Bedtime reading

Oooh! All new ones to me. I was wondering about the Beth Chatto one, as I have all...I think...of her other books. Let me know what it's like, won't you! I've just finished reading 'Dear Friend and Gardener' which is such a good read!

I have three by Christopher Lloyd - but not that one. I think that might have to go on my 'get' list!

Happy reading :o)

Hope you enjoy reading your books....

I hope that you enjoy them all. Please report back when you have read them.
Spritz: Is "Dear friend and gardener" a Beth Chatto book? as if it's agood read I'd like to get hold of a copy.

spritz - I wouldn't bother with the Chirstopher Lloyd one on Cottage Gardens, it's not one of his better ones. Which of his do you have?
The Margery Fish ones are good although a bit muddled (like her garden).

Those should really help you relax. They are very nice looking books.

I love Beverly Nichols' books, especially the Garden Open Today and Garden Open Tomorrow. They are about his last garden which I pass most days on my way to the park.

I am not a reader really, but the gardening in the shade one looks interesting.

Reading at bedtime is very good for unwinding...they look nice books Wagger.

Andrew - I have 'The well-tempered Garden', 'Cuttings' and 'Colour for Adventurous Gardeners'. All worth reading and returning to again and again.

Toto - 'Dear Friend and Gardener' is a set of letters from Beth C. to Christo L. and vice-versa. Their conversations are fascinating - about gardening and plants naturally, but other things as well about their close friendship and insights into their lives. :-))

I will give my studied opinion of these books at a later date. (How pompous is that?)
I've just found another one that goes immediately onto my 'wish list'. It's called :
Outwitting Squirrels: 101 Cunning Stratagems to Reduce Dramatically the Egregious Misappropriation of Seed from Your Birdfeeder by Squirrels

Wow. I guess this one would be in the Fiction section Wagger?

spritz - I'd also recommend "Successional Planting for Adventurous Gardeners" by himself

Thanks - I might treat myself. :-))

Have you got your B. Chatto catalogue? I am browsing through that.

Wagger - now that is good bedtime reading! Lots of pictures of lots of lovely plants! Sweet dreams......mmmmmmmm......

I have C Lloyds, Cuttings and am awaiting The Well-Tempered Garden which my son has bought for my birthday. I picked up one called The Spirit of The Garden by John Hedgecoe and Patrick Taylor. You'd adore it Barbara as it is packed with photographs of gardens around the world including Isola Bella and Isola Madre which I didn't take pics of for some reason.

How could you NOT, Pip? Isola Madre is the most beautiful, magical place......:-))))))) Better than I. Bella, didn't you think?

I used to be useless at taking photos of anything and although I had my camera I was too busy enjoying myself to even think of taking pics. Lake Maggiore has to be the most wonderful place to be and would love to go back there one day. Stayed in Stresa a beautiful little town. Never mind I now have this book with the most wonderful photos to remnd me

We have some of the same taste I love Cottage Gardens as when I was in England I loved to see the homes and their Lovely Gardens thanks so much for bring these in.

Thanks for the information Spritz.

spritz - I haven't been too impressed with the plants I got from Beth Chatto on the couple of times I've ordered stuff from her. I did buy one plant there when I visited last summer though.
So far, I've ordered from Jacques Amand, Avon Bulbs, Bloms Bulbs and Pottertons (an alpine nursery). Still going through the Burncoose catalogue

Ah, but I went there and chose my own! I do want a couple or three additional ones, the same as I got then. I hope they'll be OK - last year's mail order ones were fine.

Hee, Hee, it sounds like you are me!! I go to charity shops and always come out with some book or other - at least with gardening books fashions may change but to be honest gardening doesnt change that much and sometimes we could all learn new things (or old as the case maybe!!) I love finding Geoff Hamiltons books as I'm always learning things from him!

If you come across either of the Graham Stuart Thomas books on shrubs or perennials, they are excellent reference books. Short on pictures but pretty comprehensive (although they don't have any of the newer varieties of course)

Ive just finished the Ivington Diaries by Monty Don which is about the development of his own garden over the last 10 years. i find his books combine good gardening advice with a lovely descriptive prose, eg when writing about the month of May...."it always seems to me that May is like that desiccated paper confetti that you drop into a glass of water and watch grow out into a full, blossomy underwater bloom. Everything expands in May- light, day length, warmth and above all the sensation of being truly, richly alive".(Swoon-I think he's lovely!) on a more practical note Allotment month by month by Alan Buckingham is super for new allotment holders or for anyone wanting to grow food in their garden. it gives advice on when to plant, how to plant and the best varieties to try.

Each to his own - that reads like a lot of tosh to me and - SWOON? Pass the bucket. LOL
Hardly swoonable but give me Christopher Lloyd any day.

I like chris too Wagger. Have his books on colour and meadows. Variety is the spice of life! lol

Hmm I think I agree with you on the Lloyd vs Don debate. The only bed I associate gardeners with has flowers or veg in! Your picture of the Margery Fish book on gardening in shade has reminded me that I used to possess a copy so I shall now root it out - and not a moment too soon!

I went to East Lambrook Manor many years ago, Sarah but it had very recently changed hands and was in the process of being 'brought back'. Would love to go again now. It would fit in well with a visit to Spritzhenry's open day - must start working on the chauffeur, lol.

Another good garden in that direction is Tintinhull. It's National Trust but not open every day so check the NT website first

Thanks for that, Andrew - will add it to the list. It would also be a good time to visit Kelways methinks. Peony Valley will be open then.

Mageth my husband has just finished Monty's book and was very impressed, I think you would like anything written by James Alexander Sinclair, as he is very poetic too, I have his 101 Bold and Beautiful Flowers, which is a Gardeners World mag book, a real cheapie too!!
I am a Christopher Lloyd fan also Sarah Raven.

I havnt came across Sinclair before, must look him up, thanks Dottie

He writes a blog on Gardeners World, and he makes little videos with Joe Swift and Clive ? which are really funny and a bit mad!!

Isn't he the one who wears a hat like mine?

That's the one, I love his blogs, always makes me laugh......

I remember seeing his garden on television once, it had a large lawn area with rows of clipped beech columns which the interviewer thought was child-unfriendly and James insisted they were great goalposts!

And they most probably were, as he does have kids!!

I think they are 'big' kids now, Daisy, lol.

Time flies, I do remember that garden, he has changed the design again......

I missed this blog !
Your bedside reading choices look great, i'd like to have a look at the Christopher Lloyd one in particular.

I too saw that episode showing Sinclairs garden, i quite liked it and his planting.

I haven't got round to that one yet, Louise - I started with the Marjorie Fish books - what an msp her husband seemed, even for the time it was written!

Really ? How awful.

Here's a small example.
'When it came to the subject of making paths I discovered that this was a subject on which Walter had very strong views, and I had many lectures on how to achieve perfection.'
and:
'When we were able to get more manure and I was allowed a little Walter did not like the way I used it.'
or
'...I was only allowed to watch the great ritual of planting dahlias. I think I was permitted to get barrowloads of manure and cans of water, but he would not trust me to do more. In after years, when he could not do the heavy jobs, I had to plant them but he always tood by (over) me to see I didn't cheat.'

I think his life would have been a lot shorter if he had married me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL, LOL, LOL, oh same here !

Poor woman, what a miserable situation to have been in.

I think she enjoyed the garden far more when he was 'gone' and she could plant what she liked where she liked when she liked.

What an awful life to have led .... she would have had the best gardening times 'after him' !

Did you ever see a GW 'special' that Rachel De Thame did on cottage gardening ?
On there she spoke to the new owners of Lambrook Manor and that owner had old film (cine?) footage of Margery in her garden.

Yes, I did see it, Louise. The current owner seems to be far more in tune with the garden than the owners when I visited - back in 1992. It looked very uncared-for and sad though you could see the garden it had been and there were still some wonderful old plantings. I vividly remember two small fruit trees a few feet apart - one had climbing Rosa 'Dorothy Perkins' trained through it and the other one had Clematis viticella purpurea plena elegans trained through it. The effect was stunning, The nursery was worth a visit, I expect it still is so will try to visit again one day and add in a visit to Kelways when the irises are in bloom.

Kelways is not like it used to be - I hope you won't be disappointed, Wagger!
East Lambrook's new owners were at the NGS lunch - they seemed nice people.

Hm! Perhaps I'll be guided by you then, Spritz - there are always other nurseries to explore and gardens to see. I hear there is one open down that way the first two Thursdays in June.

There is a biography on Christopher Lloyd by Stephen Anderton just published. Not much about plants or gardens (well, only indirectly) but a fascinating read nonetheless. If I had a mother like his, she'd have been strangled at birth (come to think of it, my father is a lot like that)

Perhaps reading about her explains some of his temperament and dislike of many women (maybe the ones who reminded him of his mother).