The English Garden

by Ursula Buchan, Andrew Lawson (Photographer)

Gardening writer Ursula Buchan has combined forces with garden photographer Andrew Lawson to explore the English garden and capture its richness and diversity. Focusing on gardens that are open to visitors, she explains the historical trends and the work of garden makers of the past that have shaped the English gardens we see today. With a wealth of outstanding examples, illustrated with 350 photographs, she describes many garden styles – formality, the landscape tradition, the Arts and Crafts style, the cottage garden and recent phenomena such as New Naturalism. Color, water, ornament and foreign influences are among the themes she considers, as well as such defining characteristics as the very English urge to grow flowers and the nation's love of roses.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Horticulture

384 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2006

Reviews

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am doing a Botanical Block of the Month through Quiltfolk this year--the reason is that there are interviews each month with Kaffe Fawsett that take place in his home and studio and while he is not completely my cup of tea as a designer, he is a well deserved icon and I couldn't pass up the chance to spend nine months hearing what he has to say and seeing where he works and what his process is.
So while he is American, he lives and works in England and since we are doing botanicals one of the people in the group suggested looking at English gardens as a source of inspiration for the quilt that we produce for this project, and that resonated with me. It has been 30 years since we did a pass for the National Trust and toured houses with large English gardens but I was impressed with them then and this book is a great visual walk through the various styles of English gardens, from traditional to contemporary, those with water features and those with ornamental sculpture.
I would recommend this--it is both visually beautiful and informative.

[Jenn Phizacklea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for inspiration in my own garden, and it did exactly ‘what it said on the tin’ - that is, providing an overview of the historical development of the English garden.
I enjoyed the way it was broken down into the various components (ie. water gardens, formal gardens etc.) which made what may have been convoluted history easy to follow.
The text was insightful and easy to read with plenty of beautiful photo illustrations - including the names of the plants in the photos, which is often missing.
I’d really recommend this book to anyone who might just be starting to dive into the English garden, or who, like me, is looking for ideas. It’s a great book to start with.

[Lindsay Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books feels like a slow conversation with a friend about the best gardens in England. Easy to read, fun and enjoyable with beautiful pictures.

[l · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely exquisite! floral exhuberance, english rose and kitchen garden were my favourite chapters

[Natalie Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of lovely photos with inspiration for various kinds of gardens!