The Joy of Gardening

by Lynda Hallinan

A celebration of the healing nature and delights of gardens, written by well-known garden writer Lynda Hallinan, beautifully photographed by Sally Tagg, and packaged in a stunning hardback.Gardens teach us to live in the moment. They nourish us, provide solace in grief and offer sanctuary from the stresses of modern life. In a celebration of the healing power of nature, New Zealand gardening guru Lynda Hallinan focuses on the gentle delights that bring joy to our backyards, from birdsong to seasonal beauty. Slowing down, letting go, working in harmony with nature and cherishing the accidental pleasures, from self-sown seedlings to bumblebees sleeping in dahlia these are the things that make our hearts sing. Lynda also writes about the way memory and tradition connect us to special plants and places, and the thrill of sharing a love of gardening with friends and family.

Genres: Gardening

325 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Joy of gardening is a quality hard cover book to treasure , to pick up from time to time to read and absorb. New Zealand Gardening guru Lynda Hallinan has shared her journey with gardening focusing on the delights that bring joy to our backyards.
The Photography by Sally Tagg compliments the writing and I enjoyed the relevant quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
A book to leave on your coffee table , or share with friends , the author's writing of her love of gardening is a celebration of the healing power of nature

[Selina · Rating 5 out of 5]

NZ Gardener magazine editor and cover girl Lynda Hallinan is a regular monthly fixture in the garden world and written many books..this books is a bit more eye candy (have been to her garden.. it's impressively chic) as well as a joyous essay on ..the joy of gardening. In this Lynda is free to opine on anything and everything to do with her obsession...though its not something her two sons or husband necessarily share!

There's also a bit more about Lynda's life as a recovering journalist - no, she's not really cut out for hard news reportage so she's elevated the gardening section of the newspaper to a monthly if not weekly oracle.

I used to envy Lynda's garden a bit (and how she can just drop insane amounts of money into buying so many plants for her garden?! ) are journalists just really well paid? But now in some ways she's kind of made a rod for her own back so it kind of was like some garden karma if she works too hard putting the rest of us to shame. File under 'The Good Life' though she too has written a book on that as well Back to the Land. A Year of Country Gardening

Love the colour photos and colour coordinated ribbon bookmark...so very Lynda.

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s a book for gardeners to curl up with, or keep by the bed to dip into. In this lively and engaging memoir, gardening journalist Lynda Hallinan shares gardening stories from her own life, and snippets from dozens of family members, friends, other gardeners, and inspiring books she’s read. It's a pick-and-mix; some of the essays and chapters were of more interest to me, others less.
Hallinan reflects on how gardens and plants are woven into our lives and our relationships with others, evoking memories and bringing us joy, sanctuary, wellbeing, life lessons, and connection with nature. Her organic approach is evident particularly in the chapter ‘Kindness and Care’.
Chapters have titles like 'The joy of magic beanstalks', 'The joy of picking spring flowers', 'The joy of plants for pet memorials' and 'The joy of preserving herbs'.
The photographs by Sally Tagg are beautiful; some brief captions (or indications in the text) would have been useful to identify plants, as it's not always obvious what they are. Helpfully the scientific names are included within the text.

[Melissa Sowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really lovely read. I really enjoy Lynda's style of writing. I learnt a few new tips for gardening but gained a lot from the sweet anecdotal pages based on different aspects of gardening, gardens, gardeners and plants.

[Kris Kennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Lynda’s friendly personable writing style. In this book, she pulls together the why gardeners garden. Delightful. Beautiful photos.

[Jarrod Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Lynda for a while now and this book doesn’t disappoint. Love the writing style and the witty anecdotes. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend.

[Zapjelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about gardening but also about life and all connections. I love this book so much

[Libby Brickell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love letter to gardening from a self acknowledged hortophile. This was a lovely and joyous read.
This book is more a collection of essays than gardening manual; although her many personal anecdotes and plant suggestions gave me loads on inspiration for my own garden.
Wish I had as much cash that I could throw at buying plants! However I don't feel too bereft after reading because she does talk about working with nature and letting things be and enjoying the act of gardening... letting go. And so plant by plant as I can afford I am growing the garden that's being formed in my imagination and in my notebooks.

[IE · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a thick and heavy book and when it became page after page after page of other people’s stories about death and grief I lost interest, it wasn’t that it was particularly bad. It just wasn’t what I expected, it didn’t feel very joyful, as per the title and I felt parts to be rather tedious. So I skipped ahead a bit and from page 118 on I only read the essays that interested me. Many lovely photographs, no captions, however.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt like I was listening to my good friend ( we aren’t friends) Lynda chatting away, Lynda has such an easy, open and friendly style of writing it’s a delight to read. Beautiful photos and some great insights and tips about gardening.
I’m moving and can’t take my copy with me, trying to decide who is worthy of it!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not something I would normally read, but I quite enjoyed it.