MoonglotexasHighlighting several of the well-known English country house gardens along with many lesser known ones, George Plumptre weaves a fastastic story. In The English Country House Garden, he interlinks each gardens with a theme and then shares the heritage, construction and special elements of the individual landscape! With amazing photography accompanying each, it’s like taking a walk through xx gardens! I, of course, wanted more photos, more on each garden, it was like have a tantalising taste of a main course! I had no idea I liked English country house gardens so much or that I would be inspired to implement several ideas, on, albeit, a much smaller scale, in my own garden!
Favourite gardens for me were:
- Folly Farm: that water feature up to the house, amazing as are the foxgloves
- Broughton Castle: I’m fascinated by the idea of gardening over and around moats
- Goodnestone Park: the Jane Austen connection!
- Lullingstone Castle: a world garden representing plants from different countries in different rooms
- Seend Manor: taking the walled garden concept to a whole new level!
Despite being a non-fiction book, I whizzed through this one, thoroughly absorbing and highly recommended! Five out of five!
From the back cover:
There is something special about the English country house garden: from its quiet verdant lawns to its high yew hedges, this is a style much-desired and copied around the world. The English country house is most often conceived as a private, intimate place, a getaway from working life. A pergola, a sundial, a croquet lawn, a herbaceous border of soft planting; here is a space to wander and relax, to share secrets, and above all to enjoy afternoon tea. But even the most peaceful of gardens also take passion and hard work to create.
This new book takes a fresh look at the English country house garden, starting with the owners and the stories behind the making of the gardens. Glorious photographs capture the gardens at their finest moments through the seasons, and a sparkling and erudite text presents twenty-five gardens – some grand, some personal, some celebrated, some never-before-photographed – to explore why this garden style has been so very enduring and influential. From the Victorian grandeur of Tyntesfield and Cragside, to the Arts & Crafts simplicity of Rodmarton Manor and Charleston; from Scampston, in the same family since the 17th century, to new gardens by Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart-Smith; and with favourites such as Hidcote and Great Dixter alongside new discoveries, this book will be a delicious treat for garden-lovers.
Purchase a copy here: https://smile.amazon.com/English-Country-House-Garden/dp/0711239762/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536519708&sr=8-2&keywords=The+English+Country+House+Garden
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
