This is the second edition of a book first published in 2002. It was written with students in mind, particularly those studying for the Royal Horticultural Society examinations. However, the editors hope it will also appeal to gardeners and growers, though they recognize the problems posed by such a wide readership.

The contents include plant form and function, genetics and plant breeding, soil structure and management, environmental factors, propagation, pest and disease control, and storage. All the chapters in the first edition have been revised, and four new chapters added, covering the diversity of plant life, conservation and sustainability, gardens as natural habitats and gardens for science.

It is the attempt to explain the relevant science to the home gardener, an aim reflected in the main title, that makes this book unusual. This could be done at many levels depending upon the scientific background of the reader, but it is clearly difficult to embrace all of these levels in a single volume. The editors were concerned to simplify without ‘dumbing-down’. The 14 contributors have differed in the ways in which they have dealt with this problem. Some have minimized the use of technical terms or explained these as they occurred. Others have relied more on italicizing a term the first time it is used, to indicate that it is explained in the glossary. Though these measures have not made all the material readily accessible to the average home gardener, there remains much to interest those curious about the science underlying horticultural practice.