Book Review & Giveaway:The Art of Gardening

Pause for a second and think: when are you at your most creative in the garden?

R. William Thomas, director and head gardener at Chanticleer, begins each day with a walk around the gardens accompanied by his corgi Jesse. It is on these morning strolls that he takes a critical look at what is working in the garden and what needs to be changed or moved. Could a particular flowerbed be better? Perhaps it is time to try something new? While he considers questions like this; he pauses to pull the odd weed, prune the occasional branch.

In his travels, Bill Thomas meets with the garden's staff and listens to their latest ideas. Most of these creative discussions are accompanied by plenty of excited hand waving. Design is often a solitary creative act, but at Chanticleer it is a collaborative exercise.

When I read the passage in the book The Art of Gardening in which Bill Thomas describes his daily wander through the garden, I could absolutely relate to his experience. Before I begin any work, I take a turn around the garden with my two dogs in tow. I admire what's blooming and make mental notes on what chores need to be done. Almost always I get distracted by some problem or surprise.

For me, this is when I am the most creative in the garden. I dream. I ponder. I plan.

Though I sometimes tire of the hard physical work that gardening entails, but I never ever tire of the the creative process I think of as the "art of gardening".

Taken from The Art of Gardening © Copyright 2015 by the Chanticleer Foundation. All rights reserved. 
Published by Timber Press, Portland OR. Used by permission of the publisher.

Let me tell you a bit more about Chanticleer.

Located just outside of Philadelphia, Chanticleer is was originally built as a summer home for the wealthy Rosengarten family. As a bit of humour, the estate was named after the grand, yet heavily mortgaged Chanticlere in Thackeray's 1855 novel  The Newcomes. Today the entire property is managed by the Chanticleer Foundation and the garden is open for the education and enjoyment of the public. 

In the years since becoming a "pleasure garden" much has changed at Chanticleer. It has evolved from a country estate to a dynamic, contemporary garden that has garnished an international reputation for its innovative plantings.

Chanticleer's design, and even the furniture, gates and bridges arise from the combined efforts of the gardening staff. Because the gardeners are encouraged to be inventive, the garden changes dynamically from year to year and even season to season.

Taken from The Art of Gardening © Copyright 2015 by the Chanticleer Foundation. All rights reserved. 

Published by Timber Press, Portland OR. Used by permission of the publisher.

It seems only fitting that an innovative garden would spawn a novel gardening book.

Most books are written by one or maybe two people. The Art of Gardening however, is written by the large team of horticulturalists responsible for making Chanticleer the groundbreaking garden that it has become.

The result is a refreshing mix of voices and blend of viewpoints on a wide range of gardening related topics. By way of example, here are three distinct and interesting perspectives on color from the book:

Doug Croft: "I think of using color in the garden like I approach investing- diversification is the key."*

Emma Seniuk: "I delight in combining colors that others might consider discordant, like orange and magenta. Color is, after all, not just color. There are hues, tones, and saturations to consider... Color like many other things in life is complicated."*

Joe Henderson: " I am dazzled by color and want it bright, searing, and unencumbered by fashionable trends."*

* Excerpted from The Art of Gardening © Copyright 2015 by the Chanticleer Foundation. All rights reserved. Published by Timber Press, Portland OR.  Pg. 156-7.

Taken from The Art of Gardening © Copyright 2015 by the Chanticleer Foundation. All rights reserved. 

Published by Timber Press, Portland OR. Used by permission of the publisher.

What does a book on a large public garden have for you the home gardener? 

Well, the book offers the reader a nice blend of inspiration and practical craft that can easily be transferred to the smaller space. While it is a sizeable public garden, Chanticleer is made up of a series of smaller garden "rooms" that have a scale similar to most residential gardens. 

Taken from The Art of Gardening © Copyright 2015 by the Chanticleer Foundation. All rights reserved. 

Published by Timber Press, Portland OR. Used by permission of the publisher.

In gardening as in design, there is no right and wrong. Rules are only made to be broken. Though it isn't always regarded as such, I do believe gardening is an art form. It takes artistry to combine colors, textures, scents and sounds in a way that is pleasing to the senses. 

While it involves a lot of hard, but satisfying physical work, I think it is the creative challenges that make gardening so appealing. 

Taken from The Art of Gardening © Copyright 2015 by the Chanticleer Foundation. All rights reserved. Published by Timber Press, Portland OR. Used by permission of the publisher.

The Art of Gardening is a book you might want to consider adding to your Christmas wish list. Filled with gorgeous photography, it will see you through the bleak winter months with lots of inspiration for your garden next spring.

The Art of Gardening at a Glance:

Book Authors: R William Thomas and the Chanticleer Gardeners

Photographer: Rob Cardillo

Publisher: Timber Press

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 338 pp.

Images: 276 color photos

Thomas Allen & Sons has given me a review copy of the new book: The Art of Chanticleer. I am going to give it away to one lucky reader.

Leave a comment if you would like to be included in the book draw. The draw will remain open for the next 7 days. If you are not a blogger, you can enter to win on the Three Dogs in a Garden Facebook page. Please make sure there is a way for me to track down your email address should your name be drawn.