Description

Book Synopsis

“I’m not dead yet,” writes Clare Hastings to her daughter, Calypso, who will one day inherit Clare’s beloved cottage garden in the Berkshire Downs. “In fact I woke up this morning feeling quite chipper. I glanced out of the window . . . and thought about you. And felt a frisson of panic. What if I were to be struck down before elevenses on the B4009? I realized that I needed to leave you a handbook about the garden. For you the countryside is a pathway from the car park to the door, to be completed on the run. But I’m not giving up.”

The daughter of writer and gardener Anne Scott-James, Clare too was a latecomer to gardening, daunted by Latin names and nervous around plants. Then she realized she wasn’t and never would be a ‘proper plantsman’ and that it didn’t matter. Since then she has explored the joys of gardening and now after many years’ experience of her own cottage garden, Clare shares her gardening life notes with Calypso.



Trade Review

"A amusing read...but there is also plenty of practical advice. Comical illustrations by Osbert Lancaster add to the book's charm."

* House and Garden *

"Unusual, charming and, at times, very funny."

* Morning Star *

Gardening Notes from a Late Bloomer

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    A Hardback by Clare Hastings, Osbert Lancaster

    £12.34

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £12.99 – you save £0.65 (5%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Mon 19 Oct 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher Pimpernel Press Ltd
      Published 5 April 2018
      ISBN-13 9781910258989
      978-1910258989
      ISBN-10 1910258989

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      “I’m not dead yet,” writes Clare Hastings to her daughter, Calypso, who will one day inherit Clare’s beloved cottage garden in the Berkshire Downs. “In fact I woke up this morning feeling quite chipper. I glanced out of the window . . . and thought about you. And felt a frisson of panic. What if I were to be struck down before elevenses on the B4009? I realized that I needed to leave you a handbook about the garden. For you the countryside is a pathway from the car park to the door, to be completed on the run. But I’m not giving up.”

      The daughter of writer and gardener Anne Scott-James, Clare too was a latecomer to gardening, daunted by Latin names and nervous around plants. Then she realized she wasn’t and never would be a ‘proper plantsman’ and that it didn’t matter. Since then she has explored the joys of gardening and now after many years’ experience of her own cottage garden, Clare shares her gardening life notes with Calypso.



      Trade Review

      "A amusing read...but there is also plenty of practical advice. Comical illustrations by Osbert Lancaster add to the book's charm."

      * House and Garden *

      "Unusual, charming and, at times, very funny."

      * Morning Star *

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