The virgin gardener - Laetitia Maklouf

Eighty per cent of young people live in concrete cities where space is at a premium. Fewer and fewer of us get the chance to flex our green fingers, but gardening is not just for the Titchmarshes and the Dimmocks. If you fancy a flat full of greenery, homegrown fruit and veg, a window box that's the envy of the street, or you've just acquired your first, much coveted Outside Space but don't have a clue what to grow, this is the book for you.

THE VIRGIN GARDENER is a jargon-free plant recipe book divided into five sections: Grow, Decorate, Eat, Drink and Luxuriate. Would you like to sip homemade elderflower bubbly, grow your own garlic, or distil your own rosewater? With simple, step-by-step advice, Laetitia explains how. For the busy and stressed, find quick ideas for turning garage flowers into the perfect posy and tips on which herbs to harvest all year from your windowsill. For the more adventurous, learn how to grow chillies, pineapples and jungle greens. For the perfectionist, discover the secrets to ageing terracotta pots and having bulbs in flower on Christmas Day. And whose flat wouldn't be transformed by mossy pots, a mini alpine meadow or a chocolate bower?

Irresistibly sassy, stylish and beautifully illustrated throughout with full-colour photography, THE VIRGIN GARDENER will seduce you into a life of roots and shoots. As Laetitia says, 'Go forth and grow!'