Down to earth

by Anne Scott-James

Down To Earth

Hardcover

First published November 21, 1996

About the author

Anne Scott-James has known and loved village life since childhood, when she walked and cycled and searched for wildflowers in the woods of Berkshire and Hampshire. She was educated at St. Paul's Girls' School and Somerville College, Oxford, where she was a classical scholar, and then went into journalism, where she was at one time editor of Harper's Bazaar and later a columnist for the Daily Mail. She now specializes in garden writing. She was married to the late Osbert Lancaster and has both children and grandchildren.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very personal collection of ideas, advice and enthusiasm from an amateur but knowledgeable and enthusiastic gardener. Published in 1971, many of Scott-James' suggestions are still very relevant to today's gardener, especially her planting suggestions for difficult locations and her advice on low maintenance gardening for busy people. Although the book obviously contains no plants which have been developed in the 50+ years since it was written, many of Scott-James' favourites are still widely available today, further proof of their easy-going nature and widespread appeal. However, as with any book of this vintage, some of the author's suggestions should be treated with caution. She suggests digging up wildflowers at home and abroad, something which is now illegal without the proper permits, and also enthusiastically recommends peat mulches and widespread use of chemicals, both of which are now known to be environmentally damaging.

The real enjoyment in this book though, is not so much the garden knowledge it conveys as the pleasure involved in reading about another person's garden enthusiasms, even when one does not wholeheartedly agree with them. It's not so much a book to read before rushing out and putting it into practice, as it is one to turn to for relaxation after a long day's work outdoors.