Book Review – Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners

Today I am once again I’m joining Holley of ‘Roses and Other Gardening Joys‘ in doing a monthly book review on a favourite gardening book from my personal library. My chosen book this month was a Birthday present from my Brother last year – and how I love this book.

Exoting Planting for Adventurous Gardens by Christopher Lloyd & friends is a beautiful book full of rich colourful photographs showing the exotic plantings of Great Dixter. My copy is hard cover  with beautiful glossy photographs and has pride of place as a “coffee table” book in my living room.

[one_half]Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Book by Christopher Lloyd & friends[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Master Gardener, Christopher Lloyd[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Pages from the book …[/one_half_last]

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[one_half]The view from my ‘reading sofa’[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Sherrie keeps me company on a rainy day[/one_half_last]

I haven’t tried to replicate any of his work (i know my limitations), but it is an inspiring, beautiful book that will enthrall any avid gardener.

From the book sleeve

Christopher Lloyd (1921 – 2006) was one of the twentieth century’s most influential and adventorous gardeners. Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners tells the story of his exotic garden at Great Dixter, which has delighted, and sometimes shocked, summer visitors since it replaced an eighty-year-old, Lutyens-designed rose garden. The bold foliage of palms was combined with handsome, cut-leaved sumach and arching New Zealand flax; statuesque cannas and bright dahlias, threaded with mauve verbena and infilled with annual climbers, added dazzling color from June until the first frosts; and the whole feeling created was one of being wrapped in a voluptuous living community.

For everyone who loves Christopher Lloyd, this book is an unexpected bonus. His last and most adventurous work was almost complete at the time of his death in 2006, and a handful of his gardening friends gladly finished the task. Illustrated with stunning photographs by Jonathan Buckley, Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners both inspires and instructs. Few gardeners will be able to resist Lloyd’s call to “do something outlandish, to splash out, and be freer than ever.”

About Garden Bloggers Book Review

Garden Bloggers Book Review is a monthly meme hosted by Roses and Other Gardening Joys (20th day of the month). Whether its vegetable gardening, flower gardening, specialized gardening, design, landscape, or even fiction (that includes a garden, such as ‘The Secret Garden’), Holley invites you to share your take on the garden books you have read.  “Each of our gardens are different, and each of our tastes in garden books will probably be different – but I think if we tell what we like (or not) about each book, we can get a good sense of the books we might want to add to our collection”.  Join Holley on the 20th of the month and share one of your books with us all.