With today's fast-moving, hectic lifestyles people want things done 'now' and that includes their living spaces and gardens. With the advent of home and garden makeovers, many look for that instant gratification of what can be achieved in a weekend. Unfortunately most plants refuse to conform to this 'instant' appeal and take many years to reach their full potential. Fast Plants offers an alternative to this. Quick-growing trees, shrubs, perennials and climbers to provide, within a season, the look required. Or even quicker if funds stretch to larger specimens. Close planting, a mix of large plants and quick growing smaller ones, will soon fill a space given the basics of a good start in life. A thorough ground preparation, light application of fertiliser, care and forethought in layout and these plants will repay this effort 100 times over. Too crowded next year? Dig them up, divide them and gain plants for free for another area of the garden. Sue Fisher gives an A-Z list of 100 of the fastest growers. Used in conjunction with the fold-out flap at the end of the book which gives a symbol chart, you should easily find the right plants for the purpose required. Some plants are surprisingly tender to be included and some are downright rampant such as Russian vine and Campanula poscharskyana whose charms can give a false sense of security until it is too late and the plant has taken over. It is a shame that the warning symbol of 'fast spreader - beware' is not utilised anywhere, as those previously mentioned would certainly merit it. However, for those looking for a quick fix in the garden this is an invaluable, well-illustrated guide, nearly all the plants mentioned being readily available at garden centres.
