What do you think?
Rate this book
Small Period Gardens
Presents designs, styles, and planting tips for creating gardens reminiscent of periods ranging from the 1400s to the 1900s
- GenresGardening
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 1992
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Roy Strong
175 books27 followersSir Roy Colin Strong FRSL (23 August 1935 - ) is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer.
He has been director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He was knighted in 1983.
He has been director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He was knighted in 1983.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 7, 2017
Be still my heart. I want to run outside, tear out all my hard work & completely redo my garden. Well, maybe that's a touch on the dramatic side but oh how I wish I'd found these books by Sir Roy Strong when I was first designing my garden. Let's just say I would run out of complimentary words long before I could finish conveying how fabulous this book is.
There is a sentence in the cover forward that says, "Small Period Gardens will enable anyone to make a garden entirely in keeping with the date and architecture of their home." That is a concept to get behind! Most of the gardeners I know plant what they like, a lot of times haphazardly & with varying degrees of success, but definitely without a thought of matching their garden style with the style of their home. It was an epiphany for me, the day I read those words, for I will always, always take this thought into consideration in future gardens & even remodels of my current one.
In this book, Sir Roy segments gardens into "periods," starting in the 1420's and ending in the 1940's. I hadn't realized that gardening styles changed so much over history but now it seems a crazy oversight. Like fashion, furniture or anything else, nothing remains stagnant so why would a garden?? I had several favorite periods but I think my heart is really with the Italian Renaissance Garden simply because it involves "compartments." I've sort of been following that method in designing my own garden without realizing it was an actual style. It just seemed easier (labor & budget wise) to design a bit at a time instead of trying to tackle the whole garden all at once. Like the last book I read of his 'Creating Small Formal Gardens,' there are plans included for each style & even more exciting ~ plant lists for each period! Oh my goodness! You are my hero Sir Roy Strong. I can only imagine how long it took to compile a book as comprehensive as this one. I like adapting ideas to work in my tiny plot and this book will make that process a lot easier. If you aren't inclined to redo, start or adapt a current garden, but you just love a good garden book (full of photo eye candy) and packed with information, this one will not disappoint.
I will be immersing myself in its contents again and again over the next few snowy months and maybe even checking out a few more of Sir Roy Strongs other books. He was an amazingly prolific writer on more subjects than just gardening!
There is a sentence in the cover forward that says, "Small Period Gardens will enable anyone to make a garden entirely in keeping with the date and architecture of their home." That is a concept to get behind! Most of the gardeners I know plant what they like, a lot of times haphazardly & with varying degrees of success, but definitely without a thought of matching their garden style with the style of their home. It was an epiphany for me, the day I read those words, for I will always, always take this thought into consideration in future gardens & even remodels of my current one.
In this book, Sir Roy segments gardens into "periods," starting in the 1420's and ending in the 1940's. I hadn't realized that gardening styles changed so much over history but now it seems a crazy oversight. Like fashion, furniture or anything else, nothing remains stagnant so why would a garden?? I had several favorite periods but I think my heart is really with the Italian Renaissance Garden simply because it involves "compartments." I've sort of been following that method in designing my own garden without realizing it was an actual style. It just seemed easier (labor & budget wise) to design a bit at a time instead of trying to tackle the whole garden all at once. Like the last book I read of his 'Creating Small Formal Gardens,' there are plans included for each style & even more exciting ~ plant lists for each period! Oh my goodness! You are my hero Sir Roy Strong. I can only imagine how long it took to compile a book as comprehensive as this one. I like adapting ideas to work in my tiny plot and this book will make that process a lot easier. If you aren't inclined to redo, start or adapt a current garden, but you just love a good garden book (full of photo eye candy) and packed with information, this one will not disappoint.
I will be immersing myself in its contents again and again over the next few snowy months and maybe even checking out a few more of Sir Roy Strongs other books. He was an amazingly prolific writer on more subjects than just gardening!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews