When you picture a garden 100 years from now, what do you see? Is it tended to by a robot? Is it on Mars? Perhaps all you can picture is a climate disaster-stricken wasteland? Whilst admitting that he’s no soothsayer with a crystal ball, Mark Lane takes on the challenge of imagining what the future of our gardens might look like in this compact collection of essays. In The Future of Gardens, he poses the challenges we currently face, delves into the technology that might provide solutions, and outlines a vision for the future that is creative, efficient, inclusive, resilient, sustainable and, most importantly, thriving.

The Future of Gardens starts with Mark’s journey, from a childhood spent watching his grandparents’ tend to their green spaces, to become a garden designer and presenting the incredible RHS Chelsea Flower Show. He then meanders through various fascinating subjects in the world of gardening, starting with the development of smart gardening technology and its potential to create more sustainable practices. Then, he dives into the challenge of land scarcity, followed by a fascinating and highly technical chapter on off-world gardening, and finally ends with a look into the growing field of plant communication.

At the heart of the book is a vision for a resilient and adaptive gardener. New technology has the ability to help the future of gardening, but ultimately the mindset of the gardener, Mark argues, is the key to real change. Some gardeners might feel that they operate in isolation, that they’re the lone guardians of their own green spaces. But the truth is, as Mark shows us, that each gardener is part of the larger whole. The choices they make are powerful. It isn’t just about what one person does in their allotment, community space or garden, but how we all move collectively towards a more inclusive, resilient, and hopeful future.

Despite knowing very little about the science of gardening myself (the most technologically advanced gardening equipment I own is a trowel!), I was really awe-struck by the ways Mark describes the newest developments in that world. He envisions an intricate network of possibilities – from algorithms that can analyse environmental data, to recent breakthroughs in plant nanobionics. What I really enjoyed in the book was the fact that all of the technology he describes is grounded in a utopian potential and the need for inclusivity. He focusses in on how each piece of technology functions to enhance the health of our wonderful ecosystem and the humans inside of it.

Gardening, Mark argues, has the power to really improve our lives. Biophilia – the way the natural world makes a marked positive impact on our wellbeing, productivity and stress levels – is a studied phenomenon, after all. As well as showing us through science, Mark also describes how horticultural therapy aided his own rehabilitation after a serious car crash in 2000. The Future of Gardens is therefore informed by the heartfelt desire to bring nature to more people, and to create a living legacy for generations to come. In addition to being both informative and visionary, these essays also have a sense of heart at their core, which makes The Future of Gardens a fun, enriching read.

A really useful book from a gardener with a unique perspective. Practical, helpful and interesting. — Prue Leith

Since I met Mark, I haven’t killed a single plant. He’s a lovely man and a genius in the garden.— Dr Xand van Tulleken