Garden Whimsy [Hardcover]

Richard W. Brown (Author), Tovah Martin (Author), Richard Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 1999

If it sometimes seems that gardening is all work and no play, here's the book that will turn that canard on its head. Garden Whimsy is an entertaining look at the lighter side of gardening -- a refreshing change from how-to books on composting and double-digging. When author Tovah Martin lectures, her talk on garden whimsy is the one her audiences like best. This book brings her marvelous stories, illustrated by Richard Brown's stunning photographs, to the wider audience that has come to appreciate this talented team. So what is whimsy, botanically speaking? It may be as subtle as an inscription on a sundial or as noticeable as a child-size lighthouse. Birdhouses and scarecrows are favorite subjects, and so are topiary animals, capricious gates, and fences topped with the gardener's collection of blackbirds, kitchen utensils, or gardening gloves. It is eccentric, askew -- in short, whatever strikes a witty gardener's fancy. Best of all, it will inspire the reader to go and do likewise.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is no question that gardening inspires creativity and playfulness. A full measure of both is captured in this book on garden accessories. Giant bronze frogs standing erect and playing the sax and cello, sunflowers sporting hats, fence posts sprouting gloves, and a bench with undulating serpent arms are just a few of the compelling images captured in the many color photographs.

Gardeners tend to be eccentrics, and it looks as if the gardeners in this book have fully indulged their visions, making the very best kinds of personal gardens. While many of the ideas are large and expensive, such as Italian stone follies carved into huge mask faces topped with bridges, or gazing balls eight feet in diameter, many more are simple and easy to emulate. Many of the lightest touches are created with paint or found objects--trellises woven of twigs, fences built of old shovels and rakes, a shed roof painted cobalt blue, or a scarecrow dressed up in bohemian duds including shawl and beret. What makes all these delightful ideas work is that they are buried amid flower borders or set onto pedestals on smooth expanses of emerald lawn--what better backdrop could any flight of whimsy ask for than a beautiful garden? --Valerie Easton

From Publishers Weekly

Martin and Brown (Tasha Tudor's Garden) take a walk on the lighter side of horticulture. Postulating that "gardeners suffer from a tendency to take themselves too seriously," the pair drop in on 10 practitioners of the craft who have learned to cut loose a little. Clearly inspired by their subjects (quirky green thumbs who leaven their compost with irreverent wit and creative flair), the authors chronicle found art and impertinent plant pairings. Whether visiting a plot presided over by a prom queen scarecrow (a classic Grecian nude attired in a flaming pink strapless evening gown), debating the exact hue of a 1955 Chevy pickup that has inadvertently become a garden feature (Martin describes it as "cantaloupe," the owner counters with "Velveeta") or coaxing confessions from wags such as the one whose yard sports a short-necked topiary giraffe ("I got tired halfway up"), Martin's text is hilarious and filled with lively anecdotes. Brown's lush photographs, meanwhile, capture the outdoor audacity in all its glory. They will have even the most staid gardeners looking for ways to spice up the landscape. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (November 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395937310
• ISBN-13: 978-0395937310
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars This is fun eye candy while it rains outside., May 18, 2011

By 

P. Brown "garden cook" (Ashland Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Garden Whimsy (Hardcover)

Excellent photography. In spite of being "whimsical", most gardens here are kind of moody. It is New England - centric, and I wish for more western gardens to be displayed. Someone write THAT book please! I give it 4 stars as it nicely entertained me during crappy weather here in Oregon this wet spring.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Garden Whimsey, July 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Garden Whimsy (Hardcover)

Beautiful pictures of smatterings of whimsical art in gardens. Tasteful and fun. A winner!