Visiting gardens and horticultural shows is more than just a good day out – or, in my case, for work. Seeing how someone else has combined plants or laid out their space is the very best way to get ideas. Reading RHS The Gardener’s Book of Patterns is like hundreds of such visits all rolled into one.
Packed with photos – they really are worth a thousand words when it comes to design ideas – it comprehensively covers everything that goes into making a garden from the obvious plants and paving to the often-overlooked chairs and fabrics.
I was given a book in return for a fair review.
I must confess to being less than sure about reviewing yet another garden design book. There are so many and I wondered if there really was anything new to say.
Jack Wallington starts with the premise that good gardens require the careful use of pattern: “Pattern is almost always pivotal in making a design work, bringing logic and movement to a space.”
At its most basic, this is repeated plants, the pleasing counterpoint of contrasting leaf shapes or a unifying colour. So far, so obvious.
What follows though is an exhaustive deconstruction of how garden design works, how slight variations in choice of the various elements can fundamentally alter the overall effect.
Using scale to alter a mood; the importance of framing through hard landscaping or plants; working with perspective to alter perception of a space, all these are explained and illustrated. There are sections on mosaics, tiles and even sculpting the land.
Colour with plants – be it creating vibrant contrasts or subtle variations – is second nature to most gardeners but considering leaf shape and plant form is not always considered so carefully.
Likewise, how many of us really think about texture beyond the obvious of paving slabs or pots?
“Textural contrast allows you to create pattern and interest without constantly adding colour, which could become overwhelming,” we’re told.
The detailed and imaginative section on walls means I will never look at them in the same way again.
Some of the ideas, such as using shaggy grass and columns of circular wood to create a living wall, or creating complex lawn art may be a bit ambitious for the average garden but they are all thought-provoking starting points.
There’s a section on layout styles from informal to asymmetrical and more detailed consideration of historic garden styles such as Egyptian, Renaissance and Islamic.
The book ends with the idea of “throwing off the shackles of nature or accepted rules” turning gardens in to works of art.
That may be too extreme for most but RHS The Gardener’s Book of Patterns is perfect for dipping into when you need some inspiration.
The RHS Gardener’s Book of Patterns by Jack Wallington is published by Thames & Hudson, priced at RRP £19.95. You can buy it for £14.99 here. (If you buy through this link, I get a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.) Photographs copyright Jack Wallington.
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