It took seven years from conception to birth, but `Bermuda: A Gardener's Guide' is expected in book and department stores in time for Christmas giving, and if over 500 advance orders are any indication, the Bermuda Garden Club's newest publication is destined to be a runaway success.

Which is the ultimate reward for all the meticulous planning, hard work, and endless editing that has gone into making this quality publication reality. The springboard for the book came about through the generosity of local businesses, whose donations to the 1994 International Flower Show under the auspices of the Bermuda Garden Club and the Intenrational Design Symposium resulted in surplus funds.

"We decided to use the profits for educational purposes," Mrs. Betsey Mowbray, co-ordinator of the book project, said. "We realised that `The Bermuda Jubilee Garden', which was written by Mrs. Freda Chappell (then Wardman) in 1971, was an excellent book, but it was almost sold out so rather than reprint it, because there were parts that were out of date,we decided to do a new book with updated names of plants and added features."

However, the new book does include some material from `The Bermuda Jubilee Garden'.

With the initial decision made, the committee's next step was to secure a knowledgable editor, which they quickly found in George Ogden who, until his recent retirement, was the Corporation of Hamilton horticulturist for many years.

Mr. Ogden's first task was to outline the 34 topics the book would cover, following which the work of lining up a battery of specialist contributors to write about them began.

As readers will quickly discover, the list is impressive, and includes such well-known authorities in their respective fields as Jeremy Madeiros, Dr. Walwyn Hughes, Dr. David Wingate, Lisa Greene and Edward Cattell, as well as knowledgable members of the community.

They include Peter Carpenter on roses, Robert Mercer on orchids, Judi Davidson on conditioning plant material for flower and foliage arranging, Sally Godet on vegetable gardening, Juliet Duncan on the medicinal properties of plants and Dianah Chudleigh on poisonous plans.

Early chapters deal with such topics as soil management, the effect of weather on plants, tools, being creative with lawns, landscaping, gardening in a confined area, and why and how plants grow. Other chapters detail suggested plants for a Bermuda garden, gardening for food and well-being, and problems in the garden and how to overcome them. The book will be a great source of reference for both beginners and dedicated gardeners alike, many of whom may be unaware that botanical names are constantly changing thanks to extensive and on-going research by botanists worldwide. In fact, this proved "an absolute nightmare" for Mr. Ogden and Mrs. Mowbray, not least because botanists in different countries reached different naming conclusions. In the end, they settled on The Royal Horticultural Society's reference book, and even now Mr. Ogden says names have changed since the book went to print.

Many hand-drawn illustrations accompany the text, as well over 300 lush colour photographs. In addition to photographs by Garden Club members, the majority were taken by former Bermuda Justice Richard Ground. His photograph of a blooming Spanish bayonet plant against a vivid blue Bermuda sky makes for a spectacular dust jacket on this hard-cover book.

"We have tried to concentrate on plants that not only do well in Bermuda but can be obtained without too much trouble," Mrs. Mowbray says of the book's contents. "Each plant is described as to how big it gets, where it can be planted, what bugs particularly bother it, when it is likely to bloom, if it is noted or not for its flowers, what bugs particularly bother it, and more."

The past president of the Garden Club also says that `Bermuda: A Gardener's Guide' will be a boon to anyone who has an interest in gardening, and it is also hoped that it will also be a lasting souvenir for visitors who have enjoyed our flora. It is to be sold in book and department stores, as well as at Aberfeldy Nurseries at $45 per copy.