In "The Garden is Open," Beverley Nichols reflects on more than 30 years of a joyful career as a gardener and author. But Nichols wouldn't be Nichols if he limited himself to simple gardening matters—he is simply too cosmopolitan for that. No, we learn a lot of interesting and entertaining things about cats, psychological phenomena, and even how to handle plants as murder weapons. "The Garden is Open" is a loving book, spiced with the same dose of eccentricity and humor that has connected readers of several generations with Mr. Nichols. The only predictable thing about his stories and anecdotes is that there is a surprise on every page—and most of them are laugh-out-loud funny.