The Gin & Tonic Gardener is a charming little book. Part memoir, part spiritual tract, part gardening how to, self described “determined compulsive gardening masochist” Janice Wells’ book is a contemplative delight from start to finish.
This year marks my first attempt at having a garden of my own, and many of Wells’ stories struck a chord with me. Her insistence on dreaming big and then just doing what you can is so reasonable and forgiving. The book is written like a journal, with anecdotes about life side by side with practical gardening tips. Plants take on personalities in Wells’ world “I don’t relate to dahlias at all… if dahlias were people we would never be close friends. It’s the way their petals are so orderly and symmetrical that puts me off.”
I’m going to try to incorporate some of this philosophy into my own gardening… the books ends with a short index of easy to grow plants, to make things even easier. A lovely little book for the fussy gardener in your life that needs to “take time to stop and smell the roses” as it were.
- Carolyn
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