The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition [Hardcover]

William Robinson (Author), Rick Darke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 2009

William Robinson's revolutionary book, The Wild Garden, envisioned an authentically naturalistic approach to gardening that is more vital today than ever before. First published in 1870, The Wild Garden evolved through many editions and remained in print through the remainder of the author's lifetime (1838--1935). In the book, Robinson issued a forceful challenge to the prevailing style of the day, which relied upon tender plants arranged in rigidly geometrical designs. In sharp contrast, Robinson advocated for the use of hardy, locally adapted native and exotic plants arranged according to local growing conditions. Robinson's vision was inspired by his first-hand observations of natural habitats in Europe and North America, and he put his ideas into practice in his own garden at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex. The Wild Garden was ground-breaking and hugely influential in its day, and is stunningly relevant to twenty-first century gardeners and landscape stewards seeking to adopt sustainable design and management practices.

In addition to the complete original text and illustrations from the fifth edition of 1895, this expanded edition includes new chapters and 125 color photographs by award-winning photographer and landscape consultant Rick Darke. His new material places wild gardening in modern context, underscoring Robinson's importance in the evolution of ecological design and illustrating an inspiring diversity of contemporary wild gardens.

The potent combination presented here makes this new edition of a timeless classic an essential resource for all who wish to know how we have arrived at our present understanding of gardens and what opportunities lie ahead. As will be immediately clear to anyone who leafs through this book, Robinson's urgent message continues to resonate.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[This book] will truly inspire you. Originally published in 1870, [it] remained in print for more than 50 years with a message that is just as revolutionary today.”
(Wenatchee World )

“Rick Darke could well be Robinson’s reincarnation.”
(Ottowa Citizen )

"This new edition is two books in one, and a handsome volume at that. Henry Mitchell said it all when he claimed gardeners owe all to William Robinson.  We do, and this book is the perfect way to appreciate that statement."
(Gardens Illustrated )

"This new, expanded edition … is essential reading for today's ecologically minded gardens."

 

(Landscape Architecture )

"If there was but one book on our garden library shelf, William Robinson's The Wild Garden would be the single tome, at once revolutionary and oozing charm… with photographer and writer Rick Darke's added chapters and insight, we understand more than ever the wisdom and urgency of Robinson's garden gospel." (Chicago Tribune )

"I'm giving a big Thumbs Up to Rick Darke's updating of William Robinson's classic The Wild Garden."

(Garden Rant )

About the Author

Rick Darke is a landscape design consultant and widely published author and photographer focused on regional landscape design. He has received the Scientific Award of the American Horticulture Society, and two of his books, The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses and The American Woodland Garden, have earned book awards. He lives in Landenberg, Pennsylvania.

William Robinson (1838–1935) emigrated from Ireland at a young age and was rapidly welcomed into the top echelons of British horticulture and botany. By 1866 he was a Fellow in the Linnean Society, sponsored by his friend Charles Darwin. Already an expert on the flora of the British Isles, he traveled the breadth of North America by train in 1870, observing regional habitats and forging lasting connections with Charles Sargent, Asa Gray, Frederick Law Olmsted, and others of their stature. Robinson was just thirty-two when he first published The Wild Garden, which has proved to be the most insightful, influential, and enduring of his many books and journals. Robinson's brilliance and enormous personal energy enabled him to become one of the most accomplished gardeners, editors, and publishers of his era, and he is often referred to as the Father of the English Flower Garden. Gravetye Manor, a sixteenth-century house which survives on over one-thousand acres in West Sussex, became his home and laboratory for developing and refining the wild garden concept.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press; Expanded edition (December 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881929557
• ISBN-13: 978-0881929553
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Essays
  • #37 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Landscape

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition April 8, 2010

By C. Strand

Format:Hardcover

I have enjoyed Rick Darke's writing and lecturing for several years because his insights always seem so well timed. He has an instinct for when a topic or plant will become important to the larger gardening community and is therefore able to deliver his own particular spin on the subject, just as the discussion gets started. This instinct is why I was looking forward to this expanded edition of THE WILD GARDEN. Here at Winterthur, THE WILD GARDEN is seen as the inspiration for our unique gardening style - the naturalized plantings, broad sweeps of color, and celebration of the pastoral landscape, for example, come right out of the pages of Robinson's writing. I have always been hesitant though, to recommend that people read THE WILD GARDEN. The book can be a little dry. In my opinion, Rick has rescued it from this dryness. His writing has put the book in context and made it seem much more relevant to today's gardener. His photographs and the enlarged Alfred Parsons illustrations also help bring the concepts to life. For me this edition has been a wonderful excuse to revisit a classic. For many others, I hope it will be just the invitation they need to discover Robinson's thought provoking ideas.

Chris Strand, Winterthur, Delaware

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid information, particularly for beginning gardeners August 4, 2010

By mstaznee

Format:Hardcover

The chapters added by Rick Darke are informative, particularly as an easy interpretation of the original text. The indexing was necessary, and quite good. The bulk of the book is from the original text, and while it is informative and often detailed, in some cases it becomes a little too extensive in elaborating on plants for particular situations.
The philosophy becomes quite clear - to plant hardy perennial (or reseeding) specimens in their ideal soil and site conditions, in masse, and turn them loose! The listed plants are often more suited to the British climate, and not as helpful to those residing in the Southern US, who must look outside this text for more adaptable specimens (see Michael Dirr or Alan Armitage).
Hopefully Rick Darke will come out with a newer edition with much more photography; the old text is charming, but the photo examples speak loud volumes!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wild Garden: expanded edition March 27, 2010

By Arthur Hadley

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Wild Garden by William Robinson was written and re written over a period of more than 50 year for the Victorian English gardeners as a rebellion from the changed out bedding practices of the time. Robinson used native plants and imported plants from similar climes to enhance his estate in western England. The expanded edition uses wonderful photographs to enhance the wood cut prints of the 1890's edition.