- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Michael Joseph Ltd; Reprint edition (25 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0718144627
- ISBN-13: 978-0718144623
- Product Dimensions: 24.6 x 19.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 898,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Review
More attuned to watching Stephen Lacey wander through stately home gardens on television, it is a pleasant surprise to find that this unassuming, erudite gardening writer and lecturer is actually a talented hands-on gardener. Dividing his time between a two-pot balcony in London and an acre of garden in Wales, his love and interest in plants, gardens and gardening is reflected in his intelligent but captivating text. As he himself says in his introduction, "this book is an expose of my addiction". In this attractively presented work he endeavours and succeeds in taking the reader through the art of planting. Reflecting on both today's looser planting schemes as well as the more formal, he gently guides the gardener through the pitfalls and explains the design basics. Amusingly written, as if he is actually chatting to you rather than writing it, it is an easy and enjoyable read, perfectly suited for a deckchair repose or light reading before bed. The sumptuous photographs that accompany the text will inspire and enthral, making the reader want to get out there and recreate them for themselves. From common or garden plants to the rarer, more hard to find varieties, trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs are all examined in depth to give a fuller, rounder picture of what is achievable with a little effort - more so than most garden books of this ilk. For anyone wanting a stylish, atmospheric garden, this self-effacing broadcaster will give you ideas, facts and planting schemes season by season to assist creating ones own piece of heaven. A wonderful read from a man too long regarded as someone who only does "grand" gardens.
Product Description
A contemporary and personal guide to the art of gardening which explores in a lively and accessible way the whole process of transforming a bare plot into a series of stunning seasonal pictures. It is aimed at the enthusiastic gardener, experienced as well as inexperienced, and leads in logical progression through all the practical and design decisions that need to be taken. The text combines both counsel and inspiration, and is intended to become the companion voice to which readers will turn first, whenever they tackle a new garden or renovate an old one.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
An excellent garden ideas book combining an excellent read with a reservoir of information.
This book goes far beyond the garden make-over culture seen recently in books and on TV.
The depth of knowledge combined with research and clarity of ideas are superb.
Lacey does have a strong and focussed view - you may find some disagreements.
Thoroughly recommended for the person who is willing to spend more than a short weekend developing planting for their garden.
This book goes far beyond the garden make-over culture seen recently in books and on TV.
The depth of knowledge combined with research and clarity of ideas are superb.
Lacey does have a strong and focussed view - you may find some disagreements.
Thoroughly recommended for the person who is willing to spend more than a short weekend developing planting for their garden.
Format:Hardcover
A pity about the rather uninformative - though catchy - title. In fact, this is a garden-design or planting-scheme book. And a super one too! A better designation might have been something like "Painting with Plants".
Think all those atmospheric NGS or National Trust gardens, scaled down to fit a typical plot, and with a less-than-one-gardener's work-load. Well, here are some ideas to achieve it.
As mentioned by another reviewer, the author imparts a few strong opinions that not everyone will agree with. But this doesn't detract from the book; if any readers are encouraged to analyse their own views more critically, it should only be beneficial for their own garden designs.
The text is effectively an informal discourse, and very readable. It's good to dip into too! It addresses an impressive range of garden situations, conditions, requirements and styles. It does not deal with garden constructions, only plants - a good thing, in my opinion.
I'm no lover of the sort of modernistic, modified-building-site, edifices that pass as gardens at places like Chelsea! Maybe neither is Stephen Lacey. Certainly, Real Gardening only exudes his unaffected enthusiasm for growing attractive flora...
There is nothing culinary. Nor does it explicitly cover practicalities like care and propagation. But little nuggets of useful information for many of the suggested plants are provided.
In summary, for a comprehensive, non-prescriptive, guide to artistically planning (or enhancing) your garden, I can't think of a better starting place than Real Gardening.
Think all those atmospheric NGS or National Trust gardens, scaled down to fit a typical plot, and with a less-than-one-gardener's work-load. Well, here are some ideas to achieve it.
As mentioned by another reviewer, the author imparts a few strong opinions that not everyone will agree with. But this doesn't detract from the book; if any readers are encouraged to analyse their own views more critically, it should only be beneficial for their own garden designs.
The text is effectively an informal discourse, and very readable. It's good to dip into too! It addresses an impressive range of garden situations, conditions, requirements and styles. It does not deal with garden constructions, only plants - a good thing, in my opinion.
I'm no lover of the sort of modernistic, modified-building-site, edifices that pass as gardens at places like Chelsea! Maybe neither is Stephen Lacey. Certainly, Real Gardening only exudes his unaffected enthusiasm for growing attractive flora...
There is nothing culinary. Nor does it explicitly cover practicalities like care and propagation. But little nuggets of useful information for many of the suggested plants are provided.
In summary, for a comprehensive, non-prescriptive, guide to artistically planning (or enhancing) your garden, I can't think of a better starting place than Real Gardening.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Not exactly real gardening
26 Aug 2003
Format:Hardcover
Stephen Lacy is a gardener well-known in England as a writer and a broadcaster. He himself has two gardens - a balcony with a couple of pots in London and a "real" garden, one acre in size on the border between England and Wales.
The cover blurb says that "This book is written for the enthusiastic gardener keen to master the art of planting". Well, that would describe me (and most of the gardeners I know). I picked up the book with great anticipation, expecting to enjoy it and learn a good deal from it. Unfortunately I found it a disappointment. Certainly I learned from it - one can always pick up some ideas and pointers - but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. Either I know practically everything about gardening (fat chance!) or this writer really let his readers down.
On the positive side, this writer is familiar with gardening trends in Europe and across North America as well as in England. He is able to explain the variations found in the different areas and how well they work out. This, to me, is the most interesting aspect of the book. As for the rest, I'm sorry but I found it just plain boring. Even the illustrations are pedestrian and not well connected to the topic of the page. There is a short reading list at the end.
This is what I call a "name dropper book". Much of it reads like this .....some of the best roses/firs/grasses I've seen are at the spacious manor home of my friend Monica Smythe-Pomphrey near the elegant spa town of Bath, although Major Francis Rex Fitzroy also has fine ones on his family estate south of St Albans.....
Maybe I'm just jealous. On the other hand, I'd like to know what "real gardening" actually is. The writer places great emphasis on selecting the right plant for your climate, soil, site and the latest trend. That is important, but it does not define real gardening. Perhaps a more tightly focussed title would have helped in the production of a more useful book.
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