In A Garden

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31107, 9 July 1966, Page 4

In A Garden

One Man’s Garden. By Miles Hadfield. Phoenix House. 208 pp. Although he is the author of some dozen books about gardens and gardening, Mr Hadfield would have us, believe he is not an expert,, that he is no more than a gardener whose experience is limited to those tasks he had to do and those he liked doing. Thus, he presents this book not as one for experts but as an account of his experience in his own garden. Mr Hadfield does not confine himself to discussions of cross-breeding, virtues, vagaries and rewards of plants but includes many references to bird, animal

and insect life as they relate to his garden. Discussing his choice of drawings rather than photographs to illustrate his book Mr Hadfield suggests that one looks carefully at any good botanical engraving then writes down a description of the plant and all its details: afterwards one should examine some good photographs and try to do the same. One will discover, Mr Hadfield suggests, that a keen eye and a skilled hand nearly always triumph over the lens and chemicals. Whether Mr Hadfield is right or not, the reader will rejoice in the excellence and exquisite drawings with which he embellishes the book.