Christmas Gardening Gift

Sometime ago ( about 2 years ago ) I mentioned we had a real live author visit us on the allotment. Fionnuala Fallon is a well known gardening writer who has written a long running gardening column in the Irish Times.The fabulous walled victorian garden in the Ashdown estate in Dublins Phoenix Park  was the subject of the column 'The Urban Farmer'.
Fionnuala has now published her book 'From the Ground Up'.
The book is not your common or garden (excuse the pun) gardening book.There are 15 chapters and each one is a story about a particular gardener(s) growing in a very different environment.
Some have overcome huge problems such as boggy ground, growing near the sea etc.
Most gardening books are a list of what to do and when, this book can be read as a book of short stories, there are gems of information scattered throughout and what you learn along the way can be put to good use whether you have a balcony as in Eight Square Metres where a young couple grow their own on the balcony of their apartment in the middle of Dublin or someone like Madeline McKeever who came to West Cork many years ago to run a small dairy farm but who is now the very successful owner of 'Brown Envelope Seeds' she didn't give up just took a step sideways and carried on.

We are featured on our allotment, there are community gardens, organically certified gardens, two young lads who grow monster pumpkins in Co Leitrim and lots more engrossing stories for gardeners and even someone who just has a window box will find this book enthralling to read from cover to cover or just dip into chapter by chapter over time.
Its a beautifully presented book, hard cover and with lots of photographs as Fionnuala's husband Richard is a professional photographer.Its available to buy in all bookshops and on Amazon.

Comments

PeggyR said…
It looks like a lovely book.
December 12, 2012 at 11:36 PM
Kelli said…
Looks like a good book. I love gardening books. Maybe Santa will bring me one this year!
December 13, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Peggy said…
PeggyR, it is a lovely book for gardeners or even non gardeners the way it is written.
December 14, 2012 at 12:03 AM
Peggy said…
Why I garden,if you have been very good he may bring you one of these!
December 14, 2012 at 12:03 AM
Anonymous said…
Hi Peggy. I received this book for Christmas and it is wonderful. My head is well and truly stuck in it. Actually, I found your blog through it and love the piece on your allotment. In fact there are a few of us interested in starting allotments in our town in Co.Cork. I wonder if I could arrange to come and see your allotment and find out more about how to get started. Would you mind awfully? Lesley
January 2, 2013 at 5:25 PM
A Colorful World said…
What a wonderful book! It sounds like a good read with lots of helpful info...and to have your allotment in it is so marvelous!
January 5, 2013 at 12:15 AM
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