John Brookes, one of the world's most influential garden designers, is leading a quiet revolution, and he is encouraging you to join in. In Natural Landscapes, high maintenance borders and manicured lawns give way to a host of more natural plantings and decorative treatments. Inspired by a series of fascinating garden case histories, John Brookes explores ways to combine native vegetation and materials with exotic plans and show how to produce spectacular effects in keeping with your locale. Brookes also provides indispensable practical advice on how to work in harmony with nature at every stage of your garden's development, from the basic design and selection of materials for hard features, to choosing and positioning plan communities, and introducing garden art. Just as John Brookes set the standard for garden design books in the early 1980s with The Garden Book, his Natural Landscapes is the trend-setting title for landscape enthusiasts old and new.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The low-maintenance gardens presented in this gorgeous tome span a wide range of climates, cultural influences, and natural landscapes. Brookes, one of Britain's preeminent landscape designers, is careful to point out that he's no purist: his approach is "to mix introduced species with the wild ... I prefer this approach--as opposed to one that is totally true to nature and creates an ecologically correct plant association for a given area--because it gives me more flexibility." But even plant purists will be attracted to the flowing forms of Brookes' gardens, divided here by climate. His plans are simple and easy to read, and directions are given for the ponds, gravel plantings, and pathways that give certain of his landscapes a clean, inviting look. It's a great browsing book, with valuable design insights on every page, and an overarching sense of the romance of nature.
About the Author
John Brookes has often been described as the world's most influential landscape designer, both because the gardens he has created for his clients and his teaching of the art spans five continents, and because his books have been bestsellers since his groundbreaking classic Room Outside was first published in 1969. Brookes' own training among the giants of 20th-century landscape design and his international career have given him a unique perspective on our changing attitude to the garden, and he has consistently shown us the best of the new landscaping trends. Natural Landscapes is a must-have resource for gardeners who want to improve their environment, and also for anyone who cares about good landscape design.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
John Brookes Natural Landscapes by John Brookes,
This review is from: John Brookes' Natural Landscapes (Hardcover)
Inspirational book which catches the mood of the moment in garden design. Contemporary in style, taking cues for planting style and garden features from the natural surroundings, the gardens are designed for long term establishment and low maintenance. John Brookes creates a further layer of fascination by including projects from around the world which illustrate different cultural, climatic and floral influences. The design principals are easy to follow and could be applied wherever you and your project are. Conceptual plans are shown which reveal the development of the designer's ideas and how he has resolved design issues. These plans are simple, informative and would inspire even the "artistically challanged" to have a go. The major step by step process of realising the concept is explored and details as to how "special effects" (such as creating a wild flower meadow)are actually achieved are highlighted. I have recommended this book to many of my clients just to stretch their immagination as to how to build on the natural beauty of their surroundings as a starting point to transforming their garden.
8 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This book is nearly useless,
By Alastair K (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: John Brookes' Natural Landscapes (Hardcover)
The only use for this book that I can think of (besides expensive kindling) is to look at pictures of what "natural" gardens in various climates can look like with a good designer. There is very little to be learned from this book. There are few plant lists, the diagrams are weak at best, and very few design principles are explained. Your money would be much better spent elsewhere.
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