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This book is much more than a review of the techniques and theory of wildlife gardening. It is as much about the emotional as it is about the practical aspects of the subject.It is as much about the emotional as it is about the practical aspects of the subject. Reading this book will convince you that enhancing your garden for the benefit of wildlife, and consequently people, is just about the most rewarding way you can spend the time and effort which many of us pour into our gardens.

Chris Baines comes at this subject very much from the point of view of a naturalist as opposed to horticulturalist. It can be contrasted with, but also complemented by, Noël Kingsbury's book Natural Gardens in Small Spaces (from the same publisher) which is very much a horticulturalist and garden designer's take on the same subject.

The book is split into three main sections: Why Make a Wildlife Garden?; Creating New Habitats and Supplementing the Habitats. In the first section, Chris Baines lays out his philosophy on wildlife gardening and makes a convincing case for their importance in conservation terms. There is also a chapter here on designing a wildlife garden. The chapters in the second section cover the major habitats which can be represented in a typical wildlife garden; e.g. woodland edge, hedges, meadows and wetlands (ponds). How to Make a Wildlife Garden is a beautifully produced book; as at home on the coffee table as it is in the potting shed.In some ways, the final section is really a home for all the chapters which did not fit neatly into the other two, but is none-the-less important for that. All sorts of subjects are covered in the third section, from cottage and vegetable gardening to building bird boxes and studying wildlife.

If you just buy a single book on wildlife gardening, my recommendation would be to make it this one. No other, that I've come across, manages the task of being both thorough and entertaining quite so well. How to Make a Wildlife Garden is a beautifully produced book; as at home on the coffee table as it is in the potting shed.