A Flower Garden for Pollinators

Arranged by season, starting in the spring, this book guides gardeners through the process of supporting pollinators with year-round sources of plants that help them thrive. The book opens with BBC’s Gardeners’ World presenter de Thame’s (Small Town Gardens) own experience doing this herself in her walled garden in the Cotswolds. From there, she follows the seasons and offers lists of plants to help bees, butterflies, and more. A highlight of this lovely work is her writing, which shines, blending technical advice with a lyrical gardenesque style. Lovely illustrations by Lauren Lusk and sharp photos by Jonathan Buckley support the readable text. Each of de Thame’s suggested plants gets a page of description, which also addresses the ways it helps pollinators, along with selection advice and a bit of growing instruction. The cumulative effect is a plant-buying guide that would serve all but the most in-depth plants person. The book offers more picks to keep pollinators thriving as fall and winter arrive and all the seasons flow into each other.