A Sunday Times Gardening Book of the Year A Daily Telegraph Gardening Book of the Year This is a book of easy projects for virgin gardeners. If you've never done it before, or have been disappointed in the past, these ideas will show you how to get intimate with plants and sex up your living space - indoors or out - without the complicated jargon and off-putting diagrams. You don't have to own a garden, you don't have to get dirty and it won't take up all your time. This book will replace the fear of failure with a sense of fun, so take a deep breath and jump into the flowerbed. Learn how to: * Grow basil from a supermarket plant * Create the perfect posy from garage flowers * Decorate a dinner table * Nurture an orchid * Care for cut flowers * Grow blueberries for muffins And much, much more ...
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Certificate, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
'Laetitia Maklouf's is a delightfully fresh new voice in the horticultural world that is completely authentic and convincing' Monty Don 'Overflows with easy, yet gorgeous, ideas, which understand the need to produce stunning results with minimum effort. It seems it is possible to be a person with not very much money, space or time and still make a botanical paradise of your home' Style 'With clever advice and plenty of glamour, Laetitia Maklouf demystifies gardening' Vogue 'Laetitia is the patron saint of plants for anyone who doesn't have a garden, who has never had green fingers, or who loves flowers, but glazes over at the mention of pruning and compost' Red
Review
'A delightfully fresh new voice in the horticultural world that is completely authentic and convincing'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Firstly this is a beautiful book. Obviously a labour of love for Laetitia - one that I am glad she undertook so that we can all enjoy it! Chapters include:
Basics - the gardening basics: simple recommendations for what you need (and what you need to know) to get started. Laetitia bases this on the things she wanted to know when she got started; she has a point that many of these basics are left out of other gardening books on the assumption that gardeners buying them will somehow just have the knowledge.... Advice on essential items, buying plants and definitions.
Decorate - this is about planting ideas and flower displays. She is very thorough in recommendations of plants and advice. Ideas include a wall of ferns and how to cheat with garage flowers.
Eat - yes, lovely things to eat! Includes peppermint creams made with real garden mint, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, gooseberry lollipops. Mmmmm.
Drink - you probably don't need anymore explanation of the theme! Includes rosewater, rose geranium punch, rosehip syrup and elderflower bubbly.
Grow - sweetpeas, spring bulbs in baskets, kitchen sink cloning and dahlias.
Luxuriate - Growing things that are a little different or special. Includes growing chillis, growing pineapple (I'll be giving this one a go - I'll let you know if I get any fruit...) and a little meadow for private sunbathing.
Extras - answers to some gardening questions that my arise as you work your way through the previous lovely chapters! Includes plant names, the science of how plants grow, soil, feeding and plant husbandry.
The Lust List - a list of plants that Laetitia would like.... Read more ›
Basics - the gardening basics: simple recommendations for what you need (and what you need to know) to get started. Laetitia bases this on the things she wanted to know when she got started; she has a point that many of these basics are left out of other gardening books on the assumption that gardeners buying them will somehow just have the knowledge.... Advice on essential items, buying plants and definitions.
Decorate - this is about planting ideas and flower displays. She is very thorough in recommendations of plants and advice. Ideas include a wall of ferns and how to cheat with garage flowers.
Eat - yes, lovely things to eat! Includes peppermint creams made with real garden mint, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, gooseberry lollipops. Mmmmm.
Drink - you probably don't need anymore explanation of the theme! Includes rosewater, rose geranium punch, rosehip syrup and elderflower bubbly.
Grow - sweetpeas, spring bulbs in baskets, kitchen sink cloning and dahlias.
Luxuriate - Growing things that are a little different or special. Includes growing chillis, growing pineapple (I'll be giving this one a go - I'll let you know if I get any fruit...) and a little meadow for private sunbathing.
Extras - answers to some gardening questions that my arise as you work your way through the previous lovely chapters! Includes plant names, the science of how plants grow, soil, feeding and plant husbandry.
The Lust List - a list of plants that Laetitia would like.... Read more ›
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have never felt a need to review a book before but The Virgin Gardener has inspired me to put pen to paper or should I say key-pad to screen! The virgin gardener has it all: wonderful little nuggets of green tips and tasty, simple reciepes, gorgeous photos, inspirational party tips and is amusingly, delightfully written. It has encouraged me to look at the opportunities of gardening in the confined space of my London flat and think organic about life. It is a perfect gift for both boyfriends and girlfriends and is now sitting pride of place on my coffee table. Buy it, enjoy it, and see your life blossom into a happier place.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For me, a total gardening novice, this book fulfils two functions superbly. First, it gives me excellent ideas, guidance and templates for developing the plants in my house and (tiny) urban garden. Second, it provides me with a refreshing and meditative tome to dip into at the kitchen table, in the bath or lying sprawled in front of the fire. It is genuinely delightful to read and I would recommend it to anyone. Don't listen to the grump who has given this book one star (a jealous Alan Titchmarsh perhaps?), he/she is plain wrong. This is a great introduction to gardening and an enchanting read. Maklouf manages to pack a lot of information in whilst keeping the prose light and entertaining. A worthy five stars!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By E. Ward
Format:Hardcover
I am delighted to say that my sadly dormant love of nature and gardening has been renewed by this charming and beautiful book. Spring is finally upon us and although I knew it was time to get up and get sowing/planting I was finding my enthusiasm lacking until I picked this up! Full of simple and more complicated projects that will fully reawaken the pleasure that comes from growing plants and getting your green fingers in action, from growing your own salad leaves and herbs on the windowsill to making your own rose water or growing your very own pineapples! Love it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
when you don't know how to inspire your girlfriend to the joy of gardens...
8 Feb 2010
By Jes
Format:Hardcover
Well, yes I am a guy writing a review for this! You see I love gardening and have been trying to inspire my girlfriend to take it up too, not an easy task for a complete girly-city-girl! Part of the problem is the way other books that claim to be for the beginner are written, most of them are quite serious, and the rest quite dull. Then I found this, I read the intro and a few pages - here was a girl writing in a way I just new my girlfriend would understand.
I was not wrong, she has not had her head out of the book in over a week now! Its layout, recipe-style, easily do-able projects is an absolute joy. It does not over do the jargon or force-feed you a horticultural degree.
The best is simply this, you can start one of Laetitia's projects right now!
...and you know what, I really like the book too!
Brilliant
I was not wrong, she has not had her head out of the book in over a week now! Its layout, recipe-style, easily do-able projects is an absolute joy. It does not over do the jargon or force-feed you a horticultural degree.
The best is simply this, you can start one of Laetitia's projects right now!
...and you know what, I really like the book too!
Brilliant
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Mav1
Format:Hardcover
If, like me, you have visions of your small patch of outdoor space looking like Kew Gardens, but in reality it looks a little less attractive than a car park, this is a brilliant book to get started. The author has broken down everything into gardening "recipes" and it demystifies the chaos of gardening in a brilliantly simple way. It is totally the opposite of the stack of obtuse gardening books that I have collected over the last 5 years of horticultural genocide. I am enthusiastic about my garden again and that's priceless. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By MarkD
Format:Hardcover
Beautifully written and presented, great ideas perfectly communicated. If you're looking for an unstuffy, inspiring way in to growing flowers and a few edibles this is just the job.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshingly different gardening book
As a landscape architect and keen gardener, I wasn't sure that I'd learn anything new from this book and thought it might be seriously dumbed down, but not a bit of it. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Landscape Lady
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cheery reading for winter!
I absolutely adored this book and would give it six stars if I could! I love the way Laetitia Maklouf writes, she is so enthusiastic she makes you want to leave your job... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Tigerlily
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful
I am not a virgin gardener but adore this gem of a book. She is so quirky and writes so well too. Can't wait to do my pond in a bucket. Just adore this book. Thank you laetitia!
Published 10 months ago by Mrs. Melissa J. Green
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant book
I absolutely love this book, it's simple to use, informative and light hearted, I actually got a copy from my library but then brought it to have in my collection, throughly... Read more
Published 21 months ago by C
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book review
This book is written in a really unusual way and encourages even somebody who knows nothing about gardening to become a gardener. Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2010 by Susan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book
I loved this book, found it by chance on Amazon as a recommendation. I loved the pictures. Gardening information is great for a new gardener but serious gardeners would require... Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2010 by Rose
1.0 out of 5 stars
Laetita Maklouf The Virgin Gardener
How a book like this ever got made is just crazy , i think after a hard day shopping at laura Ashley and over a couple of drinks ,this book was made ,i can only say i not only... Read more
Published on 27 May 2010 by Mrs. H. Cattell
5.0 out of 5 stars
LAETICIA is a LEGEND
I took this book out of the library yesterday and haven't been able to keep my nose out of it ever since!! Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2009 by Ms. Katherine M. Judd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!!!!
I was bowled over with this book. I purchased it for my sister-in-law and she loved it too. I am definately going to buy myself one and have to say that this is the cheapest... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2009 by G. L. Bacon
4.0 out of 5 stars
virgin gardener
The Virgin Gardener
A great book with loads of ideas for little projects. You don't need to be new to gardening either as you'll find inspiration for things you've never... Read more
A great book with loads of ideas for little projects. You don't need to be new to gardening either as you'll find inspiration for things you've never... Read more
Published on 1 July 2009 by Rose Gardener
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
