'I thought of her as a flower': the story at the heart of one gardener's life
Marc Hamer's gardening memoir offers an insight into what it is like to tend somebody else’s plot, and how an unusual relationship blossomed
24 January 2021 • 12:00pm
Far from following the mould of D H Lawrence, Marc Hamer’s novel describes a different kind of relationship
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Think about the niche genre of “books about gardeners and their mistresses” and few come to mind. D H Lawrence’s infamously florid Lady Chatterley’s Lover has set the bar when it comes to the outdoor staff-employer relationship, but this winter sees the publication of another, more cerebral take on it – and this time, the story is told from a green-fingered labourer’s perspective.