She ends her book with a consideration of where you can go from here when you and your garden have learned a lot and are moving beyond the muddle of the end of the first decade. Above all she advocates a fresh outlook and suggests the life long learning in gardening that comes from always being on the lookout to find what others are doing and what you might enjoy doing differently.
The experience and insight Patricia brings to this subject should be shared with every gardener who has passed the rank beginner stage, even if their garden hasn't reached the point of needing rescuing or renovating. It will get there and you will be ready for it. I would enjoy this new look at gardening even if I only gardened on a patio, porch or balcony. I am glad to have it among my standard references as well as my inspirational garden reading. The only problem is - which shelf should I put it on?
Unfortunately, this book is no longer in print. It is such a good one that I suggest you check to see if your local library has a copy. Or, you might just learn about the wonders of Inter-library loans. Libraries borrow from each other for their patrons all the time. Ask at yours. Amazon.com offered to find a copy for me. If you would like to have your own, you might take them up on it.
Growing Pains, Time and Change in the Garden, Patricia Thorpe, 1994, Harcourt Brace and Co., ISBN 0-15-176652-5.
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