Written by Time Team regular and archaeologist, Francis Pryor, this details the creation of the gardens at Inley Drove Farm in the Lincolnshire Fens by Pryor and his wife, Maisie. From a largely barren field they have over the last few decades, created a lush garden that honours the land it is set in and is doing much to restore the fragile balance of environmental pressures that affect the soil and wildlife in that part of the world.

If you are a passionate gardener, this is definitely the book for you. There is a huge amount of detail in every chapter which could be invaluable if you were aiming to recreate a garden like this, or even just parts of it. For me, as an interested layman, I found it went into a little too much detail at times and it was, on occasion, a tad repetitive. The author seems like a lovely person and his passions and enthusiasms are infectious, but could have done with a bit of reining in here.

As a fan of the TV programme Time Team, in which the author appeared for many years, and as a keen gardener who’s spent a fair amount of time trying to create a garden that’s both a haven for myself and my husband, and for wildlife, I was immediately drawn to this book. The beautiful cover was a definite draw as well.

The book details the process of transforming an area of neglected farmland into a garden, whilst also building a house. It’s a task that took patience, dedication, imagination, a few run-ins with the planning authorities and not a little hard graft by the author and his wife, Maisie. In the book the author describes the painstaking process of planning, setting out and planting. In particular, planting trees and hedges to protect parts of the garden from the vicious and potentially damaging winds experienced in their part of Lincolnshire. But whereas you or I might plant one, possibly two trees, if we had the space, the author planted hundreds, establishing an area of woodland and, later, creating an orchard.

At the same time as doing this, Francis and his wife were living in a barn in very basic conditions. And on top of that, they keep sheep. Their relationship is one of the wonderful things about the book. Both archaeologists, they are obviously kindred spirits in other ways as well, sharing a love of plants, a concern for wildlife but also a clear vision of how a garden should look and feel. At one point Francis says, ‘I like gardens that can retain their secrets’ and this principle has informed how they have set out their garden so that one section always leads to another. Keen visitors to other gardens, they also now open their own garden as part of the National Garden Scheme.

If I’m honest, at times there was a little too much detail – such as the process of setting out paths and resolving problems with drainage – but I attributed this to the author’s passion for the project and his satisfaction at what he and Maisie have created together. They’re definitely right to be proud and Francis makes it clear that the garden is very much a team effort. The final section of the book contains some wonderful colour photographs of the garden as it looks now, followed by the sort of detailed end notes you’d expect from a scientist.

A Fenland Garden is a fascinating book and a testament to what you can achieve if you put your mind to it. Much of the author’s philosophy chimes with my own thoughts about gardening. As he says, ‘Gardeners have to garden; that’s all there is to it.’

Thank you for the advanced copy.

What a beautiful book, I really enjoyed this.
Easy to read book about a couple and the start of their garden and how it comes to life.

Well written and well put together.

Highly recommended

This book tells the story of Francis and his wife Maisie's journey to design and build their own house, farm, and most importantly, garden. It is written by Francis with brief reference to his archaeological work, their first garden in Cambridgeshire and their larger project in Lincolnshire.

I found this book to be far more delightful than I expected due to its small tips for budding or experienced gardeners weaved throughout (perhaps sometimes even accidentally) and the stories told that led to the garden and house's final design. I am a definite lover of plants and gardens and, before now, had only read one book that focused solely on this topic. Since finishing this book, I consider this to be a literary genre I'm really interested in.

This book is great for anyone interested in plants, garden design or anyone with an interest in how we can add to the natural world that surrounds us. One thing that I found especially interesting was the way that Pryor was able to argue for a balanced approach to gardening for wildlife which differs from previous summaries I've read on the subject (books but also articles). These can sometimes consider intensive gardening as too much human intervention and push for the "rewilding", left alone approach. I, like many others, have felt the pull of full and complete rewilding (i.e. little to no touch) as the answer but I think this demonstrates a clear and successful alternative that itself has an impact on wildlife regeneration. I don't consider myself an expert on the subject by any means but I found this to be my key takeaway from the book as an amateur and beginner in the area.

Another highlight for me was the way the author discussed his wife which I felt added to the story, demonstrating their partnership and his respect for her knowledge and skills so beautifully.

I do think that the chronology of the book was hard to follow and I think this is because it addressed different areas of the vast garden and their conception/creation as chapters, rather than using a timeline approach. I felt this made the book feel a little all over the place due to the need to keep referring back and forward in time and referencing previous or future content. It did not have a huge impact on the book but this is why it is a 4 star for me.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and Net Galley for the E-ARC. This is my first E-ARC and I can only hope they are all as good as this one!

This is a book that you can read like a novel as tells the story of how a garden came into being or you can read one chapter at a time following a long story and the changes.
It's a perfect read if you love gardening or dream of such a big garden.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine