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The Small Garden
The Small Garden [Paperback] Brookes Chairman of the Society of Garden Designers, John
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
John Brookes
116 books9 followersJohn Andrew Brookes MBE was a garden and landscape designer. He started designing gardens and landscapes in the late 1950s and designed thousands of gardens. He also taught and lectured about horticulture, landscape and interior design.
Beginning as a Modernist and working with Dame Sylvia Crowe, Brenda Colvin, Geoffrey Jellicoe and other notable architects and landscape architects, Brookes came of age in the dawn of garden and landscape design for the middle classes in Britain and in the heyday of 1960s London.
Brookes was influenced by painters such as Piet Mondrian and Ben Nicholsen, and brought abstract and modernist principles to garden design.[2] He espoused the concept that a garden's design should be based first and foremost on the needs of its occupants, taking it out of the realm of the grand garden traditions which were labour-intensive, expensive, and high maintenance. He is the author of over two dozen books, including Room Outside and John Brookes, Master Class, that have been translated into several languages and has taught and lectured in venues around the globe, including Iran, Argentina, Japan, Russia, and the US.
In 2004 Brookes was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his for contributions to Garden Design and Services to Horticulture.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_...]
Beginning as a Modernist and working with Dame Sylvia Crowe, Brenda Colvin, Geoffrey Jellicoe and other notable architects and landscape architects, Brookes came of age in the dawn of garden and landscape design for the middle classes in Britain and in the heyday of 1960s London.
Brookes was influenced by painters such as Piet Mondrian and Ben Nicholsen, and brought abstract and modernist principles to garden design.[2] He espoused the concept that a garden's design should be based first and foremost on the needs of its occupants, taking it out of the realm of the grand garden traditions which were labour-intensive, expensive, and high maintenance. He is the author of over two dozen books, including Room Outside and John Brookes, Master Class, that have been translated into several languages and has taught and lectured in venues around the globe, including Iran, Argentina, Japan, Russia, and the US.
In 2004 Brookes was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his for contributions to Garden Design and Services to Horticulture.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_...]
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 15, 2021
So, it appears that in the mid-1970's, someone named John Brookes who lived in the U.K. decided to write a book about small gardens. It is chock full of full-color pictures (ok not really full color, mostly earthtones and greens), and hardbound, and it is difficult to picture lugging it into the garden to read. But, I don't do much garden reading anyway, so I suppose that is not really an issue. I read it a few pages at a time, in bed before going to sleep.
While I do, from time to time, putter about in the garden a bit, I wish to make it clear that I am in no way the sort of person to whom this book is addressed. It is intended for a far more ambitious gardener, who wishes to make a modest-sized, yet still decorative work of art out of their tiny back yard or apartment balcony or what-have-you. I am not that person. I am, rather, the sort of person who a week ago got told (in a piece of registered mail) by the city of Austin that I had 30 days to make sure my back fence was in good repair. My first thought was, "what fence?", because I got rid of the fence a decade ago owing to its unfortunate propensity to fall to pieces. Now the primary reason for this bit of passive-aggressive behavior by the city is no doubt that they are short on cash and wish to issue a lot of fines as a way to fill their coffers again, but it should be admitted that my back yard looks a bit too much of an easy mark for this kind of thing. My wife has described the look of our backyard as "Appalachian", or maybe that was me. I can raise some plants worth eating bits of (basil and lambsquarter and amaranth and malabar and such), but no one is going to mistake my garden for being decorative. So, why did I read this book, you ask? Perhaps to motivate me to change my ways, in this regard?
Unlikely. If I were the sort to keep my surroundings tidy, it would have manifested itself before age 53, and also I would not have married the particular woman who I did. Rather, I just enjoy looking at the many ways in which other people, and perhaps especially other times and places, chose to arrange their surroundings. There is something so very 70's about this book, and I cannot necessarily put my finger on it but it probably has something to do with the art style and the color balance of the photography. There is also something very British (or perhaps just European) about how every two or three pages it refers to how one must check with the local authorities before doing X, Y, or Z in your own garden. But then, as we have discussed, I am not one to be on always great terms with even an American local government in this regard. The book also makes rather more references to how to make sure your garden can withstand, and even be of some use in, the long depths of winter, which is not a primary concern in Texas in most years. If it actually descends into the temperature ranges where water loses its liquid nature, we retreat into our houses and await the End Times. It is not a thing we prepare for.
They did give a fair amount of advice on what to do and not do, that was worth considering in my case. How to make a compost bin that is not entirely unsightly, for example. It was also calming, to see such tidy, yet not too tidy, but rather well-calibrated-in-its-untidyness gardens, and that was a good choice to gaze at just before sleep. Just don't expect me to do too much of it myself, unless you send legal notice of some sort.
While I do, from time to time, putter about in the garden a bit, I wish to make it clear that I am in no way the sort of person to whom this book is addressed. It is intended for a far more ambitious gardener, who wishes to make a modest-sized, yet still decorative work of art out of their tiny back yard or apartment balcony or what-have-you. I am not that person. I am, rather, the sort of person who a week ago got told (in a piece of registered mail) by the city of Austin that I had 30 days to make sure my back fence was in good repair. My first thought was, "what fence?", because I got rid of the fence a decade ago owing to its unfortunate propensity to fall to pieces. Now the primary reason for this bit of passive-aggressive behavior by the city is no doubt that they are short on cash and wish to issue a lot of fines as a way to fill their coffers again, but it should be admitted that my back yard looks a bit too much of an easy mark for this kind of thing. My wife has described the look of our backyard as "Appalachian", or maybe that was me. I can raise some plants worth eating bits of (basil and lambsquarter and amaranth and malabar and such), but no one is going to mistake my garden for being decorative. So, why did I read this book, you ask? Perhaps to motivate me to change my ways, in this regard?
Unlikely. If I were the sort to keep my surroundings tidy, it would have manifested itself before age 53, and also I would not have married the particular woman who I did. Rather, I just enjoy looking at the many ways in which other people, and perhaps especially other times and places, chose to arrange their surroundings. There is something so very 70's about this book, and I cannot necessarily put my finger on it but it probably has something to do with the art style and the color balance of the photography. There is also something very British (or perhaps just European) about how every two or three pages it refers to how one must check with the local authorities before doing X, Y, or Z in your own garden. But then, as we have discussed, I am not one to be on always great terms with even an American local government in this regard. The book also makes rather more references to how to make sure your garden can withstand, and even be of some use in, the long depths of winter, which is not a primary concern in Texas in most years. If it actually descends into the temperature ranges where water loses its liquid nature, we retreat into our houses and await the End Times. It is not a thing we prepare for.
They did give a fair amount of advice on what to do and not do, that was worth considering in my case. How to make a compost bin that is not entirely unsightly, for example. It was also calming, to see such tidy, yet not too tidy, but rather well-calibrated-in-its-untidyness gardens, and that was a good choice to gaze at just before sleep. Just don't expect me to do too much of it myself, unless you send legal notice of some sort.
January 9, 2023
I read a whole bunch of John Brookes when I was getting my garden up and running, so this is a revisit. Some thoughts float to the top.
Brookes is an outdoor space designer, not a gardener. These things are emphatically not the same. This is specifically aimed at newer gardeners with small, difficult spaces, like rooftops and narrow shaded chasm-like scraps of ground.
I would absolutely not rely on his plant descriptions when picking plants! AHHH. He is good for pulling together a curated, manageable selection to get you going, but do not trust him blindly. For example: he has no sense of avoiding invasive species, which is important to keep in mind around here or else you will be cursed by all your neighbors and be undoing them for years. He’s British, and his plants are not necessarily going to behave in the DC area like he describes. He thinks magnolia grandiflora is a bush, when it’s certainly a tree at my house. One of the climbing roses he recommends is Iceberg, with no warning that there’s both a climbing AND a bush variety, so look for the climber. He straight-up oversimplifies the size estimate of dahlias to 24”—well that’s like saying humans get 5’8” tall. Like, some of them do! So, American gardeners, know your growing zone, and let the buyer beware.
What he does well is help you give your garden structure. If you need a central plan for your space, he’s the one to talk to. If this intro book works for you, his bigger book on HOW to design from the ground up is worth your time, in that case.
Brookes is an outdoor space designer, not a gardener. These things are emphatically not the same. This is specifically aimed at newer gardeners with small, difficult spaces, like rooftops and narrow shaded chasm-like scraps of ground.
I would absolutely not rely on his plant descriptions when picking plants! AHHH. He is good for pulling together a curated, manageable selection to get you going, but do not trust him blindly. For example: he has no sense of avoiding invasive species, which is important to keep in mind around here or else you will be cursed by all your neighbors and be undoing them for years. He’s British, and his plants are not necessarily going to behave in the DC area like he describes. He thinks magnolia grandiflora is a bush, when it’s certainly a tree at my house. One of the climbing roses he recommends is Iceberg, with no warning that there’s both a climbing AND a bush variety, so look for the climber. He straight-up oversimplifies the size estimate of dahlias to 24”—well that’s like saying humans get 5’8” tall. Like, some of them do! So, American gardeners, know your growing zone, and let the buyer beware.
What he does well is help you give your garden structure. If you need a central plan for your space, he’s the one to talk to. If this intro book works for you, his bigger book on HOW to design from the ground up is worth your time, in that case.
July 6, 2018
A heavy, full-color, picture-loaded compendium of small garden ideas. Tips, plans, ideas, resources, plant index and did I mention full-color images? Lots of them. Walkways, fencing, water features, lighting, seating, decor. Just a lovely 300+ page book of fun for any gardener. I have many pages tabbed for later implementation in my own garden. Always a sure sign of a good book.
February 20, 2011
I really enjoyed this book, I don't regret for a second that I bought it. To say something about the title: it's really appropriate. I was surprised at first to see several entire chapters dedicated to roof gardens and small basement entrances. The book is full of great detailed photographs and it is a real pleasure to read even if you are not interested in applying some of the methods/ principles to your own garden.
I guess this is a one I'll re-read again and again.
I guess this is a one I'll re-read again and again.
February 26, 2008
The best thing about this book is the wealth of pictures of wonderful small spaces -- inspiration for when you're looking at a small, unappealing space and wondering what to do next with it. There's a small section about plants at the back, but the core of the book is about creating a place for people, rather than a place for plants.
June 2, 2023
I have read this so often that it is quite part of my gardening life. This time I realised how much it was part of the garden room and making the outside like the inside movement, with little focus on plants.
August 30, 2024
The Small Garden is a lovely escape for gardening enthusiasts and dreamers like me. We might not have the wherewithal to create our own little piece of paradise but at least through these pages we can dream.
April 28, 2019
The author and I have VERY different ideas on what makes a small garden, but the garden design ideas and guides in here are very, very good.
August 4, 2019
Very inspirational. Love it.
October 22, 2019
Useful when I had a garden.
August 25, 2009
Small gardens present the gardener with a host of problems, but also with the rare opportunity to demonstrate a flair for creativity and style in a small setting. In this book, the reader is treated to many wonderful ideas of how to use flowers and plantings to best advantage. Scale must be maintained in a small garden and the color photographs in this book will help guide the gardener establish a truly tranquil and beautiful setting in even the smallest of spaces. Well worth it.
May 18, 2013
I think the author has a different definition of "small" than I do. If your "small garden" is a sizable courtyard with room for trees, shrubs, benches, sheds and statues, then this is the book for you.
For the rest of us...well,the pictures are beautiful. And the design advice is sound.
For the rest of us...well,the pictures are beautiful. And the design advice is sound.
February 9, 2016
This garden book was so suspenseful! The barcode shows a different title w the correct description. This book has lovely before and after photos, with a descriptive how to section in the back. I'll refer to this as projects come up.
Want to Read
December 24, 2007Saw at book store.
February 21, 2008
I read an older version, but let me tell you - when he means 'Small Gardens' he means SMALL gardens!! It's fantastic!
October 3, 2009
Great ideas from hard landscaping to soft. A modern can-do aesthetic.
A great reference.
A great reference.
December 15, 2011
EXACTLY what I wanted it to be - a book about creating livable, beautiful outdoor space when you have more than a windowbox but less than anything measured by the acre. With a lot of pictures.
May 20, 2012
It wasn't what I expected. It didn't have a lot of ideas I liked and had information I would like to have known such as wether it liked shade, sun etc.
June 8, 2013
Has a good selection of example garden designs from which to take inspiration.
February 17, 2016
Love this book - piles of ideas, very concise. Brookes deserves his renown.
March 3, 2016
Awesome pictures, clear text, lots of variety, well laid out and organized.
July 2, 2016
Extremely comprehensive! A great reference.
May 2, 2008
I love the fresh look this book gives to small spaces.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews