Wild Flowers: Nature's own to garden grown - Tapa dura

Wild flowers are a great passion for Carol, and for the TV show this year she’s travelling the length and breadth of the country to find the most exquisite flora occurring naturally in our woodlands, hedgerows, meadows and moors, and then she sets off in search of their cultivated cousins, and shows us how to grow them in our own gardens.

In her accompanying book, Carol delves into the story of each plant, full of myth, legend and country lore, and as always shares her practical expertise, passing on hints and tips, including which variations to go for, how and where to plant, and what with, for the most spectacular results.

Containing thirty two of Britain's favourite wild flowers and their home-grown descendents, structured by season and illustrated with Jonathan Buckley’s amazing photographs, this book of botanical wonders will inspire, surprise and inform gardeners of all levels.

Once upon a time, long before humankind cultivated gardens, wild flowers were central to our existence. They were food for us and our beasts, medicine to heal our bodies and our souls. They were at the heart of lore and legend, of magic and religion. That intimate connection has almost disappeared.

This is not a sentimental plea to move back in time. It is a recognition, though, of how important wild flowers still are to us now and will be in our future – and how they, and our relationship to them, should be honoured and nurtured.

On Gardeners’ World and in this book I seek out some of our most seductive wild flowers and find out about their cultivated cousins, the plants we know and love in our own gardens. It has been a huge delight to see these wildlings in their own homes.

Everyone can do the same, kneel amongst them feel the same thrill, touch the same petals. Most of us do that anyway. Gardening is the most direct route to an understanding of what is important, to connect directly with the Earth.

It is a privilege and a pleasure and one that everyone should have the opportunity to join in. I hope you enjoy our wild flowers, your gardening and this book.

Carol Klein