Just as Alice's looking glass revealed a world where nothing was as expected, Peter Thompson's "looking-glass garden" offers readers a glimpse of a world of new plants and possibilities by crossing the equator. The floras of countries as diverse as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile offer adventurous gardeners palettes, forms, textures, and effects that have no parallel in the garden offerings of the north. As well as offering useful suggestions on interesting plants that can be incorporated in a variety of gardens in our latitudes, Thompson's book is also a travelogue of the wild landscapes of faraway lands and a tour of some of the great gardens to be found below the equator.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The Looking Glass Garden is an ambitious book; author Peter Thompson hopes to change the way westerners imagine a well-designed landscape. According to Thompson, for too long the English style has dominated in America and western Europe, resulting in a uniformity that edges out possibility and strangeness. The prevalence of gardening with "native plants" has also limited creativity: Thompson argues that as long as plants are well situated and well cared for, they can come from anywhere in the world. The book's title refers to the moment when Alice moved through the looking glass into Wonderland. In this context Wonderland flourishes in the gardens of New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and South Africa. Chapters concentrate on specific southern hemisphere design elements and distinctive plants--"Oases with Trees," "Tropical Drama"--and are accompanied by enticing photographs. Thompson writes like a man on a mission: "This book tells of the challenge from south of the equator to these entrenched and long-accepted ideas," he explains. Once the challenge is accepted, "we will look back and recognize ... the start of another revolution." --Emily White
From Booklist
Given the rare opportunity to visit hundreds of gardens and wild habitats, Thompson has produced an exciting survey of exotic flora found south of the equator. The exhilarating writing promises to tantalize and educate garden enthusiasts by communicating the sensational, surreal allure of the region's plant life. In touring gardens of the Southern Hemisphere and the U.S., Thompson introduces readers to an eye-opening procession of species and to the innovative designs created by plantsmen and -women who utilize unusual plant material to create stunning landscapes. Among a panoply of floral wonders exist the exuberant bulbs of South Africa, Australia's unusual winter-flowering grevilleas (deer-resistant and drought-tolerant shrubs, trees, and ground covers), and the strange, textural inflorescences of banksias. Thompson's insightful commentary points out abundant specimens that promise to inspire daring home gardeners, who can then consult the listing of hardiness zones to assist in planting unorthodox alternatives in their own gardens. Consider this one an essential addition to gardening collections. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyed the book.,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Looking-Glass Garden: Plants and Gardens of the Southern Hemisphere (Hardcover)
This was a very interesting book about plants we are just beginning to see in North America. I thoroughly enjoyed all the photos too.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
AS CORNWALLIS'S army marched out of Yorktown to surrender to George Washington's Continental Army, the band played "The World Turned Upside Down." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
vireyan rhododendrons, sunlit situations, immature foliage, infertile situations, twiggy shoots, cylindrical inflorescences, summer rainfall areas, spiky forms, pinnate foliage, mild situations, tree fuchsia, crimson centres, shaded situations, winter rainfall areas, seaside gardens, branching inflorescences, garden potential, cabbage trees, coastal gardens, good garden plants, succulent shrubs, yellow bracts, coastal situations, aromatic foliage, glaucous foliage Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Zealand, South Africa, Southern Hemisphere, North Island, Western Cape Province, Looking-Glass Garden, Cape Town, Northern Hemisphere, New South Wales, South Island, United States, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, South America, Santa Cruz, Northern Cape Province, Royal Botanic Garden, Southern Africa, Bogong High Plains, Isles of Scilly, Chatham Islands, Andrew Wilson, Atlantic Ocean, Hout Bay, New Guinea, Palace of the Lost City New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
AS CORNWALLIS'S army marched out of Yorktown to surrender to George Washington's Continental Army, the band played "The World Turned Upside Down." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
vireyan rhododendrons, sunlit situations, immature foliage, infertile situations, twiggy shoots, cylindrical inflorescences, summer rainfall areas, spiky forms, pinnate foliage, mild situations, tree fuchsia, crimson centres, shaded situations, winter rainfall areas, seaside gardens, branching inflorescences, garden potential, cabbage trees, coastal gardens, good garden plants, succulent shrubs, yellow bracts, coastal situations, aromatic foliage, glaucous foliage Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Zealand, South Africa, Southern Hemisphere, North Island, Western Cape Province, Looking-Glass Garden, Cape Town, Northern Hemisphere, New South Wales, South Island, United States, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, South America, Santa Cruz, Northern Cape Province, Royal Botanic Garden, Southern Africa, Bogong High Plains, Isles of Scilly, Chatham Islands, Andrew Wilson, Atlantic Ocean, Hout Bay, New Guinea, Palace of the Lost City New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 21
books:
See all 21 books this book cites
3
books
cite this book:
- Wild Flowers (Piccolo Spotters) (Piccolo Books) by Bob Press in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Ferns of New Zealand by Susan Firth in Back Matter
- Native New Zealand Flowering Plants by John T. Salmon in Back Matter
- The Austraflora A-Z of Australian Plants by Bill Molyneux in Back Matter
- The Native Trees of New Zealand (The trees in New Zealand) by J.T. Salmon in Back Matter
See all 21 books this book cites
- Subtropical Plants: A Practical Gardening Guide by Jacqueline Sparrow in Back Flap
- Clivias by Harold Koopowitz in Back Flap
- The Himalayan Garden: Growing Plants from the Roof of the World by Jim Jermyn in Back Flap
Books on Related Topics
(learn more)
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
