Every now and then news of a beautiful book catches my eye.
Not a novel or a best seller on a list, more a special book full of color and
information about a subject I'm interested in.........such as gardens
and gardening.
If you're in the UK I know those of you who are gardeners - probably
99.9% of the population - are also familiar with a special young
gardener named Arthur Parkinson.
His newest book is the The Flower Yard.
Arthur's gardens are done entirely in pots and unusual containers, think
dustbins and bathtubs.
Container gardening is the way to go for me in my own future gardening
years. My back has notified me that I can no longer dig and delve in
flower beds on my knees!
Mine will not be as awesome as his, especially enormous pots
which I would have trouble lifting, but perhaps a bit larger than what I've
used previously to fill in spaces in the spring and summer months.
I also will have to forego spectacular bantam hens trotting between my
pots. . . . . . even though I'd love them.
Arthur insists that it pays to go big with your pots for many reasons
including watering and feeding requirements. Setting a small pot in a small
space makes it seen even smaller - so place the biggest pot you can fit into
a small space to make it look better. Makes sense to me. . . . I definitely
need to start searching for larger containers!
Arthur's first book, The Pottery Gardener, focused on his earlier
years designing an acclaimed garden for British pottery legend
Emma Bridgewater, for her Stoke-on-Trent factory, following his
training at Kew Gardens. He also works with Sarah Raven
in her renowned flower gardens.
This book arrived a couple of days ago. I've just started reading it and
looking at the beautiful photographs, also taken by Arthur.
It will be enjoyable on the dark and dreary days ahead when
looking for a good read, along with a cup of tea and a
shortbread biscuit, in front of the blazing hearth. . . . .after the
garden has been "put to bed" for the winter months.
Happy autumn gardening days to all.
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Thak you for this. My dear Daughter in Law in wheel chair bound and is a keen gardener now relying on pots - I shall now go and order this for her - she already has many pots - this should give her ideas.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like an amazing book. My lanai is my garden now. So container gardening is all I do!
ReplyDeleteThis is a book that I shall look for, Mary.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the book for me. I grow a lot of flowers in containers in my back yard. The advantage of having smaller pots is that you can move them around, keeping the best flowers in the most noticeable places. When I looked after my mother's garden I always had some plants in pots to fill in the gaps that would inevitably appear in the borders.
ReplyDeleteI have both large and small turquoise pots that I fill with a variety of plants, especially many colors of geraniums for summer gardening.
ReplyDeleteYou might look up Harriet Rycroft on Instagram. She is English and absolutely brilliant at doing container gardening.
Dearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteSince Pieter's quadruple bypass + stent placed in his neck and me being completely paralyzed earlier the same year, our gardening has also changed.
We now mainly keep pots on our patios, which are all around the home. Even most that are hardy so they don't need to be lifted and transferred into the greenhouse...
Great choice of book it seems.
Best Sellers Rank #14 in Container Gardening and #49 in Flower Gardening!
Hugs,
Mariette
Our seasons are upside down here as it's mostly in summer that the plants need to be put to bed. It's a chore to keep them alive but now they're showing signs of revival. Sadly we still have no rain.
ReplyDeleteArthur's book looks really pretty and I am sure you will get some wonderful ideas.
What a beautiful peek you've given us into this book. There must be so many ideas there. I am gathering more and more pots as time goes by and would love inspiration. I'll be looking for the book.
ReplyDeletePS I just ordered it from our library - there is a wait list, so I won't get it for awhile.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely book! I just emptied two big summer containers and planted mums, pansies and ornamental cabbage.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look at bigger containers with a fresh eye. My balcony needs replenishment.
ReplyDeleteDear Mary, I have been a big fan of 'Pot Culture"...You can always move them where they are needed most.
ReplyDeleteCatching up after many weeks away due to bereavement. But how strange that we have almost the same pot as the black on in your picture. I wish I got plants to grow in pots though - ours seem always not to flourish. Perhaps we should go large as he says!
ReplyDelete