Perspectives+of+inspiration

In the preface of the book 'Gardens of Inspiration', Erica Hunningher summarised the brief given to fifteen British garden designers invited to write about the places that inspired their life and work by choosing one garden, including their own, to be photographed by Vivien Russell. In response, gardens are described as 'near Nirvana', as havens that bring 'peace beyond belief', as landscapes that shine 'like a beacon' on an entire gardening career. Other responses described important experiences in the development of a personal design philosophy and many inspirations have cast ripples across other aspects of life not just gardening. I have selected a few of the contributions because they are good examples of the powerful influence that specific gardens have had on their creativity. However, I begin with two quotations from 'Making Nature' by Peter Timms. Timms is a professional writer on Australian pottery and Chinese Art, and an amateur urban gardener. He writes about his garden, inspired by the first nature concept of wilderness, as follows:-

//"Whichever way you look at it, this garden of mine is an unashamedly artificial thing, if for no other reason than that it takes little account of these intricate (ecological) inter-relationships. Besides, nature would never contrive to have Olearias, Bursarias, Common cassinia, Mat-rush, Bush parrot pea, Hedge wattle, Hop bush, Austral indigo and dozens of other species all growing together in one small area. But then I never set out to mimic the natural environment, rather to concentrate it — both in form and content. It’s a botanical sample-bag by means of which I try to make the world intelligible (and not just this particular part of it). Of course, like almost any other human enterprise, it can be read as an exercise in power and control, but it is also, surely, an encouragement to curiosity, which implies the voluntary relinquishing of power".
 * Peter Timms**

"One of my favorite boasts to friends about this place used to be that, although it’s only about an hour from the city, you’d hardly know another human being existed once you were here. Perfect really: paradise conveniently located. It’s utter self-delusion, of course, and these days I’m inclined to be much more accommodating towards signs of human presence. I no longer resent the buzz of light aircraft overhead, or the distant dull rumbling of trains rising from the valley, or the whine of trail bikes heading for the tracks in the state forest. Even the occasional logging truck, crawling in first gear down the steep hill with a load of freshly-cut trees, no longer fills me with indignation. With concern, perhaps, but no anger, no sense of frustration. My nature templates are more accomodating these days. In time, I trust, I will completely lose interest in trying to recapture Eden".//

Penelope Hobhouse was inspired by the Tuscan villa of Cetinale (left) to design the main layout of her own garden in Dorset (right)
 * Penelope Hobhouse**



She was impressed by the long north-south vistas which emphasised the east-west axis of the house and the contrast between the managed landscape the wild forest from which it had been carved. Inspiration also came from Cetinale's English garden with a profusion of roses, peonies and irises close to the house, as a foil to the architectural urns and statuary. In her own much smaller garden of Bettiscombe in Dorset, created around an old coach house, she used dark yews and hornbeam alleys to frame the buildings. The view to the Coach House, seen across a sky reflecting rectangular pool is framed by an avenue of yew cones which is repeated in the inner walled garden to link the two areas. Bettiscomb has views out over the Dorset Hills that form a background of buff, brown and green in contrast to the colour of the walled garden on the other side of the house.



The walled garden was inspired by the secret gardens of Italian villas and Tintinhull, a National Trust property where she once lived.

John Brooks is a designer of dynamic living spaces, gardens which are as much for people to enjoy as for plants that thrive in the right conditions. His home Denmans in Sussex reflects his love of architectural form and foliage. His inspiration is Thomas Church's garden at El Novillero in the Sonoma valley of California.
 * John Brookes**

Thomas Church came to believe that a garden has no beginning or end. It was at this garden that John Brookes first saw large areas of cast concrete which Church had stained a tan colour to control the reflection of the bright sunlight.

There is a definite geometry to its free pattern. In the sketch you see the serpentine line which is held in the sheltering straight arms of of the retaining wall encompassing the pool house. Church regarded simplicity of form, line and shape as being more restful to look at and easier to maintain. Central axes were aboandoned in favour of a multiplicity of viewpoints, simple planes and flowing lines.

The band of evergreen live oaks forms the visual boundary with a saltmarsh which extends to a low flat horizon.

Texture and colour, space and form were manipulated in a manner reminiscent of the Cubist painters.

Brookes believes that what is perceived as the typical English garden is based upon planting, much of which is perennial and to a degree therefore transitory. He thinks that the Arts and Crafts movement allowed the British designers to get away with too much rusticity which has neither stood the test of time nor allowed much else to supersede what he terms 'its nooky romanticism'.

Anna Pavord Anna Pavord is a writer. She is the gardening correspondent for the Independent newspaper, associate editor of Gardens Illustrated and the author of widely praised gardening books including The Tulip and the Border Book.

The gardens she likes are those were you feel that you are stepping over the threshold into a different world, Places where you temporarily cast off life's grubbier aspects and float in tranquility. She finds this environment at Mapperton, near Beaminster in Dorset. What Mapperton shows her is the importance of mood in a garden and that spaces or voids are as important as incidents. It also demonstrates to her the imporance of straight lines at a time when garden designers are obsessed with circles and curves. It has also taught her to respect texture in stone, bark moss lichen and massed greens in shrubs and trees. Tubs, urns and well-placed climbers provide punctuation marks.

h



Her own garden is small by comparison. Most of the early work on it concentrated on