Anyone who has ever wished they could have a beautiful garden without spending hours in back-breaking tasks will find this book essential reading. The secret is not just to cut down on time spent on gardening tasks, but to find ways to replan and redesign elements of the garden to ensure that the garden more or less looks after itself. Whether yours is a roof garden, a small patio or a country garden, there are ways to ensure that the layout and planting minimise the gardening tasks involved, from weeding to planting, from watering to pruning. Using ground cover in place of time-consuming lawns, employing bark mulches in flower beds to cut down on weeding, using grasses and drifts of perennials in place of fussy and laborious flower borders, using gravel to retain moisture - these are all key elements in reducing gardening chores.