We select some inspiring gardening books for you to enjoy as you start to plan the year ahead.
Inspiring gardening books for 2017:
Anthology of Flowers
An engaging blend of arresting images and rich, memorable plant information this book is indulgence rather than reference. Set out like a Victorian botanical, the text entries for each plant are lively, illuminating and with a modern twist that belies the classical nature of the imagery.
Despite the text on each plant being succinct, this volume will arm the reader with some impressively interesting pieces of trivia to entertain their green-fingered friends with. The plant alchemilla being so-called because of the efforts of alchemists to use water droplets from the plant’s leaves to turn base metal into gold is one of many intriguing stories told.
Aside from the engaging text, it is ultimately the pictures of the plants themselves that are the book’s strongest suit. The photographs are mesmerising, looking for all the world as if they were the work of a painter’s hand.
Split into eight categories (folkloric, medicinal, emotional, edible, wild, exotic and toxic) 50 plants are featured and there is a handy catalogue at the back of the book, with each plant photographed to scale. Most of the flowers are well known and most entries are unspecific of cultivar or species, which may put off the more knowledgeable plantsperson.
A Natural History of the Hedgerow: and ditches, dykes and dry stone walls
‘For those who are willing to go slow, there is much to see’
‘A walk from one end of a 100-metre hedge to the other can take me half an hour and any companions soon get bored’ says author John Wright. This enthusiasm and inspection of the detailed intricacies of the British hedgerow make for an engaging book that won’t bore those with a love of the outdoors and native plants.
Starting with the Ice Age, Wright takes the reader on a journey through thousands of years to the hedges we know today. A section entitled Natural History, one of four in the book, is of particular interest to gardeners, offering a thorough examination of the flora of a typical British hedgerow. Wright shares an anecdote of his plantaholic friend Bryan spotting 100 different species of plant in a 72-metre stretch of hedgerow, and lists every plant his friend identified.
Plants are describe with tremendous knowledge and enthusiasm that can only come from someone who knows and loves them like old friends.
With chapters on shrubs and climbers, herbaceous plants and grasses, and trees of the hedgerow, this is a great educational tool – not to say fascinating reading – for those who do not want to keep saying “what plant is that?’ when walking past an established hedgerow.
Luciano Giubbilei: The Art of Making Gardens
When Luciano Giubbilei was given a border at Great Dixter in which to experiment it was a crucial moment in his career as an award-winning garden designer. He had never had a garden of his own but Sir Paul Smith suggested he get his hands in the soil. Working with Fergus Garrett, as well as Rachael Dodd and James Horner, all of whom contribute sections to the book, he explored planting combinations and learnt the craft of gardening. It deepened his understanding of plants and how to put them together.
The first section of this beautiful book covers Luciano’s experience of gardening at Great Dixter and is practical as well as thoughtful: staking, spacing, adding plants mid-season, using light and proportion with sensitivity, there is plenty to learn from here. The second section focuses on his love of craft and traditional making. The third on water, colour and texture, natural landscapes and how he approaches design.
Luciano’s writing is as elegant, restrained and contemplative as one of his Chelsea gardens. Andrew Montgomery’s photographs are an eloquent match, evoking atmosphere with a thoughtfulness, intimacy and calm. There’s a quiet that draws you in, for this is a profound book that I believe every garden designer should read.
Reviewed by Susie White
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