Kirjahaku

This charming guide gathers together writings on all aspects of British gardening, from the nineteenth century plant hunters such as 'China' Wilson and the Veitches, who brought seeds and specimens from every corner of the world, to the designers such as Capability Brown and Gertrude Jekyll, who set their mark on gardening styles. In pieces written by the paper's stellar list of gardening correspondents - Vita Sackville-West, Penelope Hobhouse, Monty Don, Carol Klein, not to mention Christopher Lloyd, the grand old man of British gardening - it explores our dedication to the growing garden. And, with stories about the restoration of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, the building of the great glasshouses at Chatsworth, and the preservation work carried out a Kew, it paints a picture of how history can be unearthed through gardening and emphasizes how important it is to preserve our green-fingered heritage. Coming right up to the present day with pieces on the advances at the Eden project, "Notes on the Garden" is the perfect bedside companion for anyone who loves the feeling of soil between their fingers.

Who doesn't love to be beside the seaside? Whether we're building sandcastles, exploring rockpools, strolling along windswept beaches or skimming stones across the waves, we Brits never seem happier than when we're enjoying our coastline. This entrancing companion gathers together writings on every aspect of the British seaside, from the changes to the landscape wrought by natural erosion and man-made development to the astonishing variety of animals, birds and plants that make their homes by the seafront. Not to mention the precipitous rise, sudden decline and current resurgence of the traditional British seaside holiday, complete with donkey rides, beach huts and Brighton rock. But as fond as we are of our beaches, the British seaside is more than just a holiday destination. It also gives vital clues to the history of this island nation. Whether it's the fossils to be found along the Dinosaur coast, the lighthouses that saw some of Michael Faraday's earliest experiments with electricity, or even the Martello towers that were built to defend the Empire, the evidence of our past is there for all to see. A beguiling collection of articles drawn from the paper's extensive archive, "I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside" is the perfect bedside companion for anyone who loves the feeling of sand between their toes.