'm hoping to refurbish our own garden pond.

At the end of the book she talks about planting and maintaining the garden and finishes with lists of seasonal jobs to do in various areas of the garden.
I think I would describe the book as uncomplicated and I have taken some really useful information from it without feeling overwhelmed. I fell somebody could read this and know exactly where to start in order to achieve the kind of garden they really want.