Ruth O’Rourke, Editorial Director, Gardening, DK LIFE

I’m passionate about publishing the very best gardening and nature books and am incredibly proud of our world-leading list. Books that excite me have one thing in common: celebrating the joy and solace that being outside in nature brings. 

I’m looking for books that inspire readers to abandon their screens and breathe fresh air, whether that’s encouraging them to get digging in the garden or wondering at wildlife in the great outdoors. Authors who can provide would-be gardeners with the confidence to get out there and give it a go, experts who show the already green-fingered new ways or reasons to garden and diverse voices that bring a fresh perspective on the natural world. Whether practical guides, memoirs or personal accounts with a wellbeing, ecological or cultural angle, I’m looking for creative thinkers who are passionate about nature in all its forms.

A book I'm proud off...

I’m hugely proud of publishing Pollyanna Wilkinson’s beautiful debut How to Design a Garden. This Sunday Times bestseller is a book on garden design like no other. It is, of course, packed with useful information but it is also uniquely opinionated, funny, and yes, a little bit judgey.

A book I wish I published...

I wish I had published Why Women Grow by Alice Vincent – it’s a beautiful, curious book that really made me think about my own connection to my garden and all the wonderful women in my life who grow.

 ruth.orourke@uk.dk.com