The Joy of Gardening

By Lynda Hallinan

Allen & Unwin, hardcover, 328 pages $45

In a celebration of the healing power of nature, New Zealand gardening guru Lynda Hallinan focuses on the gentle delights that bring joy to our backyards, from birdsong to seasonal beauty.

She's looking at the things that make our hearts sing: slowing down, letting go, working in harmony with nature, and cherishing the accidental pleasures, from self-sown seedlings to bumblebees sleeping in dahlia blooms.

Lynda also writes about the way memory and tradition connect us to special plants and places, and the thrill of sharing a love of gardening with friends and family.

The author, broadcaster, parent, part-time farmer, and full-time plantaholic has spent half her life digging up ideas for growing food and flowers. She and her family live on Foggydale Farm, south-east of Auckland, where she has a large country garden and a small colonial cottage garden down the road on the banks of the Wairoa River.