I read a lot of gardening books – one of the joys of my profession! Somehow, the British author Val Bourne had escaped my attention until now, but I will watch eagerly for her future writings. Her new book,
The Living Jigsaw, is a delight. I had a hard time putting it down.
Reading this book is like looking at your garden with a close-up lens. As suggested by the title, Bourne is very interested in the inner workings of and the interplay between plants, insects, and other animals, especially as they influence the health and robustness of her garden. Her pesticide free garden – she is opposed to even so-called “natural insecticides” – thrives with careful planning and management.
Many of her gardening principles were tested when she moved from an established garden that was dry and stony, to a new, unmanaged garden with fertile soil and underground springs. She had to make new choices of plants and plant combinations – some old favorites didn’t succeed in the new conditions.
Of course, the animals in her garden are UK natives. Try as I might, nothing I do in my garden will encourage hedgehogs. However, Bourne’s garden practices are very applicable to the Pacific Northwest, and her annotated listing of “Top 100 Plants for an Eco-Friendly Garden” has many worthwhile selections for our gardens.
![Vascular plants of Greece : an annotated checklist / compiled by Panayotis Dimopoulos [and others].](https://depts.washington.edu/hortlib/graphix/VascularPlantsofGreece.jpg)
