If you ever wanted to get inspired as a novice gardener this is a book you should read.  First published in 1932 it chronicles the adventures of Beverley Nichols who bought a cottage in Huntingdonshire on a whim and then set out to create a garden.

I have to admit I’m hooked.  Not just because this is an easy read but I have finally found a book about gardening that keeps my interest.Nichols is a witty yet poetic writer that brings the most mundane of details to life in an intriguing and interesting way.  Although he has a grasp of plants and what’s required to be a gardener he doesn’t shy away from showing his ignorance or his mistakes.

I have a few handicaps to being a great gardener.  First and foremost I can’t remember plant names.  I’ve tried but think the gap in my education of Latin and laziness in English grammar leaves me stumped.  Or perhaps I’m just too lazy – whichever way I feel intimidated by gardeners who can reel off all the names of plants and get overwhelmed when they can then go on to tell me all about the growing conditions, pests and other details important for successful gardening.

I like gardening and have learned the basics but somehow have failed to engage more deeply.  So that’s my challenge for 2009 to actually dedicate myself more to become more of a gardening expert.

One of the most charming things about Nichols book is the fact that he delights in everything that happens in his garden.  As the months have passed in the last year and the seasons have changed, I’ve come to appreciate what delight there is in a garden.  I’ve shared some of this in my gardening posts but this is all still new to me and I’ve no idea when some things will flower, how tall or wide will they grow.  And once they’ve flowered what happens next, or rather what am I supposed to do next.

In case you are wondering we are still hard at it clearing the thistles and grass down the bank.  We’re making progress but this is a mind game as much as a physical challenge.  You need to set out a path of progress otherwise it all becomes overwhelming.   I’ll save up all my progress reports for when it’s completed and then share the whole lot in once.  If we get settled weather and the energy levels stay up, I’m aiming for all of it to be completed in the next two weeks.  Earlier if I can.

Achieving this will mean we can start to enjoy the garden.  It will be a question of maintenance only rather than the herculean effort it requires at the moment.

To keep me going I think I’m going to try and get the other two books written by Nichols about his garden.  That way I can continue to enjoy his garden even if we’re not totally ready to enjoy ours!