Ten years ago, in anticipation of having a garden a few years later, I bought John Brookes's Garden Design Book. I am glad I kept this on on my bookshelf, as a few weeks ago when I once again opened the book and browsed the chapters it was such a revelation-here was no coffee table book with mere pretty pictures, but an actual course in garden design. I realised that in using this book one actually could learn how to design a garden, as opposed to merely copying arrangements and vignettes. It doesn't matter what your climate or topography or type of plants-this book is a TOOL.
I dug around the Internet and learned that John Brookes is among the most highly regarded and innovative garden designers; having designed over 1,200 gardens worldwide. He ran design courses from his own garden in Sussex, England, as well as in the South of France and Japan. He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including Gold Medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, and he is a member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to horticulture in the United Kingdom and overseas.
Indeed, going through his books I see how the new the generation of garden designers were inspired by his work-dozens of “new” ideas and designs were derived from his. I ordered several of his books and all are superb. Like Room Outside.
Formerly “Garden Masterclass, the Essentials of Garden Design is rightly touted as “The definitive sourcebook of garden ideas from the "godfather" of contemporary garden designers”. Each chapter is devoted to a single design concept eg Context, Pattern, Shape, Scale, Proportion, Dynamics, Hard materials.
The Well-Designed Garden is crammed with instructional sketches and garden ideas
The book that started it all. See the use of instructive grid and diagrams.
On arelated note, a fabulous idea book for those in arid regions-this book by Debra Lee Baldwin is chock full of not only design ideas, but plant, soil and propagation info.
I love the look of bold, architectural agaves
3 comments:
Nice post !
This is what I call dream gardens and I can only imagine then.
Who knows if some day I will have the chance to have one well design.
It was an odd experience arriving here. I've just started a blog called LOOSE AND LEAFY and the photo you have at the top of today's post is eerily similar to the one I have put at the head of my blog.
I love it when gardens can have this 'lightness' in them.
Lucy Corrander
His books must be good--I'm checking the prices on his used books on Amazon and only one is going for less than $10. $8-10 is kind of my cutoff limit for impulse buying. :)
A garden writer I like is Stephen Anderton, and he has a book called Urban Sanctuaries that I always go back to. There's a chapter on mystery in the garden I want to internalize and make happen in my garden.
Anyhow, that book is only $7.
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