A Funny Year in the Garden

Book excerpt: Chris Madden's collection of cartoons about gardening and gardeners will raise a smile for anyone who has even the slightest interest in the patch of land outside their home. Concentrating on the people in the garden as much as the activities that are performed there, there are cartoons here for everyone who has a garden or an interest in gardening (and whether they're interested in cultivating the garden or simply sitting in it). The characters introduced in the cartoons range from the obsessive gardener for whom a single leaf out of place is a cause for concern, through the person who'd rather dig the garden than decorate the kitchen (this is the author's position), to the person whose idea of gardening is lying on a lounger with a good book (perhaps this one).