Beth Chatto's Green Tapestry Book

Beth Chatto has a formidable reputation as a plantswoman. Beth Chatto's Green Tapestry is a celebration of her garden in Essex, where over 35 years she has triumphantly overcome quite extraordinarily difficult growing conditions to create a flowing sequence of different garden environments using the natural variations of the site. Her Entrance Garden, Open Walks, Shade and Dry Gardens are powerfully distinct and beautiful creations, filled with plants chosen not just for their visual qualities but also for their ability to co-exist harmoniously within the specialist ecosystems she has developed. The simple but illuminating wisdom of her planting principles fills the book. Her knowledge is immense--she seems to forget nothing about her plants--and she shares it generously, recounting her failures as well as her successes. In the end, the lesson learned is that plants must be respected and not forced into unsuitable habitats. The sections on the different parts of her garden are complemented by helpful and informative lists of suitable perennials, their habits, their likes and dislikes, their foibles, above all their beauties. Aimed particularly at those new to gardening, Green Tapestry makes an inspiring introduction to the pleasures of plants. --Robin DavidsonRead More