A Time to Plant
Life and Gardening at Holker

'On the back jacket of this book the author is photographed... his humorous, weather-beaten face gazes out from beneath a wide-brimmed hat - and you know immediately that you are going to be enjoy being drawn into his world'

'The imaginative and creative gardening partnership between the author and his wife, Grania, photographer, artist and his catalyst, has not only produced one of the great gardens of England but also this fascinating book... The book teaches as well as enchants ... a huge pleasure.'

'Pleasingly detailed, horticulturally inspiring, gently opinionated, affectionate and at times very funny; in short, a love letter both to and from an all-consuming house and garden'

'...an account of what art is, the art here being not a painting, a novel or a symphony, but a garden...Gardening, as seen by Hugh Cavendish, is a context for other things, a means of giving and taking pleasure, a continuing experience rather than a thing completed, and a joint venture (with Grania).'

'The idea that knowledge of, as well as care and respect for, your subject leads to improved artistic output is clearly on display within the pages of A Time to Plant'

'Today Hugh Cavendish spends his timing gazing at the running waters, thinking, waiting for the trout to respond to the fly. In this book he ruminates on a long and fortunate life, reading the swirling waters, thinking, recollecting, philosophising, and catching those rare moments of enchantment in a garden'

'The photographs are uniformly excellent, making one want to rush immediately to Holker or even attempt to grow some of the plants depicted'

'For sheer fun, ​A Time to Plan​t​ beats anything I've read this year'

'Plenty for the historian, amateur gardener and serious plantsmen'

An excellent read for all garden lovers, local history buffs, anyone who has ever visited Holker Hall and even those who haven't because A Time to Plant will ensure you do.

'This is the story of both the titled Lord and the ordinary perceptive human being who finds peace in his own garden'

'This is the story of a family, a life, a community and an exploration of continuity with the past and adaption to the modern age'

Beautifully written and designed, the exquisite photographs and the charming end papers with a map of the garden draw the reader through a treasure trove of plants, garden architecture and fine views to the surrounding countryside of the Lake District fells and the Leven estuary.