Win A Copy Of ‘Remaking A Garden’

/ David Marsden

As promised, here’s another book giveaway.

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It is a treat being sent new books but finding time to read them is a problem.  When Jessica at Frances Lincoln sent me Sir Roy Strong’s latest, I decided to take it with me to the Chelsea Flower Show and read it on the train.  But don’t try this yourself; ‘Remaking A Garden: The Laskett Transformed‘ is pretty heavy.  (And I felt foolishly self-conscious; producing a coffee-table tome from my bag in a busy railway carriage).

However, any awkwardness was quickly dispelled as I turned the pages and read a remarkable story.  I had barely heard of Strong’s garden, ‘The Laskett’, and knew next to nothing about it.

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Starting in the early 70’s, the author and his late wife Julia Trevelyan Oman, built what is considered the largest formal garden created in the UK since the second world war.  After Julia’s death in 2003, and thirty years after starting the garden, Sir Roy realised that it needed a major overhaul; much of it was overgrown, trees and shrubs were too large, views had been lost and a major rethink of the layout required.

It was the idea of photographer Clive Boursnell to produce a book chronicling how Sir Roy and his gardeners would reinvigorate, reshape and replant ‘The Laskett‘.  Boursnell (a one time professional mountaineer and assistant glaciologist – that impressed me) had first visited ‘The Laskett‘ in the mid 1990’s and returned in 2004 to spend twelve months photographing the gardens for ‘Country Life‘.  Living on site in his camper bus, Clive was able to capture the gardens at every hour, at all seasons.  As Stong says, “it is Clive’s pictures that tell the story.”   You’d expect me to say that the book is packed with photos; so I will.  I always enjoy before and after shots and this book is full of them.

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The garden won’t suit everyone’s taste; it is very formal with a lot of clipped yew, box and hedging creating rooms and vistas.  Personally, I love formal gardens but I couldn’t warm to some particulars: the faux temple, painted masonry and some of the statuary, for example.  I do however, applaud a seventy year old’s skill, vision and determination to see through a grand and very big project.  (I am also in awe of his dress style – but I shan’t be emulating him.  At least not just yet).

‘Remaking A Garden‘ is an absorbing chronicle of the huge amount of work involved in creating and then re-developing a garden.  If you have visited ‘The Laskett‘ it will provide all the background and history you could want; from its inception to its rebirth.  And if you haven’t visited, you will wish to.

‘Remaking A Garden‘ has just been published by Frances Lincoln and retails at thirty of your English pounds.  Would you like to own a copy?  Here’s all you need to do:

leave a comment below saying that you wish to enter.

and

please follow ‘The Anxious Gardener’ (if you don’t do so already) – either the blog, on Facebook or Twitter (the appropriate follow buttons are at the top of the right-hand side panel).

The closing date is midnight on Wednesday 4th June 2014.  I’ll draw the winner out of my

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notify the winner by email and add the result to the bottom of this post.  I’m afraid you must have a UK postal address (or the use of one).

Good Luck!

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Sir Roy Strong and Clive Boursnell will be hosting a talk at the Garden Museum on 3rd June where they will be discussing the transformation of ‘The Laskett’ and signing copies of the book.

Further details here – Garden Museum

To order ‘Remaking A Garden: The Laskett Transformed’ at the discounted price of £24.00 including p&p* (RRP: £30.00), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG146. 

*UK ONLY – Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.

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The competition is now closed.  And the winner is Helen (Silverbells2012).  Congratulations.

 

53 thoughts on “Win A Copy Of ‘Remaking A Garden’”

  5. Yes, I would love to read how he has changed his garden as I have the book about how he and his wife made the garden. He came to Plant Heritage in Devon to give us a talk about the garden, a very interesting speaker!

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  9. I’d like to win this so I can look at the pictures. I like seeing photos of very formal gardens. They speak of the peace I rarely achieve in myself. I’m not a very text based person when it comes to garden books so you may not want to include me – but I hope you do.

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  11. I would really love to win this book, I already own the first version and was very interested when I saw there was a sequel. I shall keep my fingers crossed.

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  15. Hello, yes please, I have read one of Sir Roys book before and seem to remember there was a lot about compost and tarpaulin sheets laid over them, but can’t for the life of me remember the books name. I would love to win a copy.

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  16. I’d love to win this book. I know of Sir Roy Strong and his garden The Laskett which I would love to see. At 72 Ive just finished transforming my small plot so I’d like to compare notes!
    Val

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  19. I’d like to enter please. After years of living in a gardenless flat, we are now living in a house with a garden. I’m reading lots of books about garden design and this would be a real inspiration to me. We don’t have a garden large enough for such a grand transformation, but it would be great for ideas and just to see what Roy Strong has achieved. Your post has made me want to find out more about the man and his garden.

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  20. I’d like to read the book, because I know nothing about him or the garden, although I have heard that he divides opinion somewhat. I would like to see it, and I applaud anyone who spends a lot of time building exactly what they want regardless of what others think. I suspect that as you touched upon yourself not all of it would be to my taste too, but fair play to him. However I’m married to a FL author so think it’s probably best not to be included in the draw.

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  21. O.K., one of these times I’m bound to get lucky! 😉 I’d like to enter please. My friend Fred will happily accept the book in his post box in Northern Ireland for me! Thank you! Dana

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  23. I’m not entering the contest or anything — a pesky problem with the address — but wanted to say that I love Roy Strong’s work. I have his books on small gardens and ornament in small gardens and lived and breathed them for a while.

    What’s the difference between an assistant glaciologist and the head glaciologist, do you think? Other than who gets all the glory and fortune, of course.

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    • I’m sorry Stacy – these draws are very discriminatory, aren’t they? To answer your question – assistant glaciologist’s have a much wider official badge than glaciologists and must walk four paces behind them. Their Arctic fur hats aren’t as grand either. (If I’d been Mr Boursnell I might have quietly dropped the ‘assistant’ bit from my CV). D

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