PATCHES OF HEAVEN

Garden designer, author and TV presenter Joe Swift talks to On the Grapevine podcast presenter Daniel Heighes about all things gardening, including his new set of guidebooks

- Daniel Heighes

It has been a while since you last had a book out, a good 12-13 years! And now you're treating us to a fantastic new set of five expert guidebooks.

I know, it's a bit like a renaissance, but these books are very different from books I have previously done. I have done an allotment book and some designer coffee table-type books before.

But these are more inspirational and practical, hopefully at the same time. More like, okay I've just got into gardening, or I started out a few years ago growing veg or filling my house with indoor plants; maybe wanting to encourage more wildlife into my garden. They're written to be accessible and easy to read for all levels, and the publisher asked me to inspire people and share with them some of the practical skills and information that I have learned and wanted to pass on to them.

I see one of your books even has pictures of your own back garden in it, so it truly is a personal account in that sense.

Yes, the pictures are a few years old now and my garden is constantly changing, but it shows how my garden has changed and in many ways charts how my life evolved from having a gardener's garden to having kids. So it became a more practical space, dealing with privacy in a city setting, how to layer planting schemes so the view from the kitchen almost brings the outside in and makes you want to investigate it. But our gardens need to be a versatile space that we can share with all creatures.

Now Monty Don is known for his dogs, Adam Frost has Ash the cat and Joe you are synonymous with fantastic Panama hats.