Paddy Tobin, An Irish Gardener
Our garden, gardens visited, occasional thoughts and book reviews
It was in 1997 that there was great commotion and hullabaloo over the "amateur" gardener who was awarded a gold medal for the garden she built and designed at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show. It seemed that the previous twenty two years she had gardened at her home, Helmingham Hall in Sullolk, did … Continue reading A Garden Well Placed
This was the most interesting, enjoyable and informative book I’ve read in ages! At its very simplest, this book acts as a guide to 100 of the most significant gardens of the world with insights into their backgrounds, their cultural influences and place within the history of landscape design. However, the selection is arranged … Continue reading The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens.
The Private Gardens of SMI Landscape Architecture – edited by Jorge Sanchez It might not be immediately obvious what relevance or appeal a book on American gardens – almost all in Florida – would have for an Irish readership but the value of this book become obvious very quickly. Here we are presented with an … Continue reading Yes, I Could Live There!
Humphrey Repton, one of the greatest landscape designers of the world, died in 1818 yet George Carter shows that his thoughts on gardens and design are as pertinent, relevant and applicable today as when he alive. Read all in Setting the Scene: A Garden Design Masterclass from Repton to the Modern Age George Carter has had … Continue reading A Masterclass from Two Masters!
John Brookes made garden designers of us all and his final book, A Landscape Legacy, is to be treasured. There have been other books over the years, a great legacy of gardens, and we are most fortunate that he has, at the very end of his life, written this present volume which he describes as … Continue reading A Scrapbook of Things that Caught my Eye!
The garden which draws you back has obviously something which attracts you. My first visit to Wollerton Old Hall, near Market Drayton, Shropshire, England, was an unfortunate disaster. I loved the garden but was so ill that it was a challenge to enjoy it. I went to hospital in Chester that evening and spent a … Continue reading Wollerton Old Hall and Connected Thoughts!
Armchair gardening is hugely popular. We have regular garden shows, garden festivals, books, newspapers, magazines, television programmes and eternal reruns on YouTube. There certainly is no lack of inspiration for the novices who wishes to create their own green paradise, their own room outside, their own Extra Room and who better to guide them along … Continue reading The Extra Room – A Review!
The Overview! The extraordinary range of approaches and styles one sees in gardens throughout the world, in different countries and different cultures can be quite bewildering. It is fortunate to have one such as John Dixon Hunt, who seems to have a comprehensive knowledge and grasp of all matters of garden design, to organise such … Continue reading The Making of Place
The Garden Awakening The essence of what Mary Reynolds has to say in The Garden Awakening is not only good and worthwhile but essential for our health and the health of our planet. We must take care of this earth and garden in a manner which respects the land rather than do harm to it. … Continue reading Gardening with Good Intentions
Paddy Tobin, An Irish Gardener 