Carol Klein's Favourite Plants: Choosing and growing plants by character - Tapa dura

Plants can be entertaining. Some of them are funny. They can be wistful, cheeky, shy and retiring or flamboyant and voluptuous. We may think we choose plants for their height or habit, or the colour of their flowers, but they are much more than a collection of physical characteristics and often there is something so engaging about a plant that we feel we just have to grow it. Combining Carol Klein's sublime text with Jonathan Buckley's superb pictures, Plant Personalities reveals why certain plants capture our imagination. Describing plants by personality group is not a scientific system but an entertaining way of appreciating them and an informative way of rating their contribution to the garden. Whether you delight in a Cinderella who shoots to stardom before the clock strikes twelve or a Drama Queen who grabs all the attention, the plant portraits provide an inspirational new way of appreciating the magic of the garden.

Winner of six Gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, Carol Klein owns and runs Glebe Cottage Plants Nursery in Devon. She is an experienced television presenter and has worked for Channel 4 on Garden Party, Real Gardens and Chelsea Live. Her writing credits include contributions to Garden News, Gardeners' World, House and Garden, The English Garden and the Daily Telegraph.