House plant news

I got my hands on a copy of gardening literature legend Dr DG Hessayon's new book this week. It's being billed as a companion book to his original and best work, the House Plant Expert, (aka 'the bible') which was first published in 1960 and doesn't seem to have been out of print since. It was this book that helped me choose my first houseplants as a child, and I spent many hours poring over its pages (yes, I was a bit of a geek as a youngster; some things never change).

The comforting, if deeply eccentric, typography and layout of the original are still there, along with a mix of photographs new and old. In fact some of the images look older than me: there's one of a girl standing next to a (currently deeply untrendy) specimen swiss cheese plant in a 70s nightmare of a living room that could pass as the set of Abigail's Party ("I like Demis Roussos ...").

The book isn't trying to replace the original, which has been updated with new editions anyway: it's a coda, if you will, covering houseplants that have only become popular in shops and garden centres in the last few years, and covering some exotics such as orchids and bromeliads in more depth. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a must-buy, but if you're a Hessayon fan like me, this will complete your library.

Update: forgot to say above that mine's a press copy - the book is out on April 8.