Gardening at Sissinghurst [Hardcover]

Tony Lord (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996

An comprehensive guide to one of the most famous gardens in the world

Gardeners have been copying the border and plant combinations of Sissinghurst for years. Now, for the first time, all the elements that lie behind the famed garden's horticultural distinction are examined in unparalleled depth. The two former head gardeners and the current head gardener offer invaluable insight and inspiration.

Examinations of the design, development, planting, and maintenance of each area of the garden reveal how Sissinghurst's spring-to-autumn display is achieved. Also included is a list of plant combinations as well as a descriptive catalog of every plant raised in the garden. Two hundred full-color photographs and 15 design and planting plans fully illustrate the book.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For visual inspiration, nothing can compare to the Sissinghurst, the gardens that Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson began in 1930. Lord, a writer, photographer, and horticulturist examines the planning behind the formal structure and the informal methods used by teams of gardeners to maintain the garden's design. His text and photographs are accompanied by watercolors by Frances Lincoln representing segments of the planting plans.

From Library Journal

Illustrations in a book about a famous garden should be of four kinds. There should be two-page spreads of gorgeous panoramas, intimate close-ups of individual plants and flowers, garden plans, and pictures of the people who created the garden. The book should also give the garden's history, telling us about the people who planned it and brought it into being. We should learn what ideas shaped the garden, where the urns came from, and why certain plants have been chosen. Lord, a well-known garden photographer and author and member of several Royal Horticultural Society committees, provides all this and more. Each chapter of his beautiful and readable book deals with a separate garden room of Sissinghurst, the garden of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson. The final chapter takes us "Behind the Scenes," where we meet the current gardeners, see the greenhouses and tools, and learn about schedules for deadheading, pruning, and planting. This would be a fine addition to any collection of landscape architecture, horticulture, or gardening.
Carol Cubberly, Univ. of Southern Mississippi Lib., Hattiesburg
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan General Reference (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028603893
• ISBN-13: 978-0028603896
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,411,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gardening at Sissinghurst, October 12, 2000

By 

"srbrubaker" (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gardening at Sissinghurst (Hardcover)

Could a British garden be taken seriously if it had no pleached limes, no white garden, no boxwood hedges? I should think not. Nor should any good book about important British gardens skimp on coverage of these features. This is not an issue for Tony Lord's Gardening at Sissinghurst.

Lord has photographed the garden in all seasons and in all kinds of flattering light. Where structure, foliage, and texture were important the light is diffuse. Where color makes the scene interesting, the light is warm, clear, and direct.

There's neither shortage of things to photograph nor of good photographs. Ten chapters are organized around specific garden regions: the rose garden, the lime walk, the cottage garden, the white garden, and so on. In each region the style of planting varies to match the theme. It's formal in the courtyards, less so in the cottage areas, and nearly wild in the orchard.

American gardeners in the northwest will be able to replicate the gardens thanks to watercolored plans by Frances Lincoln. Those in other parts of the country will have to reconsider plant selections. Limes, verbenas, boxes and lupines will have limited applicability outside the northwest. And in many of the drier parts of the US the lushness would not make sense. In all cases, though, the use of structure to create 'rooms' is relevant.

The text strikes a nice balance between talking about design aspects and discussing horticultural details. We get drawn into the scene, feeling at times like landscape architects and at others like master gardeners.

Who should buy this book? People interested in transforming outside spaces into interesting and vital living spaces, people who love good gardening photography, and people who plan to or wish they could visit the monumental English gardens of the early twentieth century.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For armchair gardeners, February 17, 2001

By 

saliero (NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gardening at Sissinghurst (Hardcover)

I live in a climate where the classic english garden of borders and meadows is unattainable. However, this book satisfies in many ways: as a souvenir of a visit, as a delicious geardening feast for the eyes, and as the story of one garden.

I was lucky enough to visit Sissinghurst in early summer and see one of her moods. This book introduces the other seasons and readily transports me when I am in the mood to think of faraway places, and need a bit of restful beauty in my reading life!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, December 8, 2007

By 

K. Mulcahy (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gardening at Sissinghurst (Hardcover)

What a great book this is. The lavish photos by Mr. Lord are stunning, but the real deal is all his detailed inside information about Sissinghurst Garden. I assume most gardeners have heard of the place, but for those who haven't, this is widely considered to be the most beautiful garden of its kind in the world. Sissinghurst was created among the ruins of an English Tudor castle by Vita Sackville-West, her husband Harold Nicolson, their kids and gardening staff from the 1930's through the 1960's.

The book is organized with one chapter for each garden area or outdoor room. A history of the area is given, with much failure and success along the way. Happily, the story doesn't stop with the passing of the Harold and Vita.

The book continues the amazing efforts of Nigel Nicolson and the gardening staff once the property became a public trust in the 1970's. Not only has the original vision been preserved, but in many cases, it's been improved. A private garden originally made for a small family and their circle of friends had to learn to accomodate hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. Stunning when you consider that a garden is among the most ephemeral things on earth.

Any passionate gardener will identify with the stories. Inspiration abounds for any garden. It is tremendously fun and informative to see the plan drawings and plant lists for each garden area. Not every plant is detailed. That would take many volumes. But a good representative sample is given for each garden area so you feel you really get the full story. The book was published in 1996, so the chronicle ends there. If Mr. Lord's other Sissinghurst book carries the story further, I'll need to pick that one up too.

For anyone who wonders how such a miraculous place of beauty can be created, preserved, and carried to even greater heights, this is the book for you.