Book Review: The Lazy Gardener by Don Burke

A New Version of Burke's Backyard Creator's Classic Gardening Guide

Dec 15, 2008 Susan Whelan

Australian gardening guru Don Burke has released a gardening guide for the everyday gardener who wants practical tips on how to make the most of their garden and yard.

Gardening expert Don Burke was the undisputed guru of gardening long before the recent spate of front yard clean-up and backyard landscaping programs arrived. While no longer offering advice from the television screen, Burke’s magazine Burke’s Backyard and his radio programs continue to offer tips and advice for Australian gardeners looking for economical, practical solutions to their outdoor living needs.

Offering advice to those looking for maximum results for minimum effort, both the original (Horwitz Grahame, 1983) and current version of The Lazy Gardener (New Holland, 2008) cater to the everyday Australian with a desire to enjoy the outdoor spaces of their home. The new version is not, however, simply an updated version of the previous title, but rather a completely new book, aimed at modern householders and addressing the concerns of the 21st century gardener.

The Lazy Gardener

As with Burke’s television program and previous titles, The Lazy Gardener combines a wealth of knowledge and practical advice with Burke’s well-known larrikin sense of humour. At times controversial, overall the book is simply a collection of practical, well-explained advice for clearing unwanted plants and pests, creating an attractive or functional garden and taking some of the stress and hard work out of garden maintenance tasks.

Burke’s intent is not so much on turning the yard into an extension of the indoor living space, in the style of Jamie Durie and others, but rather in creating an outdoor area that is easy to maintain, meets the needs of the family, and is simply a place where family members, including the family dog, can relax, unwind and take a break from the hectic pace of everyday life.

Burke says that gardening is “not about fiendishly hard work, nor is it about being a slave to your garden. It is about designing a fantasy area that really provides a home and hearth for the family... where you feel safe and happy.” True to this belief, The Lazy Gardener offers a collection of tables and charts, practical tips and photographs that identify particular plants, pests or activities under discussion combinedwith a conversational style that makes the task of preparing and maintaining a garden seem that much more achievable.

Practical Tips for Home Gardeners

In addition to several humorous poems, a large number of interesting anecdotes and some entertaining cartoon illustrations, The Lazy Gardener contains enough information for an amateur gardener to expect reasonable success in their garden.

Chapter headings are not always clearly indicative of their contents (for example “Pentecostal gardening” and “You could easily be doing something better with your time”) and the absence of an index means that readers will need to search through the pages themselves to find specific information. Fortunately, the book is enjoyable to read and set out in a clear format that means that readers can easily see what information is contained in each section as they quickly flick through the pages.

Environmental issues, not considered as significant when the first The Lazy Gardener was published in 1983, feature much more prominently in the current version, although some readers may find some of Burke’s views controversial. He offers a range of tips for limiting garden water needs, using natural fertilisers and products, growing organic fruits and vegetables and minimising the use of chemicals and other environmental pollutants.

Don Burke – An Australian Gardening Expert

With an existing audience of committed older gardening enthusiasts, the new version of The Lazy Gardener is likely to win Burke a new generation of younger fans looking for easy-care techniques and tips so that they can spend less time gardening and more time relaxing with family and friends enjoying the outdoors.

The Lazy Gardener (ISBN: 978-1-8770-69628, 271 pages)

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The Lazy Gardener by Don Burke