Book Review: The Grove, by Ben Dark
The Grove, A Nature Odyssey in 19½ Front Gardens, by Ben Dark
Reading Ben Dark’s debut book, The Grove, A Nature Odyssey in 19½ Front Gardens is a little like taking a walk with a good friend - a convivial amble that starts with a quick catch up, followed by the comfort of an enjoyable light-hearted conversation with shared interests.
Over the course of a year, Dark takes us on a steady meander on foot and on paper, along Grove Park in Camberwell, weaving together the plants he finds and the stories of: “ambition, envy, hope and failure”, that (sometimes tenuously) root them to the place.
From Buddleja to The Beatles, London Pride to Cecil Beaton and Camellias to Dan Pearson, we meet the past and present characters of Camberwell.
Refreshingly, compared to young, contemporary garden writers, Dark doesn’t use the plants to make a point. He has written a book about plants, simply because he loves plants: “fifteen years spent obsessing over gardens”. His view is neutral, and he is a voyeur in a landscape he knows will ceaselessly change, he is just one of the many passers-by.
Confident in his knowledge, self-effacing, but not self-deprecating, Dark has a plethora of qualifications, including Bristol University, Capel Manor College, the Garden Museum, and the Institute of Historical Research. And he is a Head Gardener with a wealth of practical experience, including winning gardens at Chelsea Flower Show. And of course, being a millennial, he has his own podcast.
It is certainly impressive for a first novel, and strikingly, it’s not self-indulgent. Dark brings everyday city plants such as privet and tulips to the forefront and explains what they are, and why they are where they are. It is a welcoming book, Dark invites in gardeners and non-gardeners alike to share in his knowledge, with the hope that we might find these plants as fascinating as he does.
The Grove: A Nature Odyssey in 19½ Front Gardens by Ben Dark is published by Octopus Publishing Group at £16.99
