A one-stop shop for tree-loving beginners
Gardeners are the key to battling climate change and RHS The Tree in my Garden is the top choice for those who want to plant their first tree.
Author Kate Bradbury is an RHS Ambassador for the RHS Planet Friendly Gardening Campaign. She also appears regularly on BBC’s Gardeners’ World.
Her book takes the beginner right through the broader picture – from why trees are needed to tackle climate change to suitable subjects. There is also plenty of advice about how to plant them. Illustrated by Lucille Clerc, gardeners will see how their tree will look as it matures. Read more about choosing small trees here.
The battle to achieve carbon neutrality
The UK needs to plant 150 billion trees in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. If every UK household with a garden planted one tree, we would gain more than 22 million more trees. (Sources: Committee on Climate Change; Kate Bradbury, 2021).
RHS The Tree in my Garden highlights 50 species suitable for gardens, packed with information about appearance, care, carbon sequestration ability and the wildlife it supports.
One word of caution. If you’re an experienced grower and are after a book identifying rarer species, this isn’t for you. It’s firmly aimed at new gardeners and this is its strength. Kate weaves the realities of climate change and coping with difficult conditions through the entire volume. You soon realise that this one small act, if we all did it, would go a long way to curbing climate change problems.
RHS The Tree in My Garden – Kate’s choices
Kate shares which trees she has planted in her garden. They are a rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), a Midland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) and silver birch (Betula pendula).
She said: “A tree is a remarkable thing. From root to branch, through the seasonal cycles of blossom and fruit, to the glorious displays of deciduous autumn colour, a single tree can transform a garden and captivate us year after year…so plant a tree, watch it grow and become part of something bigger!”
RHS The Tree in my Garden by Kate Bradbury, illustrations by Lucille Clerc, is available now from good booksellers, RRP £20. Hardback | 9780241459751. For more information, visit www.dk.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.
