Diary of a French Herb Garden (ISBN 1862054886)

Stop and Smell the Lavendar:
What a wonderful premise: leave soggy Brittain for sunny Provence and create a community herb garden in the old curate's garden in a village that dates to the middle ages. If you like to garden, and if you like the French, then this book is truly a good read (especially this wet winter). Holt takes you through all the steps (in sequence) that she went through to renovate this curate's garden in a year; from convincing the local authorities to allow her to do it (for free, of course), all the way through laying down the local scree as a path. Oh, and in between is building a Roman stone bridge. Holt's style is easy to read -- unlike many other gardening books by Brits. She uses botanical names as well as common names so you can follow along with her. There are no pictures in the book, so you have to use your imagination, and I think it really works well in this book. But do not dispare! There is a nice diagram in the back of the book, with the complete planting plan, too, which is a nice touch if you have a Mediterranean garden of your own to tend. But back to style. This book makes me want to read other works from the author. She writes with a definite voice. Her writing is crisp and clear without being dry. She takes a few side trips, such as explaining how to distill lavendar oil, or make wreathes from bay leaves. But as this is a diary of garden, everything is pertinent and personal. This is not a "precious" garden book -- despite the poetic cover; you will learn things along the way and be charmed at the same time.