Author(s): Helen Dillon

Gardening | Secondhand

Dublin gardening columnist Dillon brings her ebullient spirit to a gorgeous book celebrating plants and garden design. The object of the author's attention is a Zone 8 town house garden, which she has tended for more than 20 years. Portrayed in a wealth of color photographs, the garden is a joy to behold. Basically, Dillon's narrative describes the twists and turns of the garden's continuing evolution. Throughout, plants are mentioned with their zone-hardiness ratings, a nice touch that avoids having to move to another part of the book to consult a chart. Dillon's entertaining style, together with her informative advice, is like a satisfying chat with a gardening friend, but it also affords an opportunity to process lessons the author has learned while evaluating and organizing an incredible array of plants.