Forest gardening is a way of working with nature which is not only productive and requires minimal maintenance, but creates great environmental benefits. Robert Hart describes the principles and practice of forest gardening (a form of Agroforestry or Permaculture), and shows its potential value for countering environmental devastation both in the West and in the Third World. The book includes guidelines on how to design and maintain a forest garden, and lists of recommended species for temperate, tropical and sub-tropical climates. As Herbert Girardet says in his foreword: "Robert Hart was a rare person . . . For decades he waged a lonely battle for life, patiently writing books and articles and quietly planting trees on his small farm in Shropshire. Robert created a magnificent forest garden which had a profound influence on the way people have cultivated their own land. It was a garden dedicated to human needs for fruit, nuts, vegetables and plant medicines. But it was at the same time a celebration of the myriad interactions of life; for it was based on profound observations, both intuitive and scientific, of how different life forms interact in order to stimulate and support one another."