Gardens for the 21st Century Book

"Gardeners are always doing the same old thing, based on Edwardian gardening principles", says John Brookes, of Denmans in West Sussex. "We have got into a herbaceous border/striped lawn/topiary rut. We must move on." This then, is a handsome (if somewhat uncritical) examination of new trends in gardening. Gardens for the 21st Century spends much of its time in the British Isles, though its plentiful excursions involve visits to five continents. The photography, which comes from diverse sources, is of a consistently high quality. Pereire has aimed at an all-embracing objectivity. At worst, this entails the inclusion of gardens that wear their avant-garde pretensions on their sleeves. They are all impressive in their way and many are beautiful, but is such mannerism really likely to set a trend?Nevertheless, Pereire's catch-all approach offers a delightful introduction to all the major innovations, from Piet Oudolf's fascination with form and shape, expressed especially through grasses, to Yves and Muriel Crouzet's bamboo garden in Aduze, France, which emphasises the plants themselves over considerations of design and style. Brookes' own 'garden without vistas' at Denmans is a masterpiece of quiet iconoclasm. There are some horrors (the Klein-blue garden furniture of Yves Saint Laurent is, to say the least, memorable), and, in equal measure, there are some ephemeral delights (Serena de la Hey, like a kindly version of the Blair Witch, uses willow sculptures to blur the boundaries between art and nature). From plastic rooftop gardens to restored ancient meadowland, every project gets its puff. Pereire is a lively, learned journalist. But her personal tastes remain, for good or ill, a mystery. --Simon IngsRead More