Arts and Crafts Gardens [Hardcover]

Gertrude Jekyll (Author), Lawrence Weaver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2005

This charming book, first published in 1912 as Gardens for Small Country Houses by Country Life at a time when both Jekyll and Weaver were writing for the magazine, contains the substance of a legend. It embodies the period when the Arts and Crafts Movement had evolved into country house architecture and then found its most delightful expression in the making of gardens. This new edition, which has been re-titled to distinguish it from the original book, is now illustrated with colour photographs and reproductions of contemporary paintings and watercolours which bring new colour and light to a vanished world. In their collaboration on this book, the authors found common ground and reveled in their mutual intuitive approach to artistic and historic gardening ideas. Arts and Crafts Gardens is a practical handbook with invaluable information on garden restoration, insights into craftsmanship and planting relationships, and provides a fascinating classic text on garden design.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Dist; Revised edition (April 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1870673166
• ISBN-13: 978-1870673167
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,229,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and useful...beautiful update of the classic...., June 29, 2005

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Arts and Crafts Gardens (Hardcover)

First published in 1912 by `Country Life' as GARDENS FOR SMALL COUNTRY HOUSES, ARTS AND CRAFTS GARDENS by Gertrude Jekyll and Lawrence Weaver was republished years later as part of the Antique Collectors Club LTD, and now as a "revised edition with additional colo[u]r illustrations" by the Garden Art Press. More art book than instructive garden guide, the modern publication includes many black and white illustrations as well as layout drawings of the houses and grounds discussed, as well as detailed examples of other features, appearing in the earlier volume, along with beautiful color photos and illustrations depicting specific design elements as they appear today. Thus the reader can determine what the landscaper saw and planned, and how well her design worked then and years later. Jekyll's foresight and intuitive understanding of the "art" of garden design (which many of us learn about the hard way) as illustrated in this book, provides the modern reader with an idea of why Jekyll is still revered among garden designers.

The book title, `Gardens for Small County Houses', may appear ludicrous to the contemporary reader, as it provides an overview of selected examples of various gardens the authors developed in Surrey, Berkshire, and Guildford, which by today's standards are quite large. Chapters cover houses and gardens in their entirety, and at least one covers the "Treatment of Small Sites" such as Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, a gorgeous town house site. Other chapters cover selected design elements, such as "balustrades and walls", "steps and stairways" and retaining walls. Most of these elements are used by modern landscape designers in large public settings and on a few "estates", but many cannot be adapted to the small scale urban garden. Many features of these "country" gardens were lifted from Roman villas and most of us don't own villas, however, some of the elements, such as pergolas, arbors, and trellises can and probably should be adapted to a modern urban garden.

Because you probably wouldn't want to attempt to duplicate these designs on an average modern lot, the value of this book other than as a beautiful art book lies in its ability to inform. You will want to study it before you visit one of the notable "estates" where Jekyll worked in England.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Appeal, August 20, 2006

By 

serena forrest-meinhold (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Arts and Crafts Gardens (Hardcover)

This book is a great point of reference for anyone looking for formal garden inspiration. It is wonderful to see the way architecture and garden design can really complement one another so harmoniously. In these cases, neither would be nearly as interesting without the other.

G. Jekyll's garden plans are very interesting to look at. They are giving me many thoughts on good plant combinations & spacing. Also, while her designs are filled with a lot of material, she seems to have a keen eye for leaving space as well.

The attention to detail is wonderful and one can really see the benefit of meticulous planning. Rather than the plant and see what happens approach, it is actually possible to make very deliberate & specific choices.

Now I just want to know who the poor people are who have to do the weeding, watering and pruning in these giant gardens - eeeks!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Salivating over stairs..., March 18, 2008

By 

Chris Heiler "Editor- www.LandscapeLeadership... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arts and Crafts Gardens (Hardcover)

I absolutely love this book. I nearly salivated when I saw the numerous drawings and photos of garden structures and architecture- So I'm a "Structure" guy, not a "plant" guy. My wife literraly told me to stop bothering her because I kept showing her pictures of stairs, walls and pergolas. This really is a tremendous resource. I refer to this book whenever I need a bit of design inspiration. I found the sketches, along with photos, to be tremendously helpful.