Writing with enormous enthusiasm about the creation of her garden and the challenge of finding suitable plants, the author explains how good foliage, form and other characteristics are considerations as important as color and flowering season. There are chapters on moisture conservation and soil improvement as well as plant grouping and design in the dry garden. The author offers planting schemes and plans for borders to provide interest from earliest spring until winter. Thomas Fischer's introduction to this new edition provides a fascinating perspective of Chatto's influence on the way we garden today. His revision of the plant index makes it far more useful for North American gardeners.