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The New Traditional Garden : A Practical Guide to Creating and Restoring Authentic American Gardens for Homes of All Ages
The unique combination of utility and beauty that has been the glory of the American garden for the past three hundred years is once again blooming, as home owners rediscover the magic of individual, homemade, horticultural splendor. Yes, the golden age of gardening is dawning, and much of the current enthusiasm for creating distinctive, unforgettable designs was spurred by nationally respected landscape architect and horticulturist Michael Weishan. His impeccable taste, common sense, and comprehensive knowledge of America's gardening history make him the ideal advisor for today's gardeners.
Respectful of the past and mindful of contemporary needs and lifestyles, Weishan lays down the underlying principles for creating--either from scratch or from the ghost of a lost garden--a domestic landscape with purpose and personality. He explains with utmost clarity how to
- Discover exactly which type and style of garden is right for you
- Analyze the archaeology of your old garden and recreate it from the past
- Arrange walls and fences for beauty and privacy
- Transform front, side, and back yards into one harmonious environment
- Lay out graceful walks and drives; rescue an orphaned front door
- Master the disciplined symmetry of a formal garden, the exuberance of a Victorian yard, or the charming randomness of a cottage garden
- Establish a mini-orchard featuring delicious rediscovered varieties of apples, peaches, cherries, and other fruits and berries
Lavishly designed with more than two hundred illustrations, The New Traditional Garden also includes a compendium of historic plants, detailed plans for great antique gardens, a directory of the most beautiful historic gardens in America, a comprehensive list of garden suppliers, and hundreds of other features to help you create a garden with elegance and character.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Respectful of the past and mindful of contemporary needs and lifestyles, Weishan lays down the underlying principles for creating--either from scratch or from the ghost of a lost garden--a domestic landscape with purpose and personality. He explains with utmost clarity how to
- Discover exactly which type and style of garden is right for you
- Analyze the archaeology of your old garden and recreate it from the past
- Arrange walls and fences for beauty and privacy
- Transform front, side, and back yards into one harmonious environment
- Lay out graceful walks and drives; rescue an orphaned front door
- Master the disciplined symmetry of a formal garden, the exuberance of a Victorian yard, or the charming randomness of a cottage garden
- Establish a mini-orchard featuring delicious rediscovered varieties of apples, peaches, cherries, and other fruits and berries
Lavishly designed with more than two hundred illustrations, The New Traditional Garden also includes a compendium of historic plants, detailed plans for great antique gardens, a directory of the most beautiful historic gardens in America, a comprehensive list of garden suppliers, and hundreds of other features to help you create a garden with elegance and character.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 21, 1999
About the author
Michael Weishan
11 books1 followerBorn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Michael Weishan first began gardening at the age of five. Originally intending to follow his grandfather into the State Department (hence his Harvard training in Classics and Romance Languages), Michael ultimately chose to pursue a different path – combining avocation with vocation in the field of landscape design.
After founding his own design/build firm Michael Weishan & Associates in 1986 – a practice he still actively heads – Michael began to share his gardening expertise through writing, first in his own quarterly newsletter, Traditional Gardening, and then for Old House Journal. From there, Michael went on to publish his first book, The New Traditional Garden, (Ballantine 1999) which has been widely credited with introducing the joys of old-house gardening to North America. A contributor to numerous national magazines and periodicals over the last decade, Michael is the former Gardening Editor of both Country Living and New Old House magazines. He has authored two other books: From a Victorian Garden (Viking 2004), and the Victory Garden Companion, published by HarperCollins in 2006.
In the field of electronic media, Michael is a veteran of National Public Radio where he hosted his own program, The Cultivated Gardener for several years before he debuted as the host of The Victory Garden on PBS in 2001. There he shared his design tips, expert advice, and trademark sense of humor with gardeners of all levels for six years. Michael has appeared frequently on various other national programs as well, including spots on the CBS Early Show, and NBC’s Today Show.
Michael lives west of Boston in an 1852 farmhouse surrounded by three acres of gardens, pastures and woodland.
After founding his own design/build firm Michael Weishan & Associates in 1986 – a practice he still actively heads – Michael began to share his gardening expertise through writing, first in his own quarterly newsletter, Traditional Gardening, and then for Old House Journal. From there, Michael went on to publish his first book, The New Traditional Garden, (Ballantine 1999) which has been widely credited with introducing the joys of old-house gardening to North America. A contributor to numerous national magazines and periodicals over the last decade, Michael is the former Gardening Editor of both Country Living and New Old House magazines. He has authored two other books: From a Victorian Garden (Viking 2004), and the Victory Garden Companion, published by HarperCollins in 2006.
In the field of electronic media, Michael is a veteran of National Public Radio where he hosted his own program, The Cultivated Gardener for several years before he debuted as the host of The Victory Garden on PBS in 2001. There he shared his design tips, expert advice, and trademark sense of humor with gardeners of all levels for six years. Michael has appeared frequently on various other national programs as well, including spots on the CBS Early Show, and NBC’s Today Show.
Michael lives west of Boston in an 1852 farmhouse surrounded by three acres of gardens, pastures and woodland.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 28, 2022
First of all, ignore the off-putting cover. Even AFTER I HAD STARTED IT and knew I enjoyed Weishan’s writing voice, I still found myself avoided this cover. So there’s that.
He wants to reconnect contemporary gardening with America’s rich history of garden lore and practice, and I just really enjoyed this. Some it is really, really basic: things like, if your space isn’t working, use symmetry—which sometimes you know but just need to hear.
He wants to reconnect contemporary gardening with America’s rich history of garden lore and practice, and I just really enjoyed this. Some it is really, really basic: things like, if your space isn’t working, use symmetry—which sometimes you know but just need to hear.
Want to Read
November 7, 2009I am not a gardener but I read a funny entry on the author's blog and was intrigued.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews