Sitting in the Shade

Foreword by Alan Titchmarsh

For more than 45 years Hugh Johnson has written Trad's Diary, delighting in recording his observations of his own garden, as well as many others, and of the wider natural world.

Free to turn his attention to whatever is happening in that season, or simply something that piques his interest, his subjects are as diverse as the sounds of water, forest walks, the names of roses, the taste for shade he shares with Handel, the colours of autumn, the smell of rain, the private garden discovered within Beijing's Forbidden City or the first crocuses of spring. Month by month, Hugh shares with the reader through his easy, evocative writing an eclectic mix of thoughtful, topical and whimsical insights that will delight not only gardeners but anyone with an interest in nature in all its costumes.

“"More so than his wine books, this demonstrates Johnson's literary prowess and ability to capture a sense of place and nature, reviewing everything from the pace of growth in woods to changing hours of daylight, national tastes, and gardener's urges to plant. Gardeners will find this literary reflection engrossing, and fun to read."-- Midwest Book Review”

"More so than his wine books, this demonstrates Johnson's literary prowess and ability to capture a sense of place and nature, reviewing everything from the pace of growth in woods to changing hours of daylight, national tastes, and gardener's urges to plant. Gardeners will find this literary reflection engrossing, and fun to read."--Midwest Book Review

Hugh Johnson is one of the world's pre-eminent writers on wine as well as an award-winning gardening writer. His previous gardening books include Trees, first published in 1973, The Principles of Gardening and Hugh Johnson in the Garden. Hugh started writing Trad's Diary as the editorial column of the RHS Journal when it was remodelled and relaunched as The Garden in 1975. He has been writing the diary ever since, since 2008 as a blog .

Foreword by Alan Titchmarsh For more than 45 years Hugh Johnson has written Trad's Diary, delighting in recording his observations of his own garden, as well as many others, and of the wider natural world. Free to turn his attention to whatever is happening in that season, or simply something that piques his interest, his subjects are as diverse as the sounds of water, forest walks, the names of roses, the taste for shade he shares with Handel, the colours of autumn, the smell of rain, the private garden discovered within Beijing's Forbidden City or the first crocuses of spring. Month by month, Hugh shares with the reader through his easy, evocative writing an eclectic mix of thoughtful, topical and whimsical insights that will delight not only gardeners but anyone with an interest in nature in all its costumes.

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