Book Review: Gardenalia by Sally Coulthard

I promised you a stonker of a book and, not to keep you waiting even one more second, here it is...

Sally Coulthard's book Gardenalia  (published by Jacqui Small) is an absolute gem about how to furnish your garden with flea-market finds, country collectables and architectural salvage.

Remember the delicious book Shed-Chic by the same author? Sally, who read archaeology at university and is passionate about salvage, traditional materials and affordable antiques, has, once again, come up trumps. Come with me and see why this book is pure magic...

Divided into two distinct but equally gorgeous, sections, Gardenalia deals first with Structure And Furnishings, which takes a tour through  individual aspects of salvage and recycling; how to make the best choices from a limited resource. Guidance about picking the most appropriate second-hand materials is detailed and obviously stems from a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Gardenalia then moves on to the second section: Garden Spaces, which looks in depth at specific gardens, examining design elements of each. 

And, oh my, are they gorgeous or are they gorgeous?

Though, it has to be said, some of the gardens featured are both enormous and high-maintenance, there are, nevertheless, gazillions of fantastic ideas to use in your own outdoor spaces. 

Gardenalia contains the irresitable combination of images so beautiful that you want to dive in head first (hello heaven...) and hugely readable text. It lures you in page after page after page.

Sally Coulthard's book fits whole-heartedly within the Modern Country ethos. Reusing older yet still-beautiful items (seating, urns, watering cans) but not being afraid to slot in newer objects when budget and availability dictates, Sally helps ensure that everything blends in seamlessly with the whole Vintage Garden look.

Sally Coulthard's aim with Gardenalia
is to help us "create formality, play with perspective, inject warmth or, best of all, add a bit of fun to your flower beds." And, let it be said, that she achieves her purposes magnificently.

My best discovery of the day is that not only has Sally currently writing lovely, lovely books but that, under a different surname, Bevan, she also has a back catalogue too! Yup, I've been getting click-happy with Amazon.

Join Me over there?