Garden Allies is a beautifully written and illustrated holistic guide to the things which help maintain garden health and build soil, capably written and curated by Frédérique Lavoipierre. Due out 28th Sept 2021 from Workman on their Timber Press imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is such a peaceful and interesting book and quite inspiring. It's clearly and simply written by someone who knows what she's talking about and as a keen (and experienced) gardener, I learned more than I expected. The essays are grouped thematically into chapters: life beneath our feet (microbes, earthworms, micro-/macro-arthropods) fungi, winged insects, predators & parasites, beetles, common garden insects, ground insects & pathogens/galls, and birds & other vertebrates. The essays are full of interesting details of the appearance and characteristics of the subjects as well as how they interact with other species. The descriptions include appearance, common and scientific names, and garden roles they perform for us.
Although there's no photography in the volume, the illustrations by Craig Latker are beautifully wrought and enhance the text perfectly. Different organisms are easy to identify and the pointillist (dot sketched) drawings are really quite detailed.
Five stars. This would make a super choice for public library acquisition, gardening groups, home gardeners, and winter nonfiction reading.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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