Is it better to forgive and forget, or should you just get even? Is it possible to live in the country and not lose your mind completely? Do chickens really make good pets? And what exactly is a hardy perennial?

Alice Mayhew, part-time architect and full-time mother to Alfie, is to gardening what Alan Titchmarsh is to deep-sea fishing. So finding she’s been volunteered to design a new garden for the village comes as a bit of a shock, because apart from anything else she’s far too busy trying to convince Alfie that wearing green trousers doesn’t make you Peter Pan, and that flying is best left to the experts.

Molly O’Brien is finding it hard enough coping with Lily (age four and likes washing up) and Matt (age 32 and doesn’t) before she discovers she’s pregnant. And then there’s Lola Barker, who causes havoc wherever she goes, and brings a whole new meaning to the word high-maintenance.

Toddlers, jelly, bad behavior, romance, and gardening tips all loom large in this hilarious and heartbreaking new novel that turns prejudices and assumptions upside down with humor and passion, telling it like it really is.