Product Description

This new reference book is for all those professionals, agents, owners, designers and managers concerned with the many aspects of managing historic gardens, parks and design landscapes. The comprehensive scope emphasizes the importance of the principles of management, and the historic, scientific, botanical, horticultural, economic, legal and technical aspects essential for success. There is no other up-to-date book on the subject; the last one was written in 1982.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #150496 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Review
'Never before has such a wealth of advice and information been assembled alongside historical perspectives.' John Sales (Acclaimed horticulture teacher) (Horticulture Week )

This [title] may not sound relevant to those who do not occupy stately homes,but the advice on best practice in this terrific book is just what gardeners have been waiting for….Much of the information, scaled down, is invaluable to ordinary gardeners…At £35 it is an expensive book, but it more than earns its price. In it I discovered plenty of things I did not know….The focus of the book is how to garden like pros, as well as how to save money and time...The advice on best practice in this terrific book is just what gardeners have been waiting for. (Daily Telegraph )

This is the all-singing, all-dancing reference manual for professional gardeners, garden managers and students of gardening… If you only have space or finance for one reference book in your garden office or bait room, I would suggest that it should be this one. (Professional Gardener )

About the Author
John Watkins has been Head of Gardens and Landscape at English Heritage since 1999, providing policy advice and technical guidance on the maintenance and management of designed landscapes and historic parks and gardens. Formerly Senior Lecturer at Hadlow College in Kent, he has worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Edinburgh and Kew, the National Trust for Scotland and the RHS at Wisley and Hyde Hall. He is on the management board of Plant Network and is a Trustee of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. He has served as an examiner for the RHS examinations, judges at RHS shows and represents English Heritage on the Green Flag Board.

Thomas Wright has managed historic landscapes for more than 40 years. A boyhood addiction to plants, gardens and Natural History led to a degree in Horticulture at Wye College in Kent. Since then his commissions have included Hampton Court Palace gardens, Chatsworth, Grimsthorpe Castle, Firle Place, Holker Hall, some National Trust gardens and other private estates and gardens in the UK, France, Italy and Austria. He has written and contributed to several books and has lectured widely in the UK and overseas. He lives in West Sussex where he can wake up to an inspirational view of the South Downs.

Customer Reviews

Remarkably comprehensive, excellent value
This well-written book is of wider interest than the title suggests - definitely not a dry academic book, and of interest to garden visitors as well as gardeners & property managers. Amongst *many* other things, it contains a potted history of English gardening, many helpful hints on garden plants, soils and structures, detailed coverage (with some revealing figures) of the costs of a garden, advice on running a visitor attraction, and so on. All this is conveyed through a judicious balance of principle and practice, with many well-chosen pictures (400+). Given its size and full-colour illustration, the book is very reasonably priced. Warmly recommended.

Excellent book on a neglected topic
Despite the rather unwieldy title this is an excellent in-depth manual.

It looks gorgeous, is very detailed and rich with information, and is easy to navigate. It has three parts, the third of which is a series of ten case studies.

A lot of this book will be relevant to botanic gardens managers, particularly the sections on "Managing historic parks and gardens" and Part Two: "The Living Garden Landscape".

The emphasis however, is very much upon the British scenario with chapters on topics such as "The Legal Framework" which I doubt will have much relevance outside the UK or even for botanic gardens within the UK.

Nevertheless I am sure it would be a very welcome addition to the sparsely inhabited shelf of a botanic garden management bookcase. I guess we just need Frances Lincoln to commission another book like this, specifically for the world's botanic gardens, and the shelf will be complete!