Making your garden come alive! Environmental interpretation in botanical gardens

This lively, informative book is commendable for many reasons. It reads easily and illustrations are clear, informative, and are located adjacent to the text where the points are made. The book is also pragmatic and encourages one to use technology that is readily available to make interpretive signs, whether it be a laser printer or simply a felt-tip pen! All too often people are afraid to put up signs because they feel they don’t have the latest professional sign-making technology. Marÿke uses her own experiences and illustrated examples to demonstrate that this need not be true. Inexpensive temporary signs are not only okay, but may have certain advantages: they can be used to respond to visitors (for example, by answering frequently asked questions) or to inform them about new developments. This ensures that the signage is dynamic and keeps visitors informed.

At the end of each chapter there is a short case study written by people practising interpretation in South African botanical gardens. Quotes from other literature on interpretation also help to ‘lift’ the book; for example, ”Interpretation is about inspiration, not information. The key is to make visitors curious so that they want to know more” (Tom Ryan, page 2).

The book is to be particularly welcomed as a southern African contribution to the literature on interpretation. Unlike some North American and UK texts, which may be technical and rather dry, this book is obviously compiled by a person who has really experienced the relationship between visitor and garden and has tried many practical creative techniques to optimise the visitor's experience. This informative book makes interesting reading and is likely to be of assistance to any people who are aiming to make their gardens or ‘protected areas’ more informative and enjoyable for visitors.

—by Dr Jim Taylor

SABONET News 5.2: 114