Gardens (descriptions, history etc) Books

Book SynopsisThe story of how Francis Pryor created a haven for people, plants and wildlife in a remote corner of the fens. A Fenland Garden is the story of the creation of a garden in a complex and fragile English landscape – the Fens of southern Lincolnshire – by a writer who has a very particular relationship with landscape and the soil, thanks to his distinguished career as an archaeologist and discoverer of some of England's earliest field systems. It describes the imagining, planning and building of a garden in an unfamiliar and sometimes hostile place, and the challenges, setbacks and joys these processes entail. This is a narrative of the making of a garden, but it is also about reclaiming a patch of ground for nature and wildlife – of repairing the damage done to a small slice of Fenland landscape by decades of intensive farming. A Fenland Garden is informed by the empirical wisdom of a practising gardener (and archaeologist) and by his deep understanding of the soil, landscape and weather of the region; Francis's account of the development of the garden is counterpointed by fascinating nuggets of Fenland lore and history, as well as by vignettes of the plantsman's trials and tribulations as he works an exceptionally demanding plot of land. Above all, this is the story of bringing something beautiful into being; of embedding a garden in the local landscape; and thereby of deepening and broadening the idea of home.Trade Review‘A gloriously bucolic fenland hymn celebrating one man’s love for his garden and his wife. Francis is a fine writer and visionary, with an intelligence as sharp as an archaeologist’s trowel. Time spent in his company in person or in print is well spent!’ * Tony Robinson *'Brings to life the sense of place, that mythical bond between a garden and its natural landscape.’ * George Plumptre, CEO of the National Garden Scheme *‘Pryor is clearly smitten with the Fens. A gently heroic account of one archaeologist’s attempts to transform a beloved but exhausted landscape into a place where nature thrives.’ * Sally Coulthard, author of A Short History of the World According to Sheep *The pleasure [Pryor] takes in old landscapes and farming practices, and in the poetic words that describe them... is palpable * The Times Literary Supplement *Francis Pryor and his archaeologist wife Maisie, share their thoughtful garden-making in A Fenland Garden. Through their love of the land, they unearth some great garden stories and historical insights... A marvellous chronicle * RHS Magzine *In this uplifting read, [Pryor] reclaims the land bit by bit to produce a garden where nature thrives once more. * Britain Magazine *Francis's account of the development of the garden is counterpointed by fascinating nuggets of Fenland lore and history, as well as snippets of the plantsman's trials and tribulations as he works an exceptionally demanding plot of land. * Countryside magazine *This is a charming story of a fruitful, resourceful partnership, which has produced a landscape of real quality, attractive both to wildlife and to visitors welcomed on charity open days. * Spectator *PRAISE FOR SCENES FROM PREHISTORIC LIFE: 'Decades worth of communicating archaeology on TV and screen and a recent foray into crime fiction writing help make this a highly compelling read' Spectator. 'An evocative foray into the prehistoric past... Pryor recreates [the prehistoric world] with an effortless narrative style' BBC Countryfile Magazine. 'Brings almost impossibly distant times into brilliant focus' Eastern Daily Press Norfolk. 'Pryor's colourful book makes life in Britain BC often sound rather more appealing than the frenetic and anxious 21st century!' Daily Mail. 'Vividly relating what life was like in pre-Roman Britain' * Choice Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe gardens made on the fringes of Central Asia in the past 5000 years form a great arc. From the Fertile Crescent, it runs west to Europe and east to China and Japan. Asia''s fringe was a zone of interchange: a vast landscape in which herders encountered farmers and the design of symbolic gardens began. It appears that as they became settlers, nomads retained a love of mobility, hunting and the wild places in which their ancestors had roamed. Central Asian and Indian ideas influenced the garden culture of China, Japan and South East Asia.In West Asia, Aryan settlers made hunting parks known as paradises. They were walled enclosures stocked with exotic plants and animals. In East Asia, great landscape parks were used for similar purposes and had a sacred role. Across Asia, gardens were influenced by religious and other beliefs: polytheist, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Daoist, Shinto and Modernist. Early parks and gardens symbolized wild and civilized nature, sometimes conceived aTrade Review"Here Turner—with his characteristic use of summary diagrams and tightly structured analyses—charges through polytheist, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, and Shinto gardens of West, South, East, and North Asia, with a welcome concluding chapter on abstract modernism. Some readers may be troubled by Turner’s reductionist approach, yet his books pack much between their covers in a manner that is at once quirky, refreshing, and stimulating." - Journal of Australian Garden History"Tom Turner's Asian Gardens is a visually powerful work, worth its $60-plus price for the photos, plans, and diagrams" - Landscape Archictecture Magazine"...Especially illuminating from a historical viewpoint is the author's use of satellite photos to give a better understanding of the geography of place. Not designed to be a field manual for Asian gardens, this is a thoughtful, convincing analysis of garden design as an expression of the nature of the world, determined by physical, conceptual, and religious influences... Highly recommended." - CHOICE"Here Turner—with his characteristic use of summary diagrams and tightly structured analyses—charges through polytheist, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, and Shinto gardens of West, South, East, and North Asia, with a welcome concluding chapter on abstract modernism. Some readers may be troubled by Turner’s reductionist approach, yet his books pack much between their covers in a manner that is at once quirky, refreshing, and stimulating." - Journal of Australian Garden History"Tom Turner's Asian Gardens is a visually powerful work, worth its $60-plus price for the photos, plans, and diagrams" - Landscape Architecture Magazine"...Especially illuminating from a historical viewpoint is the author's use of satellite photos to give a better understanding of the geography of place. Not designed to be a field manual for Asian gardens, this is a thoughtful, convincing analysis of garden design as an expression of the nature of the world, determined by physical, conceptual, and religious influences... Highly recommended." - CHOICETable of Contents1. Belief and Gardens 2. Polytheist Gardens 3. Islamic Gardens 4. Hindu Gardens 5. Buddhist Gardens 6. Daoist-Buddhist Gardens in China 7. Shinto-Buddhist Gardens in Japan 8. International Modern Gardens in Asia. Afterword. Maps

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Book SynopsisâIf outdoor activities with young children have always baffled you, then this is the book for you. Practical in style and structure, it has an accessible approach which is based in the best early years practice and provides plenty of challenges and new ideas. It is a must have for your early years setting.â - Kathryn Solly, Headteacher at Chelsea Open Air Nursery School and Childrenâs Centre, UKA garden can be a magical place for young children and offers them rich and engaging learning experiences as they interact with a variety of plants and wildlife throughout the year. This book guides you through the process of creating a garden, however small, for young children. It looks at the impact a garden area can have on childrenâs overall development and the benefits of using natural materials as learning tools.Full of practical advice on how to design, develop resource and use a garden area, this book brings together: advice on planning a garden and how to get children, parents and the local community involved ideas for settings with limited space ideas for different spaces including a wildlife space, a woodland space, a digging area, sand and water spaces and a growing area suggestions of plants, flowers and crops to grow with very young children information about the wildlife children may discover a calendar guide to activities and garden planning throughout the year ways to encourage children to develop a sense of awareness of the importance of conservation and sustainability guidance on health and safety clear links with EYFS to show how a garden supports the areas of learning and development. Written for all early years practitioners, this book is the definitive guide for those looking to further enhance their outdoor environment and fulfil the potential learning opportunities that a garden can provide.Trade Review'If outdoor activities with young children have always baffled you, then this is the book for you. Practical in style and structure, it has an accessible approach which is based in the best early years practice and provides plenty of challenges and new ideas. It is a must have for your early years setting.’ – Kathryn Solly, Headteacher at Chelsea Open Air Nursery School and Children’s Centre, UKTable of ContentsGarden Calendar Introduction Chapter 1. Why do we need gardens? Chapter 2. How do we make a garden? Chapter 3. Garden spaces for children Chapter 4. What could we plant in our garden? Chapter 5. Growing flowers and bulbs with young children Chapter 6. Growing fruit and vegetables with young children Chapter 7. How do we use the garden? Chapter 8. What will we find in the garden? Chapter 9. How can the garden support the themes and commitments of EYFS? Chapter 10. How can the garden support the six areas of learning and development? Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisShakespeare''s Gardens is a highly illustrated, informative book about the gardens that William Shakespeare knew as a boy and tended as a man, published to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare''s death in April 2016. This anniversary will be the focus of literary celebration of the man''s life and work throughout the English speaking world and beyond. The book will focus on the gardens that Shakespeare knew, including the five gardens in Stratford upon Avon in which he gardened and explored. From his birthplace in Henley Street, to his childhood playground at Mary Arden''s Farm, to his courting days at Anne Hathaway''s Cottage and his final home at New Place - where he created a garden to reflect his fame and wealth. Cared for by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, these gardens are continually evolving to reflect our ongoing knowledge of his life. The book will also explore the plants that Shakespeare knew and wrote about in 17th century England: their use in hisTrade Review"This will find a wider audience than Shakespeare fans, just as titles such as Marta McDowell’s ­Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life and Kim Wilson’s In the Garden with Jane Austen appealed to readers interested in gardening history." “a true celebration and exploration into a central part of [Shakespeare's] family life and private world”“brush up your understanding of Elizabethan plants and gardening in this beautifully illustrated tour of Shakespeare’s gardens”"This will find a wider audience than Shakespeare fans, just as titles such as Marta McDowell’s ­Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life and Kim Wilson’s In the Garden with Jane Austen appealed to readers interested in gardening history." “a true celebration and exploration into a central part of [Shakespeare's] family life and private world”“brush up your understanding of Elizabethan plants and gardening in this beautifully illustrated tour of Shakespeare’s gardens”'the best of coffee table books: as well as looking beautiful it’s a fascinating read...it’s part biography, part social history, part present-day gardening guide. As Will, fond of a horticultural reference, would have said: “Here’s flowers for you…” ‘Table of ContentsIntroduction A biography through gardens; a literary flowering; a picture of Shakespeare SHAKESPEARE’S WORLD • Tudor Gardens The royal palaces; Dudley’s Kenilworth; patterns woven in silk and thread THE STRATFORD BOY • Shakespeare’s Birthplace The Shakespeares in town; useful herbs; the making of a Victorian garden A COUNTRY CHILDHOOD • Mary Arden’s Farm Food and Tudor vegetable growing; farming; the art of husbandry YOUTH AND ROMANCE • Anne Hathaway’s Cottage The rise of the cottage garden; wild flowers; Ellen Willmott and the Edwardian garden THE GARDEN VISITOR • Shakespeare in London The Inns of Court, gardens for pleasure; John Gerard’s herbal IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH • Hall’s Croft The power of plants; medicine, drugs and cures; Doctor Hall and his patients A MAN OF PROPERTY • New Place Garden The search for Shakespeare’s last home; Nash’s House and the Great Garden Endnotes Bibliography Chronology of Shakespeare’s works Visiting details Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisNymans forms one of a group of gardens in the Sussex Weald which were created before the First World War and are still beautiful today, their owners sharing a passion for new material brought back from all over the world by intrepid plant hunters. Ludwig Messel bought Nymans in 1890 and, with his head gardener, James Comber, began extensive planting of exotics, determined to prove that many supposedly tender plants could grow outdoors in Sussex. After 1915, his son, Leonard, carried on planting and raising new hybrids. In 1954 the garden was bequeathed to the National Trust. This historic garden is undoubtedly one of our national treasures and this book pays tribute to its history and beauty.

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Book SynopsisAn updated edition of the Rizzoli classic to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of this seminal American landscape designer. A landscape architect, city planner, and creative genius who transformed the American landscape, Frederick Law Olmsted was a man of passionate vision and drive. He defined the profession of landscape architecture and designed America’s most outstanding landscapes, many gorgeously illustrated here, including New York’s Central Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, the U. S. Capitol grounds, and the Biltmore Estate. During a remarkable forty-year career that began in the mid-1800s, Olmsted created the first major urban parks and park systems in this country, along with widely influential suburban residential communities. He was a pivotal figure in the movement to create scenic reservations and national parks, such as Niagara Falls, Yosemite, and Yellowstone, and he contributed to the design of many academic campuses, includi

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Book SynopsisFrom simple 18th- and early 19th-century gardens to the lavish estates of the Gilded Age, the gardens started by 1930s inmates at Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay to the centuries-old camellias at Middleton Place near Charleston, South Carolina - Rescuing Eden celebrates the history of garden design in the United States, with 28 examples that have been saved by ardent conservationists and generous private owners, and opened to the public. The United States has a rich tradition of landscape design, with gardens on a scale that rivaled the great gardens of Europe, but in the absence of specific institutions dedicated to their preservation, many of these “ephemeral collaborations between man and nature” were lost - during the wars, economic depressions, and social upheavals that swept the country in the mid-20th-century, or to creeping development and urban sprawl. The surviving gardens presented here were selected for the drama of their original creation and rescue and for their historical and horticultural importance. Ranging from wonderful to woebegone, each has its own character, and each has been brought back from the brink through a combination of imagination and tenacity. Discover The Kampong in Miami, Florida, planted with hundreds of tropical rarities from Southeast Asia by legendary plant explorer Dr. David Fairchild; Barnsley Gardens in Georgia, one of the few antebellum gardens surviving in the South, planted with 200 varieties of roses; the Lynchburg, Virginia garden created by Harlem Renaissance poet and civil rights activist Anne Spencer; the eccentric Ladew Topiary Gardens, with 15 garden rooms and a topiary foxhunt; the Belle Epoque grandeur of the Untermyer Garden in Yonkers, New York; and many others across the country, in Kentucky, Texas, Michigan, Maine, Rhode Island, and California. Each garden has been specially photographed by noted landscape and garden photographer Curtice Taylor, and introduced with authoritative and engaging text from design historian Caroline Seebohm, encouraging readers to appreciate the landscapes that serve not only as windows on American history, but living, flourishing pleasure grounds for botanists, horticulturalists, and nature lovers throughout the United States.Trade Review"If ever there was a sign of how gardens can offer hope, it must be the ‘dazzling array of blooming borders’ developed in the 1930s at the notorious Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, where an inmate wrote that tilling and planting the hillside became his ‘refuge’ and ‘release’. But like many of the gardens photographed so enthrallingly by Curtice Taylor in this book, its glories quickly turned to weeds when it closed in 1963. Curtice writes movingly of how his career was launched when Russell Page asked him to document a deeply loved private garden that was subsequently razed. Haunted by the loss, he became intrigued by other gardens that had been saved. Caroline Seebohm’s narratives, involving the creation, loss and rediscovery of 30 gardens, are peopled with painters, poets, opera singers, civil rights activists and heroic widows, making for an irresistible mix. And what encouragement for designers to find out how ingeniously and passionately people fought to preserve these landscapes, many of which reflect English tradition. Even the flora of Alcatraz has now been replanted. Where gardens are concerned, the act of rescue is usually reciprocal." - Garden Design Journal "Arranged chronologically, from Colonial days and the Gilded Age to the best of contemporary gardens, Rescuing Eden features the famous historic examples, such as Middleton Place, as well as newer ones that are not so well known outside this country." - Hortus "Lacking a substantial conservation organization, such as England’s National Trust, many of America’s greatest gardens are threatened in various ways: the death of owners, encroaching developers, etc. This beautiful book by design historian Caroline Seebohm profiles 30 gardens that are being preserved, either by local citizens groups or through generous donations. Lavishly illustrated with images by garden photographer Curtice Taylor, this beautifully produced book will appeal to gardeners and preservationists." - Library Journal

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Book Synopsis“New York City looks nothing - nothing - like it did just a decade and a half ago. It’s a place of newly gorgeous waterfront promenades, of trees, tall grasses and blooming flowers on patches of land and peninsulas of concrete and even stretches of rail tracks that were blighted or blank before.” - Frank Bruni, The New York Times “Betsy Pinover Schiff’s unerring eye and spectacular photographs tell the story of a city, and how its pre-Dorothy and Oz, colorless and downtrodden existence has been redone as if by wizardry in glorious Technicolor.” - Adrian Benepe, former Parks Commissioner of New York City Betsy Pinover Schiff has been photographing urban plantings and chronicling the “greening” of the city for more than two decades. Once limited to private spaces and elite neighborhoods, these plantings now proliferate throughout the five boroughs. Sidewalk Gardens of New York reveals the transformation of the “city of concrete and glass” into one of the greenest and most richly planted urban centers in America. Nature and architecture combine in ways that will surprise even the most seasoned New Yorkers. Featured are tree beds, planters, hanging baskets, and medians that mitigate the frenzy of the street; plazas and pocket parks that offer respite to pedestrians, building plantings that create a welcoming transition between public and private; community gardens; and parks, both the iconic and the newly planted along the waterfront in Brooklyn, Queens, and Lower Manhattan.Trade Review“New York may be a concrete jungle, but you can find some stunning greenery between the skyscrapers and high-rise apartment buildings if you know where to look. In Sidewalk Gardens of New York, photographer Betsy Pinover Schiff reveals the most gorgeous gardens on sidewalks across the five boroughs.” - Town & Country “It would take a monumental effort to travel across this huge metropolis to gauge just how widespread and transformative the trend of urban gardening has become. Luckily photographer Betsy Pinover Schiff has done that job for us. Open her new book, and you will find a comprehensive treasury of the new, green New York City. The beauty of Sidewalk Gardens of New York is that it can be both a travel guide to the new and greener city and also a primer for the urban home gardener. Anyone with horticultural desires can find inspiration in this book. Particularly in the chapter 'Urban Front Yards,' there are plenty of commonsense ideas for beautifying one’s own small patch of ground.” - Gardenista “Across the country, urban landscapes known for concrete and glass have been embracing foliage and flowers. And not just the occasional geranium-filled flower box. Greenery-lined waterfront promenades have replaced windblown stretches of highway, gem-like 'pocket parks' featuring flower gardens and waterfalls have replaced empty lots, and even blighted rail tracks have sprouted gardens brimming with native grasses and shrubs. 'I noticed it all of a sudden one day while walking to the Metropolitan Museum of Art,' said photographer Betsy Pinover Schiff, 'New Yorkers clearly love to enter and exit their homes and offices through gorgeous garden spaces.'” - Associated Press “A welcoming book of fine photographs and equally fine descriptions of the new garden conscious city world. As New Yorkers themselves, the authors’ love of place shines throughout the book.” - Elaine Peterson, Board Member and Past President, The Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons “There is always something blooming along the sidewalks of New York City. Landscape architects, garden designers, and plantsmen create magic year-round. Betsy Pinover Schiff’s collection of photographs captures the great art of city gardening, the beauty, variety, and surprise.” - Mary Jane Pool, Editor and Author

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Book Synopsis“An extraordinary collection of 21st-century gardens that will arouse wanderlust… Whether you are a garden globetrotter or an armchair explorer, this book is definitely one to add to your collection.” —Gardens Illustrated A steep hillside oasis in Singapore, a garden distinguished by shape and light in Marrakech, a haunting tree museum in Switzerland—these are just a few of the extraordinary outdoor havens visited in Gardenlust. In this sumptuous global tour of modern gardens, intrepid plant expert Christopher Woods spotlights 50 gardens that push boundaries and define natural beauty in significant ways. Featuring both private and public gardens, this journey makes its way from the Americas and Europe to Australia and New Zealand, with stops in Asia, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. Along the way, you'll learn about the people, plants, and stories that make these iconic gardens so lust-worthy. As inspiring as it is insightful, Gardenlust will delight your passion for garden inspiration—and the many places it grows.

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Book Synopsis“Delve into this beautiful book. You’ll come away sharing his passion for the beauty that gardens bring into our lives.” —Sigourney Weaver, environmentalist, actor, trustee of New York Botanical Garden How does an individual garden relate to the larger landscape? How does it connect to the natural and cultural environment? Does it evoke a sense of place? In Spirit of Place, Bill Noble—a lifelong gardener, and the former director of preservation for the Garden Conservancy—helps gardeners answer these questions by sharing how they influenced the creation of his garden in Vermont. Throughout, Noble reveals that a garden is never created in a vacuum but is rather the outcome of an individual’s personal vision combined with historical and cultural forces. Sumptuously illustrated, this thoughtful look at the process of garden-making shares insights gleaned over a long career that will inspire you to create a garden rich in context, personal vision, and spirit.

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Book Synopsis“Uprooted reveals how a late-life uprooting changed Dickey as a gardener.” —The Wall Street Journal When Page Dickey moved away from her celebrated garden at Duck Hill, she left a landscape she had spent thirty-four years making, nurturing, and loving. She found her next chapter in northwestern Connecticut, on 17 acres of rolling fields and woodland around a former Methodist church. In Uprooted, Dickey reflects on this transition and on what it means for a gardener to start again. In these pages, fol­low her journey: searching for a new home, discovering the ins and outs of the landscape surround­ing her new garden, establishing the garden, and learning how to be a different kind of gardener. The sur­prise at the heart of the book? Although Dickey was sad to leave her beloved garden, she found herself thrilled to begin a new garden in a wilder, larger landscape. Written with humor and elegance, Uprooted is an endearing story about transitions—and the satisfaction and joy that new horizons can bring.

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Book SynopsisSince 1800, the 18 acres surrounding the White House have been an unwitting witness to history. Kings and queens have dined there, bills and treaties have been signed, and presidents have landed and retreated. Through it all, the grounds have remained not only beautiful, but also a powerful reflection of American trends both horticultural and just plain cultural.In All the Presidents' Gardens, Marta McDowell reveals the untold history of the White House grounds through surprising presidential facts, historical and contemporary photographs, vintage seed catalogues, and rare glimpses into the lives of our leaders. History buffs will revel in the fascinating tidbits about Lincoln's goats, Ike's putting green, Jackie's iconic roses, and Amy Carter's tree house. Gardeners will thrill to the information on the plants whose favour has come and gone over the years and the visionary gardeners who have been responsible for it all. This revised and updated paperback edition brings the story of America's First Garden up through the present day, including the Trumps' controversial changes to the grounds and the Biden's aim to give the space a wider cultural resonance.

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Book SynopsisThe illustrated biography of a Scottish country house, set beside the River Clyde, and of the people who made it their home over the past 850 years Written by four brothers, their sister and the eldest member of the next generation, Finlaystone offers an insiders’ view of the house, its beautiful gardens and the surrounding estate. They tell about the lives of its former owners, many of whom played prominent roles in Scottish military, political, religious and cultural affairs. As Scotland moved forward from centuries of feuds between large feudal landowners to the reformation, the age of enlightenment and the industrial revolution, the building evolved from a fortress to a modest but attractive family home in 1746. Its present form as an imposing late Victorian mansion dates from when it was modernised and extended in 1900 by George Jardine Kidston, the great-grandfather of the older authors, who had grown wealthy from running one of the world’s earliest steamship companies. In its hey-day, Finlaystone was managed for the comfort and leisure of its owners by a bevy of household servants living in a wing of the house, and by an army of workers, including gardeners, foresters, game-keepers, joiners and a laundry-maid. The prosperity that had made such a lavish life possible, however, soon started to decline, with George Kidston’s death in 1909, followed just 5 years later by war, the economic depression in the 1930s, and then World War II. Unlike many other large country houses, Finlaystone remains a family home, kept afloat largely by the hard work and adaptability of the members of the family who reflect in this book on the joys and travails that this implied.

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Book SynopsisForeword by Alan TitchmarshFor more than 45 years Hugh Johnson has written Trad's Diary, delighting in recording his observations of his own garden, as well as many others, and of the wider natural world. Free to turn his attention to whatever is happening in that season, or simply something that piques his interest, his subjects are as diverse as the sounds of water, forest walks, the names of roses, the taste for shade he shares with Handel, the colours of autumn, the smell of rain, the private garden discovered within Beijing's Forbidden City or the first crocuses of spring. Month by month, Hugh shares with the reader through his easy, evocative writing an eclectic mix of thoughtful, topical and whimsical insights that will delight not only gardeners but anyone with an interest in nature in all its costumes.

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Book SynopsisThe Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is one of Scotland's most visited tourist attractions and has been cultivating and studying plants for over three centuries. Across its four garden sites, the Royal Botanic Garden's living plant collection contains over 13,500 species from 156 countries, including some that are extinct in the wild and others new to science. The ever-growing Herbarium currently contains over three million dried specimens and the Library houses Scotland's national collection of botanical and horticultural literature, including manuscripts dating back to the fifteenth century. The highlights illustrated in this book provide a personal insight into one of the world's greatest botanic gardens and reveals the invaluable contribution that it makes to the ongoing documentation and conservation of the world's diverse plant life.

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Book SynopsisFrom alpacas to zebus, crocodiles to wombats, journey through the individual histories of bizarre garden pets and their often bizarre owners. Who would dream of keeping a bear in the summerhouse, or a peccary in the park? Find out why the artist Rossetti favoured a wombat over a zebu, and if hares make good pets for depressed poets.Dr Twigs Way uncovers a secret world where crocodiles lurk in the fernery and flamingos stalk the shrubberies. From the Roman period to the modern day, discover the story of armadillos kept by merchants in London and Queen Charlotte’s filthy-tempered zebra. These are quirky tales of animals in the garden.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a chronological review of garden design which both simplifies the big picture and supplies a rationale, with examples, of the merits and demerits of each design period while reflecting on the social conditions which generated each one. It gathers together design ideas and their implementation over the last 500 years, presented in historical order and simplified to allow easy digestion by the reader, particularly if meeting the subject for the first time. As such the book demystifies history and identifies the relative importance of new approaches in design, particularly where they are seen to be progressive. Essential examples from each design period or style are included, based upon their contribution to the progress of design and relating to their value, particularly in the teaching of garden and landscape design principles. Thus the reader will be able to quickly grasp the essence of historical design styles, discover where they can go to see them for themselves and to appreciate how relevant they are to present day theories of design.By concentrating on Britain's own heritage the book offers a sound understanding of influences and thereby helps to inform design practice. Since the principles of design are universal, it will be of relevance in many countries throughout the world. The book is illustrated with photographs, diagrams and plans, creating a readily-accessible and informative volume.Trade Review'Anyone looking around a park, a garden or an estate landscape, wondering how and why it came to be like it is, needs this book. ...such impressive detail and knowledge. ... There's a sense of being in the hands of a very competent no-nonsense teacher with his eye on the ball. It's so clear, informative and concise. ...this book is added value. It makes you think as well as look. An education, in fact.' Gloucestershire Gardens & Landscape Trust Newsletter 'Gordon Haynes identifies principal designers during the period, extant examples, and the principal components, before going on to discuss in detail the history and design, contextualising the features which define the stage using pictures and photographs where possible to illustrate his points.' ProLandscaper 'I am very impressed with this very comprehensive and ordered publication concentrating on our British landscape history. I particularly like the way it covers the specific architecture and landscape features of the period and relevant historical landscape, in a way that none of the other texts we currently have on our reading lists really cover. ...it also fills in many gaps with the less known therefore providing us with a detailed and comprehensive resource and account of our landscape history.' Senior Lecturer, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK '...a beautiful book that is ideal for touring the rich history of the British garden and landscape architecture... The book is of course also suitable as teaching material about history, with an extensive bibliography for further study. ...a pleasant book...' Blauwe Kamer '...will open eyes and minds and encourage designers and students alike to look deeper into the subject of garden history. ...it will give them an insight into garden history, this being extremely important'. Garden Design Journal '...Gordon Haynes... seeks to acquaint the reader with the relationship between good landscapes and examples drawn from history. ...this book is the ideal companion for travelers to Britain who enjoy touring famous country houses'. Chicago Botanic Garden '...an account (and an extraordinarily wide-ranging one) of garden styles in Britain from 1500 to the present day, but it is also a pithy critique of attempts, particularly in recent years, to categorise and conserve the best parks and gardens that survive from the parst. ... It is written with great good humour and in a relaxed, non-academic style. Although primarily appealing to readers who are relatively new to garden history or conservation, even the most jaded of experts will surely enjoy this fresh approach'. Historic Gardens Review 'It is refreshing to find a book on the history of landscape and garden design which focuses on British gardens. ... I enjoyed this romp through garden history, which clearly explains the differences between the various garden design periods without going into too much detail or theory. ...anyone with a curiosity or love of garden design in the UK would find this an admirable reference aid.' Dorset Garden Trust Newsletter

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Book SynopsisThis seminal study, from one of Britain's most eminent landscape historians, takes a chronological tour through British parks and gardens since Roman times. Each chapter introduces the characteristic features of parks and gardens in each period and explores the social and economic context for their construction. Chris Taylor then provides a detailed explanation of specific sites and draws on 100 aerial photographs to illustrate a new and different perspective of Britain's cherished parks and gardens. * Written by Britain's best known landscape historian * An ideal guide for visitors to Britain's wonderful spectrum of parks and gardensTrade ReviewThe author is a pioneer in the study of gardens through archaeology and this book will be animportant contribution to the subject. -- Keith Goodway This will undoubtedly provide an important contribution to the study of garden history and to landscape history as a whole ... This is hardly surprising as Christopher Taylor is the foremost practitioner of garden archaeology in the UK. -- H. G. Welfare I have no doubt this will be an excellent book ... new, refreshing andthought-provoking. -- Professor Mick Aston, University of Bristol It is always a pleasure to read a book by Christopher Taylor and this does not disappoint ... a volume packed with information, and with a torrent of new ideas and insights. The author is a pioneer in the study of gardens through archaeology and this book will be animportant contribution to the subject. This will undoubtedly provide an important contribution to the study of garden history and to landscape history as a whole ... This is hardly surprising as Christopher Taylor is the foremost practitioner of garden archaeology in the UK. I have no doubt this will be an excellent book ... new, refreshing andthought-provoking. It is always a pleasure to read a book by Christopher Taylor and this does not disappoint ... a volume packed with information, and with a torrent of new ideas and insights.

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive account of the history, accession, care and maintainance of RBGE's living plant collection across our four Gardens.

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Book SynopsisGarden history is more than the study of individuals such as 'Capability Brown' who created estates for a wealthy élite. A new approach, which includes insights from geology and archaeology, the perspectives of social class and gender, the history of art and architecture, science, technology and literature, is changing our perspective so that we can see gardens and gardening within wider social, economic, political and cultural contexts. Landscapes were created, formed and interpreted by town dwellers, women and lesser-known gardeners and designers as well as the 'great men' of the past. Based on papers given at a conference at the University of Birmingham, and written by distinguished scholars who are also writing for a wide audience, these essays highlight the wealth of recent research into landscape and green spaces in the West Midlands. The book ranges from the Picturesque movement in Herefordshire to William Shenstone's unique ferme ornée at The Leasowes, near Halesowen and the aspirational gardens and allotments of the Quaker ironmasters at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire. Other contributions celebrate women's entrepreneurial activity in the nursery trade, chart the uncovering and restoration of a hidden eighteenth-century landscape at Hagley in Worcestershire and explore the lost Vauxhall pleasure gardens in Birmingham, which were established as a commercial venture in the eighteenth century. An examination of Victorian public parks reveals how their aesthetics were shaped by architecture made from the products of manufacturing industry while a study of three modest suburban estates considers how local industrialists shaped the environment of south Birmingham. The relationships between health, medicine and green spaces are explored through an analysis of the role of 'therapeutic landscapes' in late-nineteenth- and twentieth-century Worcestershire. Enhanced with maps, plans and black-and-white and colour illustrations, this is a volume of important scholarship that places the West Midlands at the heart of landscape history.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Gardens and green spaces in the West Midlands since 1700 Malcolm Dick and Elaine Mitchell 1 A landscape of `ravishing varieties’: the origins of picturesque landscaping in Stuart and Georgian Herefordshire David Whitehead 2 Exploring a landscape garden: William Shenstone at The Leasowes John Hemingway 3 Coalbrookdale: more than an eighteenth-century industrial landscape Harriet Devlin MBE 4 Duddeston’s `shady walks and arbours’: the provincial pleasure garden in the eighteenth century Elaine Mitchell 5 Enterprising women: shaping the business of gardening in the Midlands, 1780–1830 Dianne Barre 6 Manufactured landscapes: Victorian public parks and the industrial imagination Katy Layton-Jones 7 `Almost in the country’: Richard Cadbury, Joseph Chamberlain and the landscaping of south Birmingham Maureen Perrie 8 Care in the countryside: the theory and practice of therapeutic landscapes in the early twentieth century Clare Hickman 9 Finding my place: rediscovering Hagley Park Joe Hawkins

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Book Synopsis2018 marks the bicentenary of the death of Humphry Repton, one of the most important and prolific of English landscape designers. Repton made a particularly significant contribution to the landscape of Hertfordshire, working at no less than eighteen places in the county, ranging in size from great mansions like Cashiobury and Panshanger to more modest 'villas' owned by wealthy businessmen and industrialists, such as Woodhill in Essendon. This book - the fruits of many years of research by members of the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust Research Group - describes in detail all of these commissions, assessing in each case the extent to which Repton's ideas were actually implemented and how much survives of them on the ground today. Particular attention is given to those places for which Repton prepared one of his famous 'Red Books', such as Tewin Water, Lamer House, New Barnes and Wall Hall. But sites where Repton's contribution is less well documented are also discussed, including Organ Hall and Hilfield House in Aldenham, Cashiobury Park and The Grove in Watford, Brookmans Park, Bedwell Park, Wyddial Hall, and Marchmont House in Hemel Hempstead. In all cases, the book presents complete transcriptions of all the key documents relating to Repton's activities, including the full text of seven Red Books. The introductory essay by Tom Williamson sets Repton's activities in Hertfordshire within the wider context of his career, and also shows how his work in the county can cast important new light on his style, and on its economic, aesthetic and ideological implications. Profusely illustrated in colour with reproductions of all the Red Book watercolours, together with extracts from contemporary estate maps, sketches and other material, this scholarly yet readable volume will be of considerable interest to garden historians, landscape historians, and all those interested in Hertfordshire's rich historic heritage.Table of ContentsRepton in Hertfordshire: an introduction The Major Sites: Ashridge House, Little Gaddesden Haileybury College, Great Amwell Lamer House, Wheathampstead New Barnes, St Peter and St Stephen (St Albans) Panshanger, Hertford St Andrew Tewin Water, Tewin and Digswell Wall Hall, St Stephen (St Albans) and Aldenham Woodhill, Essendon The Minor Sites: Bedwell Park, Essendon and Little Berkhampstead Brookmans Park, South Mimms Cashiobury Park, Watford Digswell, Digswell The Grove, Watford Hilfield, Aldenham Little Court, Buntingford (Layston) Marchmont House, Hemel Hempstead Offley Place, Great Offley Organ Hall, Aldenham Wyddial Hall, Wyddial

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Book SynopsisCherished Plan celebrates RBGE at Benmore and the Desire to commemorate Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour.

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Book SynopsisA compelling story about the decline and rebirth of a 100 year old garden. This is a compelling story about the decline and rebirth of a 100 year old garden. Until recently, the Blue Garden, an icon of Gilded Age splendour in Newport, Rhode Island, was known only from hand-tinted slides dating from 1917. Originally designed in collaboration with the garden's original owner by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr, and the Olmsted firm - founded by his father, the great landscape architect responsible for Central Park, New York City - it has now been brought back to life. Landscape historian Arleyn A. Levee tells a fascinating and carefully researched narrative about the garden's origins, development, heyday, decay and ultimate renaissance. The Blue Garden skillfully interweaves the garden's design and social history, and stories of its founders and the Olmsted firm, with historical photos, original drawings and sketches, and images of the restored garden from 2015. This is a timeless and inspiring account of the devoted patrons, skilled artisans and great designers behind the creation and revival of a masterpiece, made possible by the vision of a devoted patron, and the relevance of historic preservation of gardens in the 21st century. AUTHOR: ARLEYN A. LEVEE is a historian and preservation consultant specializing in research concerning the Olmsted firm. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College, Master of Arts in Teaching from Harvard University, and a Certificate from the Radcliffe Seminars Program in Landscape Design. 73 colour and 120 b/w illustrations

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Book SynopsisThe King’s kitchen garden was created by La Quintinie in 1678 on a plot of land nearby the Château de Versailles to provide fruit and vegetables for Louis XIV’s dinner table to the Sun King’s great delight. The whole garden covers nine hectares and is composed of a sequence of smaller plots, garden chambers whose walls and terraces control exposure to the sun and create microclimates to diversify production. La Quintinie was able to cultivate and harvest figs, melons, asparagus, peaches, plums, pears and more, sometimes even out-of-season. The King’s kitchen garden is also a secluded haven, sheltered by high stone walls and foliage, conducive to daydreaming and letting time stand still. A listed national monument, it has been open to the public since 1991. Today the ethos of the King’s kitchen garden is to protect the living world and the diversity of species. It contains roughly four hundred and fifty varieties of fruit and four hundred varieties of vegetable. It has conserved its triple function as a place of cultivation, experimentation into new techniques and training in gardening. Today it welcomes students from the national school of gardening, who are allotted plots for their own practical endeavors, as well as courses in gardening theory and practice. The garden has been growing and teaching for more than three hundred years without interruption. Walking the alleys between the plots we sense the history of this magnificent royal garden and the people who have made it what it is over the centuries. This extensively illustrated book tells that story and brings the garden alive to readers. The first edition dates back to 2003. This new bilingual edition takes into account recent intervening evolutions at the garden.

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Book SynopsisNew York a garden paradise? You would hardly think so, but the city on the Hudson is a hidden El Dorado of garden design. This book shows some of the best examples of New York's gardens, from the public parks to luxury roof gardens and private oases in the heart of Manhattan.

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Book SynopsisKabul was once famous as a city of blossoming gardens. What once was, can one day become again, wrote the political scientist Ekkehart Krippendorff. In line with this motto, some twenty artists from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkey, the United States and Switzerland reflect on a different Kabul, without ignoring the past and present crises. Whether with a reference to the locality or starting out from intuition and imagination – the volume assembles newly created artworks which reflect on the Afghan garden as a microcosm of the entire world. It contains the life of humans with animals and plants in all its wonder and beauty. Contributions on the gardens of Kabul, the garden as a symbol of generosity and friendship and the history of a private garden near Teheran amplify the forward-looking vision.

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Book SynopsisAs urban life is reimagined for greater sustainability, resilience, and adaptation, Living with Yards explores the possibilities of how we can coexist with our urban habitats. By conducting in-depth visits to more than forty yards and sharing her results, Lang provokes us to think about what else these realms of daily life might become.Trade Review“Living with Yards is a smart, innovative approach to daily living with new possibilities for urban development.” Kathleen Stewart, University of Texas and author of Ordinary Affects“Living with Yards offers a considerable measure of realistic hope for a more sustainable shared future.” Peter Graham, Concordia University and author of Traces of (Un-) Sustainability: Towards a Materially Engaged Ecology of Mind

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Book SynopsisAs urban life is reimagined for greater sustainability, resilience, and adaptation, Living with Yards explores the possibilities of how we can coexist with our urban habitats. By conducting in-depth visits to more than forty yards and sharing her results, Lang provokes us to think about what else these realms of daily life might become.Trade Review“Living with Yards is a smart, innovative approach to daily living with new possibilities for urban development.” Kathleen Stewart, University of Texas and author of Ordinary Affects“Living with Yards offers a considerable measure of realistic hope for a more sustainable shared future.” Peter Graham, Concordia University and author of Traces of (Un-) Sustainability: Towards a Materially Engaged Ecology of Mind

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Book SynopsisAutobiography of a Garden details how Patterson Webster, a neophyte gardener, moved from copying the ideas of other people, to learning from them, to striking out on her own. Beautifully photographed and full of inspirational ways of thinking about gardens and gardening, this unique memoir blends history, horticulture, and art.Trade Review“Rendering the story of your own garden sufficiently interesting to engross others is a serious challenge, if only because the spirit of place is so essential to the story of any garden and so difficult to communicate to those who have not enjoyed the privilege of visiting, but Patterson Webster rises to it. If Autobiography of a Garden is a unique book, it is due in part to the uniqueness of Webster and her garden: Glen Villa in the Eastern Townships is sui generis. Not only is it off the beaten path, but it is also a highly personal space that she has shaped over nearly thirty years. This enriches the story enormously. Writing with a wonderful fluidity, Webster opens a personal portal for her reader with great generosity.” Alexander Reford, Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens"Unlike typical garden books, which are organized either chronologically or by garden section, Webster took a more creative approach, much like her gardening style. Although her first chapter, Getting Started, follows a traditional, chronological approach, the rest of the book is arranged thematically. Anyone can enjoy Autobiography of a Garden. Gardeners will be especially intrigued." The Sherbrooke Record“As Webster proves so well, a garden is essentially an act of the human imagination, a threshold between nature and human nature.” Literary Review of Canada

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Book SynopsisAn account of the development of the private garden in London. Recognizing the contribution of domestic gardens to the texture of 18th-and early 19th-century London, the author explores in detail the small gardens, their owners and their significance to the development of the metropolis.

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Book SynopsisA horticultural escape and guided tour through all the best- and little-known gardens in New York City’s five boroughs.Trade Review"[A]n antidote to the feeling, as Joni Mitchell once expressed it, that New York has taken all the trees and put them in a tree museum. It lists the obvious places to bask in the green…but also the more obscure…and divides them by neighborhood, revealing that the city is spotted with these small respites. And what better way to spend a summer afternoon, when everyone else has decamped to some beachside, than to rediscover the city itself?" -- The New Yorker"Every designer and gardener needs to pick up a copy of this revised guide to NYC gardens….indispensable….even if you’re not going to be in NYC anytime soon, you won’t want to miss reading this little book on more than 100 NYC gardens….a real treasure, with many fabulous photos." -- Jane Berger - Garden Design Online"[E]ssential for anyone interested in New York’s urban scene….Superb photographs." -- Landscape Architecture"Their concise, elegantly written text is full of fascinating background on the places and their designers, as well as plant information." -- ElleDecor.com"I would now love to return to New York with this book in my suitcase to explore more than the usual attractions." -- Garden Design Unlimited"...a great little companion for the summer months in New York City..." -- A Daily Dose of Architecture blog

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