How do Worms Work? By Guy Barter Mitchell Beazley, £14.99

Many gardening reference books are billed as being ‘essential’. This ‘questions answered’ book by top RHS advisor Guy Barter makes no such claims but his exhaustive horticultural knowledge is shared so deftly that the reader will gain an invaluable grounding in the science of gardening that could never be found in the pages of far larger tomes.

The questions Barter answers are simple in their delivery but broad and potentially overwhelming in their scope. ‘How long can a plant survive without water?’ and ‘Will the world ever run out of soil?’ are more complex than the standard ‘how do I get rid of blackspot?’ type queries that adorn so many titles of this type. You almost feel that Barter will dare to tackle the question ‘How long is a piece of string?’ Yet each answer flows with a lightness of touch and heavy dose of wisdom, with Barter refusing to get bobbed down in botanical jargon or cerebral ramblings.

To take in Barter’s succinct dissections of more than 120 seemingly ‘awkward’ questions will inevitably make one a better gardener, able to more fully understand the theory behind what is happening to their lawns, trees and shrubs on a daily basis.

Many of the questions fall into ‘I’d never thought about that before’ territory, which makes for a tremendously enlightening and entertaining read that will leave the reader armed with facts and insight to both improve their garden and their general knowledge.