To mark World Book Day on 7th March 2019, we asked Neil Miller, head gardener at Hever Castle & Gardens, to pick his top five books about gardening and garden design.
Neil’s recommended gardening books:
Former city worker Neil Miller underwent a dramatic career change in the early nineties when he started his own gardening business, then, after six years, he joined the gardening team at award-winning Hever Castle Gardens in Kent.
1. ‘The Living Jigsaw’ by Val Bourne
“Val Bourne’s marvellous book details how to achieve a healthy and beautiful garden without the use of chemicals. Tending her ‘living jigsaw’ of a garden in the wind-swept Cotswolds, Val encourages the reader to understand that all life is welcome if we are to find a natural balance; it’s a place where even the slugs are welcome! This excellent reference book will appeal equally to beginners and experienced gardeners.”
To find out more or buy a copy, click here.
2. ‘Winter Gardens: Reinventing the Season’ by Cedric Pollet 
“Dramatic winter spaces can provide the best habitats for garden photographers and this beautiful book ‘nails’ the season with it’s recommendations for the best winter gardens to visit in the UK and France. With suggested notes on specific plants with coloured stems (salix, corns etc), winter fruits and coloured barks, this book provides an exquisite plant palette to inspire.”
To find out more or buy a copy, click here.
3. ‘The Garden Awakening: Designs to nurture our land and ourselves’ by Mary Reynolds
“‘The Garden Awakening’ has been described as a garden design book with a difference as it parents the land in a way that a good parent looks after their child. Providing good solid direction with a touch of mystical charm – the book is wild, free, inspirational and joyful – much like Mary herself whose life has been the inspiration for a film ‘Dare To Be Wild’.”
To find out more or buy a copy, click here.
4. ‘The Rose Expert’ by D.G Hessayon 
“With photographs and descriptions of the top 400 roses, the revised edition of this best-selling book on roses now also includes patio roses and ground cover roses. The book is very practical and takes you step by step from choosing, buying, how and where to plant, how to train, feed, mulch and deal with pests and diseases.”
To find out more or buy a copy, click here.
5. ‘The People’s Gardener’ by Jim Buttress
“As gardeners we are continually looking for inspiration – creative colour schemes, inventive design ideas and the stimulation to just get out there and ‘do it’: Jim Buttress is an inspiration when it comes to getting on with things. Self-taught, he started in the Royal Parks, then quietly moved his way up through the profession culminating with various stints on TV. Jim’s voice leaps from the page with humour and modesty in equal measure.”
To find out more or buy a copy, click here.
Read about the beautiful and historic gardens at Hever Castle here, or go to the Hever Castle website at hevercastle.co.uk.
Get inspired by the top 5 gardening book recommendations of other professionals in the industry here.
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