No comments about The Olmsted National Historic Site and the Growth of Historic Landscape Preservation.

1 comments about Sowing Empire: Landscape and Colonization.

1. Those of us who have been south of the United States know parts of Latin America fit a stereotype of how tropical countries look. In my case, the stereotype's from old black-and-white movies on television and foreign films. In Latin America, I found the lush greenery I was expecting to find. What I didn't know was quite a bit of it wasn't native. Instead, much of what I thought of as typically tropical was brought in from somewhere else. That's why today's Latin America has bamboo, bougainvillea, citrus, hibiscus, mango, oleander, poinsettia, sugarcane and tamarind!
   
   When did this happen? Jill Casid pinpoints the SOWING EMPIRE activities of the 18th century. During that time, England and France built rival empires in the Caribbean. The English in Jamaica and the French in Saint-Domingue quickly controlled labor, land, technology, trade and transportation. How? They moved things, plants and people around in ways tying Caribbean colonies to the English and French mother countries. They brought some equipment to cut down forests, clear land, and build roads and plantations. African slave labor did the rest. Everything was held in place by non-native plantings and plantation landscaping.
   
   Sugarcane from Java and Tahiti became big cash crops for the Caribbean. Elm, lemon and oak trees lined roads and marked off plantations. Gardens grew and town markets sold apples, artichokes, beans, cabbage, carrots, celery, cucumbers, figs, lettuce, melons, onions, peas, radishes, strawberries, and turnips. None of all this was native.
   
   Successful plantation owners also owned land in their native countries. They hired landscapers to clear these lands, plantation-style, for artificial lakes and such non-native greenery as banana, cherry and pineapple trees. The most famous English landscaper was Lancelot Brown. Colonial landowner, imperial fortune-holder, and English title-holder became one through the Caribbean sugarcane trade. So Brown tried to mix foreign and familiar, non-native and native so comfortably it was as if the English landscape always looked that way. But the result was the same as in the colonies. Having money meant changing the landscape and planting costly non-native greenery. It also meant ordinary people lost their land and their forest and water rights.
   
   The writing style's a bit academic. But the author organizes the facts, the examples and her interpretations well. She includes helpful diagrams, as well as telling art from the times. It's interesting how beautifully non-native plants fit into the Caribbean. It's also interesting how scientists, planters and landscapers became so sure of what should be grown when, where and why. The book's history. But its concerns can still be timely. For don't we worry about what to grow when and where? In our case, though, isn't the why more in terms of current and future diversity and well-being?

5 comments about The Tropical Garden.

1. Photographs and descriptions of some of the loveliest gardens in Asia, both traditional and contempory, are featured in this magnificent exposition. The introduction presents a brief history of the interchange of ideas between the tropics of Asia and the exploring nations of Europe as to garden design. The featured gardens are grouped into Religious and Royal, Botanical, Colonial, and Contemporary. A final chapter on garden features showcases a number of path and walkway designs as well as ornamental sculpture, pavilions, fences, stairways, and water elements. Bibliography, index. For additional cultivation information on many of these plants, see Ornamental Plants & Flowers of Tropical Mexico.



2. Warren and Tettoni pair up again with luscious footage in The Tropical Garden. For those world travelers in whom Bali has inspired a love of tropical flowers, plants, and gardens, this book will bring back the warmth and splendor of the perpetual latitudes of summer. It contains 291 full-color illustrations of the flamboyant diversity of tropical flora in hotel, royal, religious, botanical, museum, palace, water, presidential, and colonial gardens from Bali to Java to Hawaii, Rangoon, Bangkok, Singapore, and Malaysia. Warren's text and Tettoni's photographs show us a paradise of fruitful blooms and eternal abundance, with delightful coverage of well-styled Balinese gardens in Sanur and the posh Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay. Brilliant, rebellious, downtrodden French artist Paul Gaugin described an equivalent utopia in an 1890 letter penned from Tahiti: "Out there at least, with winterless skies overhead and wonderfully fertile ground underfoot, Tahitians only have to lift their arms to gather their food. . . . Whereas in Europe men and women satisfy their needs only after ceaseless toil, contending all the while with convulsions of cold and hunger, prey to poverty. The Tahitians, blessed inhabitants of Oceania's unknown paradise, know only the sweet things life has to offer. For them, life is singing and loving." Gaugin could just as well have been describing the tropical treasure that is Bali--lying succulent and verdant under the benevolent, life-giving equatorial sun.



3. Lots of photos, could have been bigger and show more detail.
   Lots of plants, but the ususal varities, not very exciting.
   I live in Hawaii and most of this stuff is at Home Depot.
   Charming tsxt but not helpful to the serious gardener.

   Nice coffee table book, will keep the rings off the table top.




4. A beautiful book. I love the photographs. Very illustrtive and also I liked the first chapter on history. A book you can see again and again. Very relaxing.



5. You will find in this books the kind of articles you read in decoration magazines. Pictures are big but don't expect any artistic originality. A useful book if you plan to plant a tropical garden in your backyard.

No comments about Experiential Landscapes: A Design Language for People, Space and Place.

1 comments about Herbs in the Garden: The Art of Intermingling.

1. I read the book cover to cover twice in the first week and am now reading it again. Herbs in the Garden is pure inspiration. The title may be misinterpreted by those who have not seen the book. The focus is not on herbs, but rather on how herbs, vegetables, flowers and shrubs may be used together in garden design, or as the subtitle says, "The Art of Intermingling". The book is a breezy walk through the authors' garden, starting with a discussion of foliage as the framework, then working onward through their use of cottage and border gardens, their shade and dryland design (totally avoiding the use of the trendy term "xeriscaping") and concluding with containerized planting ideas.

   Written in a casual, conversational style with humorous anecdotes and comments, the strength of the book lies in its geographic versatility. The authors describe their garden but don't dwell on the horticultural requirements of the plants. This allows them to focus on design - how the hardscape and plantings interact - and on the practical knowledge they have gained in years of digging and growing. Gardeners anywhere can adapt the suggestions to fit their own locales.

   The book's strength, the lack of horticultural specifics, may also be a source of frustration for some. I kept a reference book handy to look up plants that I was unfamiliar with. This allowed me to quickly determine if an intriguing plant was appropriate for my climate. A beginning gardener, familiar with only a limited number of plants, might find this annoying. A reference chart at the back of the book that does give some information.

   Overall, Proctor and Macke have written a delightful book. It reads like a novel, has lovely photographs and will plant dreams of backyard paradises in the minds of garden fanatics. It gave me a bad case of "gardener vision".

2 comments about Gardens in Provence.

1. I was disappointed when I gave this book as a gift to find that it is not exactly the same as the hardcover edition. Some photos are missing that were in the hardcover edition so if you enjoyed that book don't think that this one will replace it. I don't know if the text is different.



2. This stunning tribute to the gardens of Provence is truly a masterpiece. The author and photographer have captured the most breathtaking collection of photographs of crafted nature to behold. The care and artistry that is unveiled is the essence of the beautiful plants that are seen in this unique and exquisite area of the world. The wonderful herbs that are evocative of Provence are left wild or cultured into enchanting or simple shapes that enrich the senses. The heady perfumes of Rosemary, thyme, lavender, and all the other local favorites almost reach the olfactory glands through the seductive rendering of this landscape. This book is sensual browsing; put your rosemary, lavender and thyme nearby. Create your own aromatherapy. Better yet, go there!

No comments about Mulch It!: A Practical Guide to Using Mulch in the Garden and Landscape.

No comments about Urban Garden Design: Private Terraces and Balconies.

No comments about The Muses of Gwinn: Art and Nature in a Garden Designed by Warren H. Manning, Charles A. Platt & Ellen Biddle Shipman.

4 comments about Regenerative Design Techniques: Practical Applications in Landscape Design.

1. If you want to get a broad basic understanding of 1 - the basic models of todays systems of how we as humans are affecting the basic ecologoical systems we have on earth (without trying to go into any detail) and then 2 - how as a design consultant/architect/a home owner wishing to create a 'greener' home then this is definately the book for you. The author gives you the base of why you are to do something and then some basic design element on how you can effectively perform a desired system.
   
   The book is easy to read and follow and has very good illitrations throughout.



2. For more detail, see my forthcoming book review in Landscape & Urban Planning, or the recent review (not by me) in Landscape Architecture Magazine.
   As an author whose main focus is on sustainability in landscape architectural practice, I go out of my way to encourage anyone with similar expertise. However, Regenerative Design Techniques (RDT) will disappoint anyone whose focus is landscape-specific. More than 2/3 of the book concerns buildings exclusively, on topics such as solar water and space heating or indoor air quality. It is not a bad book on green architecture, and contains much useful (although already widely published) information, but is definitely NOT primarily about landscape architecture as claimed by its title. Of its landscape-specific information, some is actively misleading, such as the claim that automatic-control irrigation uses 75% MORE water than a handheld hose (true only if the controller is maladjusted and the hose-holder is exquisitely attentive). The single review on Amazon that praises the book so highly is written by someone from the same university as the authors.
   If there were no solid landscape-specific information available, this book might have been a first step. However, that information is available from a wide range of sources including (but by no means limited to) my own books and articles for Landscape Architecture Magazine. Again, as a book on green BUILDINGS, RDT is not bad; as a title on landscape architecture it is extremely limited.



3. The book Regenerative Design Techniques by Melby and Cathcart is a welcomed contribution to the field of sustainable design. The book has everything needed for a textbook except problems, yet is so smoothly constructed that it can be read straight through from cover to cover. For most of us in the field, it will be one of the first general reference books available.
   The book begins by painting a broad view of the need for highly integrated sustainable design, not limited to only water or energy. The chapters then work their way through the general areas ? water, energy, shelter, waste, and landscapes. The approach used for each specific topic is highly effective. The concept is introduced, with general concepts and drawings. Then specific information for construction is offered and engineering tables for actual designs. Most importantly, sample calculations, drawings, and photographs of actual cases are incorporated.
   In a field that has been strong on ideals and short on details, this is a rich addition. It makes one realize how much we have been missing up until now.



4. The book Regenerative Design Techniques by Melby and Cathcart is a welcome contribution to the field of sustainable design. The book has everything needed for a textbook except problems, yet is so smoothly constructed that it can be read straight through from cover to cover. For most of us in the field, it will be one of the first general reference books available.
   The book begins by painting a broad view of the need for highly integrated sustainable design, not limited to only water or energy. The chapters then work their way through the general areas ? water, energy, shelter, waste, and landscapes. The approach used for each specific topic is highly effective. The concept is introduced, with general concepts and drawings. Then specific information and for construction is offered and engineering tables for actual designs. Most importantly, they then walk through sample calculations, drawings, and photographs of actual cases. The reader is left knowing why this is important, when to use it and how to build one.
   In a field that has been strong on ideals and short on details, this is a rich addition. It makes one realize how much we have been missing up until now.