Viridarium Library of Garden Classics
2 total works
This concise guide is perfect for anyone with an Edwardian, or fashionable late Victorian, house who wants a contemporary yet period garden. The subtitle is 'How to Plan and How to Plant Them', and contained within are nine plans for gardens, each with a perspective - unprecedented from any designer of this date. The perspectives are so good that they have been enlarged and reprinted at the back of this new edition. Born in 1864 in Victorian Britain, William Rogers created with this book a unique snapshot into a previous era. It presents a picture of a middle class garden designer who says what he thinks, and it's very refreshing! Although not very politically correct, the book is hard to put down and often very amusing.
This book is much expanded and enlarged from the author's first book - Villa Gardens - which he published in 1902. Drawing on the works of Mawson, Robinson and others, William Rogers provides a 'classic' view of - and a fascinating insight into - early 20th century design. Little is known about him as a designer of historical note, but he lays claim to having designed some 'hundreds of gardens'. By their small and urban nature few, if any, survive but Rogers was obviously at the vanguard of urban garden design, with a predisposition to the fashionable flower garden rather than the vegetable garden. The black and white plans throughout the book are inspiring in their simplicity, and give classic solutions to urban garden shapes. As the author maintains, "the cost of good design is a trifling sum on the total outlay, and it invariably justifies itself". The original advertisements, refecting the period, are included at the end of the book.