'Rich and unusual, a book to treasure. Few recent gardening books come anywhere close to its style, intelligence and depth. Moves between Lively's own horticultural life and a broad history of gardening' Observer

'Wonderful. A manifesto of horticultural delight' Literary Review

'Beautiful. Perfect for literary garden lovers' Good Housekeeping

'Exquisite and original' Daily Telegraph

'Enchanting. Reading this book is like walking with a wise, humorous guide through a series of garden rooms . . . and finding that vistas suddenly open out, on to history, fashion, politics, reflections on time and the taming of nature' Tablet

'A perfect bedside book. In part it's a memoir of the gardens in Lively's life, starting with the exotic Egyptian garden of her childhood and continuing up to her small present-day garden in a north London square' Sunday Express

'A gentle survey of the garden's place in Western culture, which morphs into a personal meditation on time, memory and a life well lived' i

'Scholarly bedtime reading' The Times, Books of the Year