Planting a Paradise

An inspirational companion to The Flower Yard, a Sunday Times bestseller, arranged seasonally, with tips, hints and advice on growing flamboyant flowers sustainably in containers. "Simply gorgeous" – Nigel Slater on The Flower Yard "The Kew-trained king of the small-space garden" –  the Guardian on The Flower Yard Sumptuous, beautiful and packed with refreshingly down-to- earth advice, Arthur Parkinson’s new book focuses on dramatic but easy-to-grow floral plants that will turn your garden into a perfumed, sustainable paradise, teeming with wildlife and alive with the sound of songbirds. Arranged seasonally, it includes sowing tips and propagating hints, plus advice on planning and keeping track of what is happening in your garden. There is focus on floral plants that are easier-to-grow (but still dramatic), and plants that encourage diversity and wildlife –info, for example, on how to properly feed and attract garden birds for the best aphid control (so no pesticides) and how to create his much Instagram liked dolly tub container pond. Arthur also looks at drought-tolerant flowering herbs for sun baked patios and balconies, striking perennial shrubs for winter structure, seeds that can simply be scattered about directly and grown with reasonable neglect to ferns for shady doorstep pots and scented leaf pelargoniums that then become winter houseplants as well as returning to his stalwart glamour flowers that are nectar rich-single dahlias, roses and sweet peas. This is gardening both for the good of ourselves and the planet.