Penelope Hobhouse's Natural Planting

by Penelope Hobhouse, Jerry Harpur (Photographer)

The 20th century has seen a significant move to a "natural" approach to gardening -- choosing plants appropriate to the environment, thus saving water and eliminating the need for fertilizers and pesticides. Penelope Hobhouse explores the origins of the natural gardening movement, then shows how a keen understanding of a plant's requirements -- habitats, soil, climate, and site -- is the key to planting well. Drawing on the gardens of today's leading practitioners, such as Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd, she looks at borders, shrubs, meadows and woodland, lawns, and rock, gravel, and water gardens. A highly readable, richly informative guide, with 175 color images by award-winning photographer Jerry Harpur. Penelope Hobhouse is an eminent garden historian, designer, and author; among her many successful books are Plants in Garden History, Penelope Hobhouse's Garden Designs, and Garden Style.

Genres: Gardening, Reference, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Ron Mentzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great pictures, interesting ideas about "natural" planning, but definitely a slow read.