Beth Chatto's Woodland Garden: Shade-Loving Plants for Year-Round Interest

by Beth Chatto, Steven Wooster (Photographer)

“Superb....The reader walks with Chatto...through a remarkable garden.”— The New York Times . “Chatto teams with award-winning photographer Steven Wooster to dramatically chronicle many of the more than 500 plants she avows will flourish in some of nature’s darkest spots.”— Booklist. “[Chatto] is blessed with an unrivaled knowledge of plants.”— Chicago Sun-Times.

Genres: Gardening, Horticulture, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2002

Reviews

[Tina Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful idea book.

[Susanne Beyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very impressive but not quite the right book for me as I prefer native plants.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the stuff of dreams for most Australian gardeners. Only at Mt Wilson & Leura, in the Blue Mountains of NSW, & in parts of Tasmania & Victoria is such a garden achievable year round. I've been inspired to create a small area of woodland garden but it really only works in late winter & spring, when the small bulbs are in flower. The Australian climate is too hot for many of the perennials Beth Chatto used so the area is left to sleep through summer.

However her philosophy of working with nature is one we can all emulate. The story starts with the formation of the garden, following the great storm of 1987. We then journey through the year with Beth Chatto & she describes the highlights of each season, from ground level to climbers, shrubs & trees, in poetic but informative prose. The beautiful photos complement the text.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-read for me. Beth Chatto gardens in England, and this book is a description of her Wood Garden, including the Long Shady Walk and the Little Grassy Wood. I love reading her prose! It’s romantic as well as practical. This is another book I wish I had on my own shelves, but until then I’ll keep checking it out of the library.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Case study of a derelict woods, heavily damaged in a storm, that was transformed into one of the greatest woodland gardens of all time.

Fascinating book, worth reading many times, and definitely worth buying.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this before and was looking through it mainly for the pictures (one has haunted my dreams - it's that beautiful). Love this book!