Country Gardening Country Style

Many gardeners dream of creating a real country garden, full of atmosphere and tranquillity, but such gardens are seen less and less as suburbia encroaches on village life. The aim of this book is to show how to recreate the authentic feel of the country garden and to take the reader on a voyage of discovery through the countryside, explaining how to use what is already there as a guide to designing and planting a beautiful garden. The author challenges fashionable definitions of country style and introduces ways of gardening that aim to be gentler, more relaxed and more enjoyable than conventional methods based on total control of the garden environment. He presents ways of recreating lost features such as meadows, ponds and orchards and discusses the use of traditional materials and styles to harmonize with the surrounding countryside. There are practical suggestions for choosing trees, shrubs and perennials, and for planning gardens to complement various environments, from sturdy stone and moorland to a picturesque thatched village.