One of the Bloom Gardener’s Guides comes up trumps!
‘Work with the light, grow the right plants, bring dark corners to life’ – that’s the sub-heading on the cover of Shade by Susanna Grant.
Nothing could sum up the book better than this. I was hooked from Susanna’s mention of her idol Beth Chatto (also mine). Susanna is a writer, gardener, sound artist and co-founder of Linda, a shade-plant specialist and planting design consultancy in east London. Her mission is to green up neglected urban and shady spaces. Trained in garden design, Susanna volunteers at and is a trustee of the historic Boundary Gardens of Arnold Circus in Shoreditch.
If you think a dank, high-walled urban yard means you can’t have a garden, think again. Whether your whole garden, courtyard or balcony is cast in shade, or you just have a north-facing window box, Shade will inspire you.
Susannah proves by example that any space can be transformed by plants. She even encourages you to give plants used to brighter conditions a go. Some, like her scented-leaved Pelargoniums, do well, although aren’t as compact as in a sunny site, reaching for the light.
Shade by Susanna Grant – new gardening opportunities
More than anything, a problem area becomes a space of opportunity. Here, you can grow plants that would wither and die in full sun. You can create your own shady sanctuary with lush, interesting foliage and pops of colour from delicate flowers.
The most useful aspect of the book for me is the plant directory. It contains many plants I’ve never heard of and is worth buying for that alone. The photography of planting combinations is an inspiration to beginners.
Shade by Susanna Grant is from the Bloom Gardener’s Guide series. Bloom is an award-winning independent print magazine for gardeners, plant admirers, nature lovers and outdoor adventurers. It won the Garden Publication of the Year at the Garden Media Guild Awards 2021.
Available now, RRP £12.99 on Quarto Books’ Frances Lincoln imprint. For more information, visit www.quarto.com.
Read more horticultural book reviews you might like – The Thoughtful Gardener and Good Soil; Urban Flowers; The Salad Garden; The Jam Maker’s Garden and Charles Dowding’s latest No-Dig volume.
