Adrian’s new book ‘A Garden Odyssey will be published in May but we have a few copies available in the online shop for you.

His new book reflects his experience and belief that plants and gardens are for everyone to understand and enjoy.

His book is not going to answer any of the ‘What do I do next?’ questions. Instead, it aims to inspire both gardeners and non-gardeners alike by showing  what might be possible and suggesting good plants to help achieve their own garden and their own wow creations!

Adrian also suggests that since as adults we all have mobile phones, we should record our plants and projects - partly as a discipline, but mostly so we can enjoy in the winter what we have achieved in spring and summer .

Book Review from Hort Week by Matthew Appleby

This inspirational guide to understanding plants and gardens is published by Foggy Bottom Books.

Foggy Bottom is part of Bloom's Bressingham Gardens in Norfolk which forms the inspiration behind the book. A visitor's book at the entrance contains comments that often use the word 'wow' and that led to Bloom deciding to embark on this project.

One big feature is Bloom's photography, which illuminates every page. He begins with a wow view in Wyoming, having first visited the Grand Tetons on 1960. The vast American vistas instilled in him a sense of scale and drama that has permeated his work ever since. The US helped form Bloom's world view after he was educated about gardening at Bressingham by his father, the celebrated horticulturist Alan Bloom.

At Foggy Bottom, Bloom shows changes from 1968 to date and how the garden changes over the seasons. He's created a Summer Garden and a renowned Winter Garden at Bressingham.

He joined the business in 1962 and his career mirrored the development of the nursery and garden centre market. Bloom has been instrumental in the cooperative Anglia Group, in wholesaling, garden retail, mail order and sophisticated branding, This professional acumen provides a sturdy backbone to the book, ensuring it appeals as much to the industry insider as it does to the weekend enthusiast.

In the book, he moves through wow perennials, bulbs, grasses, ferns, shrubs and trees, finishing with one of his biggest areas of expertise, conifers.

Combinations is a chapter that certainly shows the wow factor. Aster, crocosmia, helenium and echinacea, held together by ageratina. pictured on page 104 is outstanding.

The flowers, foliage, berries and barks sections show off some of Bloom's favourites.

Bloom sees the book as a vehicle for promoting gardening and plants, intended to appeal to gardeners and non-gardeners. There are 230 pages and about 500 pictures and the book is clearly a labour of love.

This is a handsome hardback, well-produced and written by a  horticulture living legend. He has been a VMH for 40 years, and won the GMG Lifetime Achievement award 10 years ago. Bloom's longevity at the top of his profession and keenness to air new ideas, such as a potential children's book, as well as numerous marketing campaigns that the sector would be wise to take notice of.

This inspirational guide is far more than a mere catalogue of plants; it is a profound narrative of a life lived through the soil. What Bloom has produced is a 230-page hardback that serves as both a visual feast and a strategic roadmap for the modern gardener.

This is an essential addition to any horticultural library, reminding us that the best gardens are those that never stop evolving.