This book was a lovely Christmas present from my daughter. And I've really enjoyed reading it. As the author points out.....Australian gardens are always kind of "on the edge". On the edge of drought or bushfires or floods or animal or insect attack. It comes with the territory. But some gardeners have been able to overcome this and make the most delightful spaces.
The book is really made up of a series of essays about 19 individual properties in Australia. These are not suburban gardens In the ordinary sense ...these are the gardens of the landed gentry in the main. Though some, such as the house at Birchgrove on Sydney harbour (which I know), are located in the city. But generally speaking it is pretty clear that the owners of these wonderful gardens have some money behind them which has enabled them to invest. Often invest in restoring a heritage building plus invest in restoring or creating some wonderful gardens.
I must pay tribute to the prose. It is interesting, informal but informative. We are given touches of history and details of some of the interesting plantings. I did miss a locality map of where these beautiful gardens were located. But generally there is sufficient detail to get a rough idea of where they are...and i am familiar with many of the localities...if not the exact properties.
I must also pay tribute to Simon Griffiths' wonderful photography. I am in awe of his abilities.
I notice from the angle of the sun in many of his shots, he is clearly an early riser and/or manages to catch that golden moment before he sun sets. But I know from experience just how hard it is to get great photos of gardens in the harsh Australian sunlight with the inevitable contrast between shade and light. And it's not only the lighting...what consummate skill in the angles he's chosen. The book would be nothing without the photos. He is clearly a garden photographer of the highest order. I wonder how many days he got to spend at each property. I guess he did not have the luxury of choosing the season and staying there for a few weeks to get the right weather etc. But not too many wet days there. Mind you, that's generally not the problem with photography in Australia. Oh..and he's used drone photos to great effect in a number of his shots.
I loved the book. Maybe the gardens veer a little towards the English ideals of gardens ..and use imported plant varieties but they do so in a careful way. There seems to be a generally accepted ethos among the owners of the gardens (many seemed to employ professional gardeners to do the actual day to day caring) that they needed the right plant in the right place. And frequently plants had to prove themselves by surviving. I did miss the human touch ...the photos of the owners or gardeners; I don't think a human appears in any of the photos. Maybe this was deliberate.
I did like the Alice Springs Park/botanical gardens that were clearly working with native species but also enjoyed the coolness and lovely design of most of the gardens. They are truly inspirational and a credit to designers and those who have put the labour and love into developing and maintaining them. A great book. ( )