thinkinGardens Symposium.
Report by Stephen Anderton.
“Gardens should be evaluated by all as an multidimensional dynamic art form, but no one should fear being judged because of that. A romantic vision and an intellectual approach are not mutually exclusive….”
by Bridget Rosewell.
A response to Peter Osbourne’s series of articles adressing some of the problematic aspects of reviewing/criticising gardens.
“I love gardens in winter (not winter gardens). When the palette is muted and the bones show, and it is not wise to sit for too long, the good garden gives a frisson all of its own.”
The third of three articles by Peter Osbourne.
“…But most people would, I think, recognize some different basic levels of value. A parallel in art would be to agree not to replace a Leonardo on the National Gallery wall with your 2-year old’s latest, that the average amateur artist is not up to Cotman, nor he up to Leonardo.”
The second of three articles by Peter Osbourne.
“…This formal vocabulary, together with garden-specific terms in any good glossary, is sufficiently objective and well-established to provide an analytical basis for garden criticism, but is not an evaluative language.”
The first of three articles by Peter Osbourne.
“The immediate problem is that the question of what is a garden, especially a good or great garden, has become embroiled in the discussion about different types of garden…”
‘I find much to agree with in the ‘trialogue’ on Allusion in Gardens by Noel Kingsbury, Yue Zhuang, and Anne Wareham, but I’m disturbed by heavy emphasis, particularly Noel Kingsbury’s, on the need to find new languages (garden languages) to speak to the present. Of course, we do need to do this, but not to the exclusion of rich allusory experience…….’
Many years ago The Financial Times sent me to do a feature on the RHS ‘Flower Show’ at Tatton Park . I was totally naïve and had no idea what I was supposed to do or to write about. So my excitement was tempered by acute anxiety. The term ‘imposter syndrome’ could have been invented for me. […]
In the UK, right now, the horticultural world is about to drive us all mad with snowdrops. Pictures of. Articles about. Gardens with them. Anything people can think of to bash us over the head with snowdrops.
Recently we made a visit to Brecon. This is not far from us, in case anyone was getting over excited about the possibility that I might have been travelling again. It’s in Wales, in the Brecon Beacons, recently re-christened Bannau Brycheiniog.
Charles made a complaint recently when we were walking in the garden.
When I complained about him complaining he told me that it was good for me to have complaints about the planting.
I am discovering more and more often that it is important to have a great many seats in the garden. In fact there should probably be one every three feet or so.
