Poundbury comes to Hanham Court
“Hanham Court gardens are our horticultural equivalent of Poundbury, indulging the endless British pleasure in nostalgia.”
Coton Manor Garden reviewed by Anne Wareham
“…the finest garden in the East Midlands” – Good Gardens Guide
“…This garden is the horticultural equivalent of a Vettriano picture. If you think those are lovely you may well think Coton Manor garden is too. Nice teas.”
Little Sparta by Tim Richardson
by Tim Richardson.
“….we are reminded of Finlay’s dictum: “Embark on a garden with a vision but never with a plan….”
Sissinghurst – BBC4 reviewed by Darryl Moore
“Ultimately the over-egged, warts-and-all approach to the fractious situation failed to be convincing….”
Gardener’s World – 3rd April 2009
thinkinGardens asked Matthew Appleby to review Gardener’s World.
“Trendy efforts such as fast cuts and (2007 vintage) Kate Nash music does not stop the show being one presented by a middle-aged man in a red anorak with a bald spot (on his head, not the coat).”
How to make your garden grow by Toby Buckland
Reviewed by Matthew Appleby.
“Buckland denies there have been revisions other than cosmetic changes with pictures and design, including alteration of page order. He says he has been “trying to wean” himself off peat for four years.”
The Green Garden Expert by Dr D G Hessayon
Reviewed by Matthew Appleby.
“….He’s the scientist and his advice was accepted and acceptable at the time. But this book attempts to rewrite history. A leopard can’t change its spots.”
Maggie Centre Garden, Charing Cross by Dan Pearson reviewed by Bridget Rosewell
Bridget Rosewell reviews Dan Pearson’s garden at The Maggie Centre, Charing Cross, London.
“Some rather dispirited perennial clumps do their best to break up the mulch and are backed by the now ubiquitous groups of multi-stemmed small trees.”
Nature Over Again: The Garden Art of Ian Hamilton Finlay by John Dixon Hunt
Reviewed by Darryl Moore.
“John Dixon Hunt has established a niche for himself as a theorist who views gardens as places embodied with historic meaning and symbolic content….”
The Battery Bosque: prairie as metaphor by James Golden
“What better designer than Piet Oudolf, who works in a vocabulary of plant materials characterized by sturdy geometric form, durable structure, and the ability to provide visual appeal even through winter weather?”
The Morville Hours by Katherine Swift
Reviewed by Jenny Woods.
“This is not a gardening book…”
Coombe House reviewed by Darryl Moore
Reflections on a visit to Plaz Metaxu (Coombe House) by Darryl Moore.
“The Vista group visit to Coombe House to view Alasdair Forbes’ Plaz Metaxu garden proved to be interesting, not only in terms of viewing the garden itself, but also in relation to some of the debates it raises concerning gardens in general.”
Coombe House, Devon reviewed by Stephen Anderton
Reflections on a visit to Plaz Metaxu (Coombe house) by Stephen Anderton.
“It is possible for an overpowering intellectual agenda for a garden to be the excuse for unconscious flights of great ugliness…”
The Kitchen Gardener by Alan Titchmarsh
Reviewed by Charles Dowding.
“Full page photos of the author carrying pots, forking comost and gazing at tomatoes do not inform the reader, especially as none of them are captioned.”
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation reviewed by Tim Richardson
“…The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is no longer a dialogue with the universe, it is a monologue about the universe. It is becoming The Garden of Comic Extrapolation, and someone needs to say it.”
