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cady_gw

Book Recommendation for Gardens 1910-1940

Cady
17 years ago

There was a book resource list on GardenWeb, but whether it was in the Landscape Design forum, here, or elsewhere I don't recall.

So, I'm using this forum to recommend an informative charming book:

The Once and Future Gardener: Garden Writing from the Golden Age of Magazines 1900-1940, by Virginia Tuttle Clayton (2000, David R. Godine, Publisher).

It's a collection of magazine articles on gardening, many written by highly respected female landscape architects, plantswomen and gardeners of those decades. The writing is good, the content is intelligent (the slant and complexity varies with the nature of the publication. For example, the general women's housekeeping magazines are lighter fare, while the more upscale and "serious" design magazines have more detailed article content.

A lot of the areas covered are surprisinglt timely and timeless, proving that the passion for and principles of gardening do not change. What's more, they provide a look at what was popular, important or culturally significant to gardeners during those times. (They also can reveal attitudes that aren't considered "PC" today, such as digging up native shrubs in the countryside to bring home and plant, when you're on a budget.) Topics cover use of color, "old fashioned" gardens, Italianate and formal design, using shrubs and trees in the suburban garden, and the joys of marking the seasons through the garden and weather.

There are black and white photos from the original magazine articles, which are great for giving an idea of how various period gardens looked; some garden diagrams from articles, showing the full layout of a design; and lush color print plates of magazine covers from the old House & Garden Magazine, House Beautiful and other publications, some still being published, some long gone.

Clayton also gives an excellent background on garden/home magazines and how they reflected the changing American culture and landscape as gardens moved from the hands of leisure-class estate owners to the growing numbers of rural, suburban and urban working people.

You can enjoy this book on different levels: as a socio-economic survey of changing lifestyles and attitudes; as a guide for restoring or creating an authentic garden from that period; or simply for the fun of reading gardening articles from yesteryear.

The bookcover says that the original price of this 312-page (including index) volume was $40, but I got it for $9.98 at a local bookseller! You might find it on Amazon.com for similar.

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