Eat Your Garden

‘Harry Holding is one of our most exciting young designers.’ Monty Don

‘Eat Your Garden is a joy that will become a well-thumbed entry in the classics. I can’t wait to draw on so much of Harry’s thinking to transform my own gardens. This palette for the palate is a gift of a Gift. I love it and know that all who receive it will be sincerely grateful for it. Harry Holding has produced a feast of a book.’ Sir Tim Smit, co-founder, the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project

‘A feast of invaluable information and a truly inspirational book, coming from a lifetime of curiosity and practical experience.’ Darina Allen, Ballymaloe Cookery School

‘Why not eat your garden? Why restrict ornamental gardens to non-edible plants? Harry uses the term edimental to describe plants which are both beautiful and delicious. They are the ones we want to grow, and Harry has plenty of ideas for this. Eat Your Garden describes how to grow food in an ornamental garden without losing ornamental as a quality. There are so many wonderful opportunities: let Harry guide you to see the amazing possibilities.’ Charles Dowding, author of No Dig and Grow Together

‘When I first saw Harry’s Chelsea Flower Show garden, I was blown away by the planting. Once the penny dropped that it was an astonishing tapestry of edible flavours and forms, my brain fizzed with all the new edible delights that unfolded in front of me. I’m all about growing edibles, but Harry takes it to another level, proving just how imaginative and elegant an edible landscape can be.
‘Harry makes ecological gardening joyful, accessible and irresistibly inspiring. With clarity and warmth, he reveals how plants can be both delicious and ornamental, transforming borders and everyday spaces into productive, biodiverse ecosystems.
‘Eat Your Garden is a book we edible gardeners have been yearning for, a gentle shift in perspective, a reminder that our gardens can feed us in more ways than one. May it encourage you to plant boldly, harvest often and see your space through Harry’s generous, visionary lens.’ August Bernstein, head of the Raymond Blanc Gardening School, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

‘Eat Your Garden will change how we grow our ornamental and edible plants in the same place; it’s a book that brings together food and beauty. The case studies give insight into the endless possibilities open to us all, and you will never look at an herbaceous border in the same way again. The plant profiles are full of genuine surprises on the edibility of ornamental plants. I mean, who knew that the young leaves of that beautiful, woolly Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ear) can be fried in batter for a delicious amuse-bouche? Familiar old plants provide new flavours, textures and scents to delight even the most jaded palate. Yes, we can all have edimental spaces, and they can be as small or as large as you can manage. As Mr Holding says, “just give it a go”.’ Advolly Richmond, author of A Short History of Flowers; plant and garden historian and presenter

‘Harry’s book offers a clear, practical roadmap for creating edible, beautiful and ecologically informed plantings. He absolutely nails the planting design process, offering enormous value in showing how to turn these ideas into reality.
‘People often ask me where to learn about edible meadows and edimental plantings. This is the book I recommend – a must-read for anyone interested in ecologically rich edible gardens.’ Sid Hill, multi-award-winning ecological gardener and designer

‘This book is a gateway to understanding edimental gardening without compromising garden design. When applied to any garden, this concept reveals how edibles can become true architectural showstoppers. Harry elevates the meaning of the potager garden to a refined and contemporary level. Throughout the book, he shares not only the purpose and practicality of edible plants, but also subtly introduces forward-thinking design elements that inspire future garden features. Absolutely love it!’ Rekha Mistry, author of Rekha’s Kitchen Garden

‘Here is a book that is actually needed – spanning the gap between “landscaping” and food production in an accessible, beautiful layout that you can actually put to use directly. A necessary addition to the world of foodscaping and regeneration.’ Ben Falk, author of The Resilient Farm and Homestead

‘Eat Your Garden by Harry Holding is a joyful and down-to-earth exhibit of the author’s memoirs as a landscape designer, world traveller and collaborator with Nature. Through Harry’s lens, readers are transported on an international journey to meet gardeners nourishing themselves, their communities and surrounding environments by harnessing synergies with Nature. Harry’s guidance, stories and insights will inspire and motivate professional and novice readers alike to befriend Nature and edimentals as their perennial companions and breadwinners.’ Vanessa Harmony, owner and edimental grower, Colorado Edible Forest

‘Using varied real-life examples from high-rise balconies to multi-acre properties, Harry Holding shows how feasible it is to create landscapes that feed us. He makes a passionate and compelling case for gardens that are simultaneously beautiful, ecologically sound and tasty – then goes on to provide the tools for creating them.’ Jerome Osentowski, author of The Forest Garden Greenhouse

‘If you are keen to grow what you eat and, at the same time, enjoy creating a garden that is both a joy to be in as well as a place from which to harvest a great diversity of crops, Harry Holding’s knowledge and enthusiasm makes this a worthy addition to your garden reading.’ Adam Alexander, author of The Accidental Seed Heroes

‘Edimentals have come of age, eighteen years after I first coined the term. I have travelled the world since, talking to permaculturists, urban growers, teachers, foragers, ornamental gardeners and even the walled gardeners of the rich and famous, and they all “get” the low-input, low-carbon edimental garden, of great value also to the biodiversity of the place. One can go on summer vacation without worrying about the veg, fit them perfectly into the school year, and produce food even in very shady gardens and urban areas, along with many other advantages. I welcome Harry’s book, as I’m sure it will inspire an equally wide range of gardeners, making edimentalling the next level of ecofriendly gardening, feeding both us and the planet.’ Stephen Barstow, ESM (Extreme Salad Man); author of Around the World in 80 Plants

‘The first of its kind to focus on gardening with edimentals – edible and ornamental plants. He intersperses practical advice on growing with enlightening case studies that prove how versatile and sustainable this approach can be.’ House & Garden