Back to the Garden

"With the distant rumble of wars and crashing stock markets in our ears, more than ever gardening is a comforting and soul-enlivening occupation," Ursula Buchan begins her third collection of garden writings. "Back to the Garden" proves her words as the famed garden writer shares some of the ways in which gardening enriches, enlightens, and fascinates her. "Back to the Garden" covers a wide range of topics, from the agonies of entering the village flower show to the joy of the rare "Evelyn" rose, from the importance of expecting the unexpected in weather to the surprising satisfaction of growing peas. Exploring these subjects with dry wit and eloquence, and lightly imparting a great deal of information along the way, the author shows how all the big themes of life -- from nature, climate, and work, to beauty, bounty, and that "ever striving for the elusive heaven on earth" -- are part of this simple activity.