Roman Gardens by Anthony Beeson (Amberley Publishing, Oct 2019)
‘This book looks at the origins of ancient Roman garden design and its Greek influences. It includes the use and design of private domestic gardens as well as those connected to theatres and temples. Gardens connected to mausolea are also included. It shows how rooms were designed to afford the best views of the gardens. Special attention is paid to Roman water gardens, their pools and fountain designs. Nymphaea, garden ornaments, sundials, trellising, topiary and plants are included. The many illustrations are drawn from the author’s collections and have been taken over decades of study throughout the Roman Empire.’
A Guide to Medieval Gardens by Michael Brown (White Owl, January 2022)
Medieval gardens usually rate very few pages in the garden history books. The general perception is still of small gardens in the corner of a castle. Recent research has shown that the gardens were larger than we previously believed. This book contains information and pictures that have not been generally available before, including the theory and practice of medieval horticulture. Many features of later gardens were already a part of medieval gardens. The number of plants was limited but was still no less than many modern gardeners use in their own gardens today. Yet medieval gardens were imbued with meaning. Whether secular or religious, the additional dimension of symbolism, gave a greater depth to medieval gardens, which is lacking in most modern ones. This book will be of interest to those who know little about medieval gardens and to those with more knowledge. It contains some of the vast amount of research that the author carried out to create the medieval gardens at the Prebendal Manor, Nassington, Northamptonshire. The author has tried to use previously unused sources and included his own practical experience of medieval gardening methods that he carried out to maintain the gardens. Some worked, others certainly didn't.)
The Renaissance Garden in England by Roy Strong (Thames & Hudson 1979, 1998).
The Genius of the Place: The English Landscape Garden 1620-1820 Hunt, John Dixon & Willis, Peter (eds.), (Paul Elek, 1975 and later editions).
Gardens of Court and Country: English Design 1630 –1730 by David Jacques (April 2017)
The English Landscape Garden: A survey by Michael Symes (Historic England, April 2019)
‘The story of the landscape garden is complex, multi-layered and constantly changing in emphasis for such an apparently simple and straightforward construct. This book will help to uncover some of the richness that lies behind a meaningful part of the environment.’
The Flowering of the Landscape: English Pleasure Grounds 1720-1800 by Mark Laird (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999).
Setting the Scene: A Garden Design Masterclass from Repton to the Modern Age by George Carter
The Secret Life of the Georgian Garden by Kate Felus, Tauris (July 2016)
Although not a book about Brown per se, his landscapes do feature frequently in this new book, described by The Times as ‘a pioneering work and… a thoroughly entertaining read’, which provides a social context to Georgian gardens. The book explores how people used and experienced typical elements of Browns’ designs such as circuit drives and walks, lakes and eye-catchers.’
Victorian Gardens by Brent Elliott (Batsford, 1986).
People’s Parks: The Design and Development of Victorian Parks in Britain by Hazel Conway (Cambridge UP, 1991).
Modern Garden Design by Janet Waymark, (Thames & Hudson, 2003).
The Modern Garden by Jane Brown, (Thames and Hudson, 2000).
Thinking a Modern Landscape Architecture, West & East: Christopher Tunnard, Sutemi Horiguchi by Marc Treib (ORO Editions. May 2020)
‘The complex story of modern landscape architecture remains to be written, as does its precise definition.’ This new book by one of the field’s most prolific and insightful authors, provides a rare cross-cultural study that examines the written and design contributions made by two of the movement’s most influential early protagonists: Christopher Tunnard (1910-1979) in England – and later the United States, and Sutemi Horiguchi (1896-1984) in Japan’……and offers the first compressive study into their thinking, landscape designs, and consequent influence on landscape architecture in the years that followed.’ The book is lavishly illustrated with 150 historical and contemporary photos and drawings.
100 20th-Century Gardens and Landscapes (Twentieth Century Society, March 2020)
Described as ‘A showcase of Britain’s most extraordinary gardens and landscapes from the twentieth century to present day’ this new book by the Twentieth Century Society ‘highlights the evolution of gardens and landscapes over the past century, tracing how these distinctive creations complemented buildings of their period. Entries in this book are grouped in chronological periods, documenting changing styles and techniques in a visual timeline’.
Amongst the designers featured are Piet Oudolf, Charles Jencks, Frederick Gibberd, Geoffrey Jellicoe, Vita Sackville-West and Gertrude Jekyll and there are essays on the history of gardens, planting styles, and the importance of modern landscapes. The text is written by architectural, landscape and garden historians including Elain Harwood, Barbara Simms and Alan Powers.