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We are so very thrilled to be able to host an event with award-winning writer , head gardener and the voice behind The Garden Log podcast, Ben Dark to launch his beautiful, inspiring and moving book The Grove, A Nature Odyssey in 19 1/2 Front Gardens. And what better time than the beginning of May to throw ourselves into the glories of the garden.
In the book, Ben Dark reveals the remarkable secrets of 20 commonly found cultivated plants – including the rose, buddleja and the tulip – encountered in the front gardens of one London street over the course of a year. We discover how each species found its way into our gardens, the cast of characters who played their part in its story and what each one tells us about our national obsession with gardening and the urge to cultivate our own patch of nature.
‘Every species in this book was seen from one pavement over twelve months and there is little here that could not be found on any road in any town, but they recount stories of such weirdness, drama, passion and humour that, once discovered, familiar neighbourhoods will be changed forever.’
The Grove is about so much more than a single street, or indeed the plants found in its 19 ½ front gardens. It’s a glorious piece of urban nature writing and a skilful blend of horticultural history, personal narrative and an exploration of why gardens and gardening matter.
About the Author
Ben Dark is a head gardener, award-winning broadcaster and landscape historian. He’s been described as ‘the millennial Monty’ by Gardeners’ World Magazine and ‘the future of horticulture ’ by Horticulture Week.
He graduated with a degree in History from Bristol University and went on to study Horticulture at Capel Manor College, before completing his education with a traineeship at the Garden Museum and an MA in Garden and Landscape History at the University of London’s Institute of Historical Research. As a gardener he has worked for embassies, cemeteries, heritage bodies and oligarchs. He has organized a private flower show for the Royal Family and helped to build gold-medal winning gardens on the main avenue at the Chelsea Flower Show. As the creator and host of the award-winning Garden Log Podcast he frequently speaks to gardening groups and industry events. Ben has written about plants for the Telegraph and has been featured in the Independent, Gardens Illustrated and the Financial Times.