This, the first book by much loved actress Caroline Quentin, draws on her life-long passion of gardening.

Through these pages she shows how much joy she gets from spending time in her garden, whether it be grappling with the best way to grow plants and vegetables or raising seeds in her potting shed. Though she now has a large following of fans on her Instagram account, @CQGardens, her attitude to gardening is the same as it has always been – expertise helps but is not essential. Gardening should be fun and enjoyable, filled with the simple pleasures of planning, planting, harvesting and cooking. It is also a meditative and restorative pastime, a great way to lift your spirits.

Written in the warm and engaging way that reflects her personality, Caroline tells stories of growing chillies from seed in her greenhouse, berating the thievingblackbirdsin her fruit cage or swimming naked in her pond singing to dragon flies and flag irises. Over the years she has come to realise that gardening, just like life, is a series of happy accidents, unplanned successes and baffling and frustrating failures.

This beautiful gift book, illustrated by Caroline herself, mixes personal stories of her life and experiences in the garden, with practical tips, recipes for food and drink and even the occasional favourite poem. As she likes to misquote Dorothy Parker: ‘Take to horticulture, it’s cheaper than a shrink’.