In The Anxious Gardener Rozsika Parker wittily addresses the worries evoked by a series of gardening tasks over the course of a year. Each episode involves a dialogue between the Anxious Gardener and the Gardening Mentor, who offers practical solutions to the Anxious Gardener's dilemmas. A third voice, belonging to Maud-Next-Door, dispenses understanding and envy in unequal measure through the latticework of trellis surrounding the flowerbeds. The result is a unique and witty exploration of the emotional life of the gardener, exposing the envy, anxiety, guilt, rage and satisfaction unearthed, or unleashed, by the spade.