BOOK REVIEWS

The Conservatory Book

Peter Marston
Cassell, distributed by Hodder Moa Beckett
$NZ99.95

CONSERVATORY gardening is all the rage in countries where winters are so cold that any form of gardening outdoors is impossible. However, that doesn't mean that you need to live in an icy climate to bring a slice of nature indoors - the principles of conservatory gardening apply equally well to covered verandas and sunrooms.

The Conservatory Book focuses mostly on the practical aspects to consider - from the style of your proposed conservatory, to construction and interior design pointers.

There is also an extensive and comprehensive directory of suitable plants to grow under glass, for as the author points out, plants are the essential ingredient in a conservatory. Among the plants featured are bulbs for colour and fragrance, climbers for impact, perennials and subtropical delights such as gardenias and frangipani.

Some of the gorgeous conservatories featured in this book are enough to turn a gardener green with envy. Many are as big as the average New Zealand house, with opulent furniture to match the stylish plants.

These are the domain of the rich and famous - well, you'd have to be, to afford them! But many of the ideas featured could also apply to a sheltered porch or foyer by the front door. And if you are lucky enough to be able to afford a Victorian-style, stand-alone conservatory with fancy finials and acres of glass - then this book will happily help you to spend thousands of dollars!

Weekend Gardener, Issue 92, February 14-27, 2002, Page 30

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH