Another Splash of the Gin and Tonic Gardener: Further Confessions of a Reformed Compulsive Gardener.

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Wells brings a high degree of calm to this collection of short columns about developing a garden in Newfoundland. In a non-flappable tone she shares her thoughts and efforts to transform her property from a spot with nearly nothing except a large tree and some lawn to a place where a variety of shrubs and flowers create a visual tapestry.

Her goal is a “gin-and-tonic-hammock-good-book” kind of garden, a place where relaxing and observing take precedent over trends and constant fussing. She promotes starting small, not attempting too much at once, trying new plants in small quantities, and letting plants settle in at their own pace. If plants are comfortable in a certain spot, her advice is to accept that and respect their choice.

Even the most relaxed garden, Wells acknowledges, involves both work and expense. A theme running throughout the columns is how to cut back on both of these.

On the labour front, she suggests gardening is better when it is shared, so finding a companion to help with the work is always a good strategy. The book is more about sharing thoughts than how-to methods, but it does give a few tips for labour-saving ideas, such as simply digging in the individual stones to make a path rather than the traditional route of creating a bed for the stones, and using the “lasagna” method (newspapers and top soil) to avoid heavy digging when creating a new flower bed.

Her ideas for reducing expenses include using found objects, shopping at yard and charity plant sales, propagating your own plants, and sharing cuttings among family and friends.

Musings on composting, the garden in winter, worms, trees, wildflower meadows, roses, lawn mowing, water elements, fences, birds, and other topics related to developing and observing a relaxing garden round out this gentle little memoir.