Book Review - "Outside In"

It's not very often that I count off the days for a publisher to release a book but that is exactly what happened with "Outside In", the very first book written by Sean A Pritchard. Excitedly I picked up my copy at the weekend and I haven't been able to put the book down since.

Sean Pritchard first came onto my radar via Instagram. That's nothing unusual for me as I often scroll through social media looking for ideas and inspiration, but only a handful of accounts stand out from the crowd. Sean Pritchard's account was one that I began to look out for each time I logged in.

At first it was the beautiful flower displays that caught my eye - appearing on his grid week after week. A short while later I started to glimpse the stunning decor and style of the house, tucked away behind the flowers - and then I was hooked. This was someone with talent but low key and relatable. In fact now that I have read the book I realise that everything Sean posts or writes about is actually very achievable indeed.

So many floral artists write books and produce displays of flowers which are intricate and require a high level degree of skill and training. That's fine for a trained florist looking to progress their career but, for someone like me, with no florist training and a garden in progress it's out of my league. In contrast Sean's book made me realise that I could pick flowers from my garden and display them with relative ease.

I've already started picking and displaying tulips from my garden and, with my new found "Sean Pritchard" style knowledge, I actually feel confident that in time I can reproduce some of Sean's own displays as shown on his social media and in the book. That is something special as it gives me hope, something to plan towards and look forward to. I am constantly referring back to the book and delving straight back in.

Sean has a background in brands plus fine art and then trained in Garden Design so he has a head start on many of us. However, I get the impression everything changed for him when he got the keys to his own beautiful cottage with garden, in the Mendip Hills. An added bonus for Sean was an old English Orchard not far away from him. Sean likes to display and stage things - in his house and garden as well as his belongings. Having his own place gave him the space and opportunity to do just that.

He traces his love of display back to childhood visits to museums to see tray upon tray of butterfly or beetle all carefully cataloged and set out purposely to "display", attract interest and encourage one to learn more. The staging in shop fronts and windows, or a collection of books carefully curated in a library were also early memories for him - again piquing interest and drawing one in. This is all in Sean's DNA and is how he first introduces his book.

Very cleverly the book itself achieves exactly this - on the face of it a "coffee table book" with the most stunning pictures and displays of flowers that make you want to turn the pages to find out more. Once you are drawn in the book educates and explains encouraging you to go away and find out more. Exactly like a museum which Sean admits, even now, is one of his favourite places to be. This book isn't just another gardening book - this is something really quite different. The book is Sean A Pritchard - it's one of the very few books I've read that totally reflects the person within. It is very cleverly put together.

After the introduction the chapters go on to look at Sean's favourite flowers by season, focusing on just a few important ones, and starting in the Spring. He shares his love of daffodils and recommends many different varieties some of which he grows in containers and others just in the ground - all finding their way into his house at some stage in a stunning arrangement or display.

There are simple notes on what works for him, with favourite varieties, or how he plants and cares for these plants and what to do with them once their time is over and they move back into dormancy. He shares a glimpse into his studio and explains how he chooses the varieties to grow by cutting out images and mounting them onto display boards. So he opens your eyes to opportunities whilst at the same time spelling out the varieties for you so that you can just go out and grow.

After Spring the book moves on to summer and flowers such as foxgloves, nasturtiums and one of Sean's favourites the pelagonium. Again many suggestions are made on colour, form and style of plant and display. There is also information on the vessel to use and it doesn't have to be complex as Sean often chooses a simple bowl or mug to arrange his flowers and explains how to use chicken wire or a floral "frog" to help get the flowers to fall into shape. Many floral arrangement books give a list of ten to twenty items which are "essentials" to achieve the look. Sean's book encourages you to use what you have and so indirectly encourages the creativeness within.

There are chapters on annual plants and how to grow these plus Sean freely shares all his own trialed and tested tips to get the best out of your seedlings. He goes on to talk about Roses and suggestions for other Summer flowering plants both for planting in the garden but also in containers. There are tips on how and when to feed, when to cut back and how to get the best out of a plant display.

After the abundance of Summer the chapters move on to Winter and then in to Spring. At this time of year there is not as much happening in the garden. Sean will often cut branches from shrubs and trees such as Catkins to which he devotes a whole chapter. There is information on indoor forced bulbs which keep things going through the Winter and right through to Spring. Although there is not as much going on at this time of year Sean explains that in some ways this is an easier time to have plants close to you inside as many bulbs are well suited to this.

By the end of the book my imagination and enthusiasm were fired up and my mind was racing with the opportunities and ideas. Sean is extremely talented and his flower displays are some of the most followed on the internet. Yet, at the end of the book, he shares his own vulnerabilities. Nothing ever seems finished to him or quite good enough despite all his talent. There is always something he feels he could have done better or differently and seemingly so much more to do in order to make things perfect. He then reflects that he is learning more and more to live in the moment and I suppose, although he does not directly say this - appreciate what you have got. I thought this was a wonderful way to reflect back and to end the book.