Author Dave Goulson was already known to me as the "bumblebee man" through two of his previous books (A Sting In The Tail, A Buzz in the Meadow) but I wondered how he would cope with such an extensive remit as "Gardening to save the planet".
First thing to point out this is about global ecology and how our gardening practices fit into the bigger picture. It is not a gardening manual .
In recent times I have looked out books on composting, invasive species, worms, plant hunters, soil fertility and insects. So you can imagine a book with a chapter devoted to each of these by an enthusiastic guy who has devoted his life to the science behind some of the less glamorous of our fellow inhabitants of Earth would be a surefire winner. I am happy to say it is.
Given the gravity of the situation on several fronts it is his saving grace that he has not lost his sense of humour. He certainly shares more of his personal experiences and that of his family than you would expect. For the most part this is a joy but I draw the line at car rides for deer, be they dead or injured.
One surprise towards the end of the book was the bigging up of allotments and the practices of allotmenteers. I hadn't anticipated such high regard for a group commonly viewed as second class citizens with dubious hygiene standards. Now we have an advocate for expansion of allotments as a contribution to solving the World's problems.
He doesn't hold back when he disapproves of something. Garden centre chains, the RHS, chemical manufacturers, the US authorities that use aerial bombardment to blanket spray suburban areas with insecticide, are all called out. One anchor remains: the reliance on science to test what would otherwise be mere opinion. There are plenty of facts woven into the narrative and sources are stated.
In summary, if you suspect we are screwing up planet Earth, but can't quite bring yourself to face the painful facts for fear of nosediving into depression, here is a factual but reasonably light hearted opportunity to consider what is really going on and what could be done to improve the current prognosis.
5 stars from me.
