The Thrifty Gardener: How to Create a Stylish Garden for Next to Nothing – Alys Fowler 
This arrived this morning so I got stuck into it after I finished Magic Strikes. Let’s face it, it’s the only thing I can do about the garden for now until the rain stops. 
Product Description
Gardening is something you do, not something you buy. You don’t have to spend money to have a great garden. Slow gardening – like slow food – is taking time to savour. It’s the process, not this sudden transformation that matters. When you build a little, dig a bit, plant a little, harvest often and more importantly don’t try and do it all at once, nature will work for you. For this is gardening that won’t cost the earth. This is a book that will eliminate the intimidation factor and reveal the ins and outs of soil, seeds, sowing and growing. Designed to be highly appropriate for beginners, it will cover the basics like planning, planting and pruning using organic and inexpensive methods. Its quirky projects and thrifty ethic will mean that it reaches beyond the usual gardening audience – this book is for those who would rather be found hunting through a skip than be seen in a garden centre.
About the Author
Alys Fowler started gardening in her early teens and trained at the Royal Horticultural Society, the New York Botanical Gardens and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Whilst living in New York and with only a fire escape to grow plants on, Alys quickly found a community that was making beautiful gardens on a shoestring budget. She has since vowed never to waste money in her garden. Alys is the Head Gardener at Berryfields, the location for BBC’s Gardeners’ World and she writes for the Guardian, BBC’s Gardeners’ World magazine and Gardens Illustrated as well as other publications.
Let’s see, redhead in librarian specs rummaging through skips is someone I can definitely relate to
My family always turn away in embarrassment if they happen to be with me somewhere and I spot a skip lol but look it’s sexy and cool to find stuff in skips and make someone else’s rubbish into something funky in your garden! *knew this all along* Good ideas especially for planting in unusual cheap or free containers and little building projects like making window boxes etc. Lots of advice about planting and pruning and taking cuttings and even has recipes!
