Common or gardenIt's often imagined that rarity is special. We seek out uncommon plants or birds to tick them off our lists, but most of us overlook the extraordinary splendour of the species we encounter daily in the natural world. It's these species the most successful plants that are truly interesting. In this book, Ken Thompson sets out to chart Britain's fifty two most common wild plants and to explain the secrets of their success.

The finger of suspicion falls on a young couple struggling to make a home and feed their children: Hugh Parsons the prickly brickmaker and his troubled wife

'The Swimmer'

Your month-by-month guide to gardening throughout the year with advice from the experts at Gardeners' World

But isn't it rare

'Brilliantly written - evocative

Frances Gorges longs for the fields and ancient woods of her parents' Hampshire estate

to showcase a vast array of planting choices

'James Haskell: what a flanker

Through 22 little lessons of wisdom inspired by how birds live

'Wildlife Walks' is a superb guide to more than 475 of the UK's top nature reserves

Their parents made a choice years ago

But why did Cassandra burn them all