Our Plot

Cleve West is one of Britain's top garden designers, with six RHS gold medals to his name and a high profile Daily Telegraph sponsored garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2011. He is also a true allotmenteer, heading off to his plot whenever he can to get his hands dirty, find peace and contemplate life and nature. His book is a joy to read, humorous and humble, full of practical commonsense, and a belief in the values of community and sustainable living. There is plenty of advice here for plot holders - often of the what-not-to-do sort and written from sorry experience - and plenty of inspiration too in the creative ways that Cleve and his partner Christine make the most of their plot and enjoy the company of their fellow allotmenteers. There are easy to follow sections on Vegetables and Herbs, Flowers and Fruit, with recipes and troubleshooting tips as well as chapters on Community, Creativity and Children. Amply illustrated with Cleve's own beautiful photographs, fantastical drawings by Cleve and Christine and shots of the two of them at work taken by Cleve's cousin the garden photographer Derek St Romaine, Our Plot is also a visual cornucopia. To watch a video of the launch of Our Plot click here

Cleve West has been awarded five RHS gold medals for his work as a garden designer, and his Daily Telegraph garden is set to be one of the highlights of Chelsea Flower Show 2011. He has written about his allotment for Gardens Illustrated and national newspapers. He regularly talks about gardening and allotments on television programmes including GMTV and BBC2's Small Town Gardens and The Garden Makers. This is his first book.