Everything You Can Do in the Garden Without Actually Gardening

Everything You Can Do in the Garden Without Actually Gardening
by Philippa Lewis

216 pages
Frances Lincoln Limited, October 2009
List price: $24.95



This eccentric book is a history lesson (prominently British, including many anecdotes about the Royals), disguised as a romp through the gardens. Much has been said about the what and how of planting and tending to our flowers and veggies, but a garden is more than its growing parts. Once the garden has been established and necessary chores are done, then what?

Through time, the garden has been a part of our lives in various ways, but aside from the act of gardening itself, it is also a backdrop for the rest of what we do in our leisure time. As I read this book, I had to remind myself that the author is British, and where she comes from, a garden includes the lawn. This came into play when reading about playing croquet or badminton. Not in my garden, you don't!



The retro-style illustrations and photographs peppered throughout the book depict scenes that provide proof of past activities that have taken place in gardens, many that are either taken for granted or have been forgotten altogether. This book provides suggestions that help us integrate and elevate the gardens to a place of prominence in our everyday activities, once the deadheading's done and the beans have been picked.


Phillipa Lewis is an author, picture researcher and photographer. Her previous books include Details: A Guide to House Design in Britain and (with Gillian Darley) A Dictionary of Ornament. She is married to the painter Miles Thistlethwaite, and lives in Somerset.


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