Diary of a Keen Gardener

Mary Keen is the Annie Ernaux of the herbaceous border. She has vast reserves of knowledge, an exemplary eye and best of all a roving curiosity and rare openness to experiment and change. A gorgeous, constantly thought-provoking book, beguiling for gardeners and readers alike -- Olivia Laing
In her diary of a year in her Somerset garden, Mary Keen is an utterly beguiling mixture of the expert, the enthusiast and the evangelist -- Richard Eyre
A gem of a book. Full of wisdom, warmth and inspiration. I learned something from every page * Nigel Slater *
A delightful book - warm, witty and wise -- Alan Titchmarsh
A beautiful refraction of a year, encounters with plants and friends and gardens in the terrific company of Mary Keen. Her diary is a pure delight * Edmund de Waal *
A sparkling gem, an exquisite, intimate joy of a book! To be immersed in Mary Keen's gardening year, guided by her expert and passionate voice, is a gateway into a profound celebration of the magic of the earth and the deepest kind of happiness. I lingered over every sentence, and then went back to read it all over again * Juliet Nicolson *
An engaging and evocative distillation of a lifetime's experience in the garden * Sue Stuart-Smith *
Funny and honest, written in prose as dazzling and meticulous as her garden-making, Diary of a Keen Gardener celebrates the ephemeral while addressing big ideas with analytical intelligence. It is a book I love and that will reward constant revisiting - a treasury * Isabel Bannerman *
Beginning in November and continuing month by month for a year, [Mary Keen] shares her growing know-how and celebrates plants and the people that grow them in this gorgeous, informative book. * The Simple Things *
This year-long diary of [Mary's] own plot in Somerset is irrestistably charming. It is useful too as a guide to small garden management, with its assessment of the best cultivars, what to grow where and how to balance reliable performers with rarities * Financial Times *
Top of my Christmas list is Mary Keen's Diary of a Keen Gardener, published by John Murray. A wise and gentle guide of a book, it takes you through a year of delightful close observations of her own garden, sharing practical knowledge and valuable philosophy. Like the best classics it welcomes one into the community of those who grow since as she reminds us, taking care of the "oikos" in ecology must necessarily begin at home * The Critic *
She retains an open heart for keen gardeners of all backgrounds . . . an excellent starting point for new gardeners * Financial Times *
'Described as the Annie Ernaux of horticulture by Olivia Laing, garden designer Keen has created many fine gardens during her career. This, however, is a diary of everyday watchfulness in the places she loves best - her own back garden and her nearby allotment' * Bookseller, November Books to Read *
Always entertaining and brimming with knowledge and enthusiasm . . . wisdom percolates through the book . . . At the back is an invaluable list of what she is currently growing, season by season . . . Plants and gardens are woven through a loose telling of her own story * Country Life *
'How to plant a garden that will feel alive, even at the gloomiest time of the year . . . [from] an internationally known, high-end garden designer, plantswoman, lecturer and writer' * Daily Telegraph *
Affirms the infinite joy of a life that revoles around gardening and the enriching connections it brings . . . the book takes us through a year in her garden as well as her botanical travels. An absolute treat. * House and Garden *
Honest, funny . . . an inspirational testimony to the power of an idea and the never-ending allure of garden-making -- Non Morris, The English Garden
Peppered with no-nonsense advice, Keen's writing is useful for seasoned gardeners and beginners alike - her List of the Plants I Currently Grow, laid out by season, is an essential read . . . Her painterly descriptions of spring flowers and potted jewels are vibrant, as are the characters: a pageant of daughters, gardener friends and villagers walk through the pages -- Sam Chippendale, The Garden
A deeply personal account of a year in her own beloved Cotswold garden . . . the gardener who emerges from these pages is perceptive, wry, open-minded, endlessly curious and warmly alive to the everyday joys afforded by her own small patch. A year spent in her company is both an education and a delight * Spectator *