At first sight the non-gardener is likely to wonder whether the cover of Rejuvenating a Garden represents a garden in need of rejuvenation, or the rejuvenated result. Flick through, and the response depends on whether or not you"re a novice or aficionado. Green fingered experts will be thrilled at the amount of information provided by journalist and award winning gardening expert Stephen Anderton. But anyone in hope of a glossy coffee table book full of pretty designer gardens, or some basic makeover tips and inspiration could be baffled. With most of the photos looking like National Trust land, and before and after examples resembling conversions from forests to parks, aspiring gardeners with an average detached house might be put off. Even the weeds featured here look more like exotic plants. However, Rejuvenating a Garden is an indispensable bible for gardening experts, including professionals. Divided into a section on "Where to Start" (assessing every element from fertility to frost-pockets) and "Doing the Job" (from clearing old hard landscape to getting rid of trees), plus a directory on pruning, this is as thorough as it gets. And the fact that Anderton"s writing could sway the gardening novice into visualising that run-of-the-mill garden as a landscape wonder is a tremendous achievement. --Lorna V