There’s a quiet shift happening in our gardens. Where once we might have reached out for the plant catalogue or filled an online basket without too much thought, many of us are now pausing—propagating instead of purchasing, reusing instead of replacing, and rediscovering the simple satisfaction of making something from very little.
It’s a shift that feels both timely and, in many ways, long overdue. And it’s one that presenter, garden designer and author, Mark Lane captures beautifully in his latest book, The Thrifty Gardener, published by Frances Lincoln.
A familiar face to many through BBC Morning Live and Gardeners’ World, Mark has long been an advocate for gardening that is inclusive, imaginative, and above all achievable. This is his third book, following Royal Gardens of the World and The Future of Gardens—each exploring a different facet of his horticultural world. But here, with The Thrifty Gardener, he turns his attention firmly to the here and now, and to the realities facing gardeners across the country.
At its heart, this is a book about gardening well, rather than gardening lavishly.
Gardening with Purpose, Not Price Tags
The Thrifty Gardener arrives at a time when many people are rethinking how they spend, not just in the garden but in life generally. Rising costs have, for some, forced a change in approach—but as Mark shows, constraint can often be the mother of creativity.
This isn’t about cutting corners; it’s about sharpening instincts.
From seed saving and plant division to clever design choices and making the most of what you already have, this comprehensive book encourages a slower, more thoughtful way of gardening—one that values patience and persistence as much as purchase.
“We’re all having to watch our pennies, just to see where they’re all going, so the book grew from there,” Mark says of the book’s origins. “And a lot of the work I do on BBC Morning Live is about reusing, repurposing and recycling, so it also led on from that. But also chatting with other gardeners and hearing their experiences, and about what they wanted,” he continues.
What comes through strongly is that this isn’t simply a response to economic pressure, but part of a wider philosophy. There’s a sense of gardening as something resourceful, intuitive, and deeply personal, a craft rather than a transaction.
The Thrifty Gardener is one of those generous tomes that allows the reader to pore through from start to finish, or dip in and out to glean helpful, well-practiced information about planning a garden - surely Mark’s specialist subject, caring for a garden, seasonal tasks and a chapter devoted to choosing thrifty plants, including trees, shrubs, perennials, alongside fruit and vegetables.
Thoughtfully laid out, with supporting photographs throughout, enhancing rather than distracting from the written content.
A Designer Who Tells Stories
What has always set Mark apart, both as a designer and a broadcaster, is his ability to tell a story through a garden. His designs aren’t just arrangements of plants and hard landscaping; they’re narratives—layered, expressive, and often quietly emotional, .
That same quality runs through his writing.
If Royal Gardens of the World was about inspiration on a grand scale, and The Future of Gardens looked ahead to what might be, The Thrifty Gardener feels grounded—rooted, even, in the everyday experience of gardeners. And yet, there is nothing ordinary about it. A man of many talents, writing has always been important to Mark.
“Writing brings me closer to my late father,” Mark says. “He was a technical author for the MoD and he would always be writing. I remember going into his study and he was always there. Now, whenever I’m writing, I have that image in my head, and it brings him close to me.”
There’s a generosity in the way Mark shares ideas - never prescriptive, always encouraging. You feel, as a reader, that you’re being invited into the process rather than instructed from afar.
The Craft of Writing, Like the Craft of Gardening
Writing a gardening book, much like designing a garden, is an act of balance. Structure and spontaneity must sit side by side, with knowledge worn lightly.
I was particularly interested to hear how Mark approaches the writing process itself—how he finds the time, the headspace, and the rhythm, alongside a busy career in design and television.
“It’s about snatching time when I can,” Mark admits, “I always take a laptop with me when I’m in hotels the day before filming, and it’s surprising how much I actually write in those moments.”
Invariably, and much to hubby, Jasen’s disgust, Mark writes a lot at the weekend.
“That’s when my garden design and TV hat is off - it’s my spare time, so I might as well do a bit of writing,” he laughs.
There’s something reassuring in this; the idea that even the most polished books begin in fragments. Research notes scribbled down, ideas revisited, chapters shaped and reshaped over time. Much like a garden, really: never quite finished, always evolving.
Where Practicality Meets Beauty
One of the enduring myths in gardening is that cost equates to quality—that the more you spend, the better the result. The Thrifty Gardener quietly but firmly dismantles this idea.
In its place, Mark offers something far more valuable: confidence.
Confidence to divide a plant rather than replace it. Confidence to experiment with cuttings, or the consideration of design solutions. Confidence, even, to get things wrong and try again. Because, as any gardener knows, some of the best results come not from perfection, but from persistence.
There’s also a subtle shift in aesthetic here. Thrifty gardening often leads to something softer, more relaxed, more characterful. A garden built gradually, piece by piece, tends to have a depth that can’t be bought in a single season.
And perhaps that’s the real charm of it.
Looking Ahead
Of course, Mark Lane is not someone who rests on his laurels. Even as The Thrifty Gardener finds its way into the hands of readers, there are already new ideas taking shape.
“I’m already working on book four, which much like The Thrifty Gardener, is also a very hands on gardening book and I wanted to carry on in that theme. And I’ve got still more topics and ideas, as long as the publishers still want to publish me,” he laughs.
With two very high-profile Saturday night presenter slots suddenly becoming vacant, I wondered if Mark had any presentation aspirations, or indeed to create a show garden for Chelsea.
“Ha, ha, who wouldn’t want to present something like Strictly,” Mark laughs, “And in terms of show gardens, there are so many new, talented garden designers coming through. Personally, I think it’s better to showcase the newer talent, but if something special came along, I’d jump at it.”
If his latest book is about making the most of what we have, then whatever comes next will no doubt continue to reflect his ability to read the mood of the moment—and respond with clarity, creativity, and care.
Final Thoughts
In many ways, The Thrifty Gardener feels like a return—to older, wiser ways of gardening that many of us are only now rediscovering. Ways that value ingenuity over expense, patience over immediacy, and connection over consumption.
But it doesn’t look backwards. Instead, it takes those principles and reframes them for modern life.
Because in the end, a garden has never been about how much you spend. It’s about what you grow—and how it makes you feel.
And in that respect, Mark Lane’s message is both simple and quietly profound: the most rewarding gardens are not always the ones that cost the most, but the ones that give the most back.
My thanks to Mark and Lewis Laney, Quarto their time and support, and to you, as always, for reading.
Please pop a little red heart down below if you’ve enjoyed this piece and I’ll be back again soon.
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