Vita Sackville-West's charmingly written practical advice for gardeners selected from her immensely popular gardening column in The Observer newspaper.

From the book:

"The true gardener must be brutal, and imaginative for the future."

"The behavior of plants is indeed inexplicable. It breaks all the rules; and that is what makes gardening so endlessly various and interesting."

"I have come to the conclusion, after many years of sometimes sad experience, that you cannot come to any conclusion at all."

"Naturally, every garden must be a law to itself."

"You cannot expect your soil and your plants to go on giving you of their best if you are not prepared to give something back in return. This is as true of gardens as of human relationships."

"The only thing is to be bold; try the experiment; find out."