Christine Allen and Michael Kluckner’s portrayal of life on Killara Farm moves thoughtfully through a year of gardening with a rich, detailed narrative that evokes the many pleasures of life in rural Southwestern BC.

Allen, a master gardener, is also a lyrical writer, expressing the tiny details of life on the farm–the winter jasmine, doggedly flowering on the fence by the chicken house, the excitement of snowdrops opening at the end of January and strategies for ensuring a balance of colour in the foxgloves. Her twelve essays are illuminated by Kluckner’s masterful watercolours and interspersed with a delightful scattering of pressed flowers, gardening tips and seasonal recipes.

Part memoir, part illustrated garden journal, part cookbook, A Year at Killara Farm truly celebrates a way of life that is intimately tied to the natural world and the rhythm of the seasons. The result is a charming book sure to inspire any gardener.