Natural Selection by Dan Pearson
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
Natural Selection by Dan Pearson
This book came out in 2018 and the subtitle is A Year in the Garden.
Oh, my dear horticultural enthusiast, have you ever felt the tug of the earth, the pull of the garden, whispering promises of verdant delights?
If so, then Dan Pearson's Natural Selection is a must-have for your green-fingered library.
Dan wrote,
When it sings, a garden will have the power to transport and to lead you to a place that is magical. It is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty.
In this book, Dan compiled ten years of his columns in The Observer, sharing all the year-round pleasures of the garden.
He tended his urban garden in Peckham, south London, during that decade. Then he moved on to 20 acres of undulating Somerset countryside, where he has set about creating a very different sort of garden that sits cheek by jowl with the wilder landscape beyond.
Imagine a year spent in the company of a master gardener, a man who breathes life into the very soil he treads. From the hushed winter garden, a skeletal beauty draped in frost, to the riotous explosion of spring, the heady perfume of summer, and the fiery hues of autumn, Pearson guides us through each season with a lyrical prose that is both enchanting and informative.
With a city plot in South London and a sprawling country estate in Somerset, Pearson's gardens are as diverse as they are inspiring. His love for plants is infectious, and his insights into garden design are both practical and profound. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or simply a nature lover, Pearson's writing will captivate and delight you.
Ordered by month and drawing together Pearson’s evocative musings on his favorite plants, his design processes, and his evolution from childhood enthusiast to seasoned professional, Pearson's writings give us a chance to dip into his gardens, his design practice garden just south of the Thames in London, and his many private commissions.
Publisher's Weekly said Dan's is
A lovely book for green-thumbed readers to read in the winter as they sit by the fireplace and await spring.
So, curl up by the fire, a cup of tea in hand, and let Pearson transport you to his verdant realms. You'll emerge with a newfound appreciation for the natural world and a burning desire to get your hands dirty.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.