{"product_id":"9781784727413-grove","title":"The Grove","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Nature Odyssey in 19 ½ Front Gardens\u003cbr\u003eThe first non-fiction book from an award-winning new voice, hailed by \u003ci\u003eGardeners' World\u003c\/i\u003e magazine as 'the millennial Monty'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e***\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The best gardening book of 2022.' The \u003ci\u003eTelegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A book to make even a quick trip to the corner shop endlessly fascinating. Dark has been dubbed the millennial Monty Don for this beautifully written study of the oft-overlooked nature on our doorsteps.Dark teases the drama, humour and history from even the most commonplace buddleja, box and tulip.\u003ci\u003e' \u003c\/i\u003eGeorge Hudson\u003ci\u003e, Evening Standard, \u003c\/i\u003eFavourite Gardening Books of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'This enjoyable read throws a spotlight on the everyday.' Rachel de Thame's 10 Best Gardening Books of 2022, the\u003ci\u003e Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Gardening for a billionaire taught Ben Dark that \"plants alone are not enough to make a garden special\". Instead he finds \"special\" in the people and the history, as well as the plants, that fill 19½\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eLondon front gardens. A soulful read.' Tom Howard\u003ci\u003e, RHS The Garden, \u003c\/i\u003eBest Books of The Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A wonderful book.' Alexandra Shulman\u003ci\u003e, Mail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Meet the millennial Monty Don.' \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times Style\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Ben Dark's beautifully observed book, \u003ci\u003eThe Grove: A Nature Odyssey in 19 ½ Front Gardens\u003c\/i\u003e, tells the stories of 20 key plants growing in a single London street's front gardens in a way that's as engaging as it is informative.' \u003ci\u003eThe Irish Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAny walk is an odyssey when we connect with the plants around us. Each tree or flower tells a tale. Mundane 'suburban' shrubs speak of war and poetry, of money, fashion, love and failure. Every species in this book was seen from one pavement over twelve months and there is little here that could not be found on any road in any town, but they reveal stories of such weirdness, drama, passion and humour that, once discovered, familiar neighbourhoods will be changed forever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is a renewed interest in the nature on our doorsteps, as can be seen in the work of amateur botanists identifying wildflowers and chalking the names on the pavements.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut beyond the garden wall lies a wealth of cultivated plants, each with a unique tale to tell. In \u003ci\u003eThe Grove\u003c\/i\u003e, award-winning writer and head gardener Ben Dark reveals the remarkable secrets of twenty commonly found species - including the rose, wisteria, buddleja, box and the tulip - encountered in the front gardens of one London street over the course of year.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As Ben writes, in those small front gardens 'are stories of ambition, envy, hope and failure' and \u003ci\u003eThe Grove\u003c\/i\u003e is about so much more than a single street, or indeed the plants found in its 19 ½ front gardens. It's a beguiling blend of horticultural history and personal narrative and a lyrical exploration of why gardens and gardening matter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A testament to the secret communal power of a front garden.' Alice Vincent, \u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Find joy in the ordinary plots on a city street.' \u003ci\u003eRHS The Garden\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e'\u003c\/i\u003eDark makes horticultural history fun and funny.' Editor's Choice, \u003ci\u003eThe Bookseller\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Ben Dark is such a wonderful writer - \u003ci\u003eThe Grove\u003c\/i\u003e drew me in from the first line.' Lia Leendertz\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eThe Grove\u003c\/i\u003e is overflowing with delicious nuggets of cultural, social and garden history ­- and I adore Ben Dark's humour and humility in equal measure.' Advolly Richmond\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A heartfelt romp through the wisteria and wilderness of London's horticulturally remarkable front gardens.' Jack Wallington\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A confident and elegantly written account of the fascinating narratives and histories entangled within the garden plants of a residential London street . Dark's prose is in the tradition of classic garden writing: humorous, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003erelatable\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e, poetic and insightful . \u003ci\u003eThe Grove\u003c\/i\u003e is a refreshing read among modern narrative gardening books.' \u003ci\u003eGardens Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Fans of Ben Dark's mellifluous tones on \u003ci\u003eThe Garden Log\u003c\/i\u003e podcast will be delighted by how perfectly his lyrical musings transfer to the printed page as, with infant son in tow, he invites the reader upon a series of horticultural expeditions inspired by the deceptively ordinary planting of the front gardens in a south London street. The kind of thoroughly enjoyable read where you realise, late in the day, that learning has snuck in by the back door, though you feel inclined to forgive the author on account of the fun you've had along the way.' Andrew O'Brien\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Dark creatively blends practical horticultural knowledge, meditations on his own dream garden, and literary references, including Vita Sackville-West's husband's letter on JP Morgan's garden: \"All very good taste and depressing. No inner reality.\" This will leave armchair gardeners seeing their surroundings with fresh eyes.' \u003ci\u003ePublisher's Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Dark's book amused and educated me during recent bouts of insomnia. I found snippets of information that now elevate my occasional street wanderings to something approaching a botanical exploration. At less than a tenner for the paperback edition, that's truly affordable schooling.' David Wheeler, \u003ci\u003eThe Oldie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40787117867105,"sku":"9781784727413","price":8.65,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_27493085.jpg?v=1721812561","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781784727413-grove","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}