Cuttings: A Year in the Garden with Christopher Lloyd - Hardcover

Lloyd, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0701181346 ISBN 13: 9780701181345

Publisher: Random House UK, 2007

Synopsis

In the tradition of Gertude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West, Christopher Lloyd established an English country garden at Great Dixter in East Sussex, where he not only demonstrated his bold ideas but also wrote the books and journalism that profoundly influenced generations of garden-lovers. He constantly reshaped and replanted his garden at Great Dixter, because, as he said: "We don't want to be wishy-washy on the fence." He loved color, praising "extra oomph" and "the immense value of red" - and he hated fashion ("that awful phrase, good taste"). This selection from his columns in the Guardian reflects his passions and challenges, his eagerness to experiment, his appetites, and his prodigious knowledge as a plantsman. His journalism is as vigorous as his gardening style -advising, entertaining, and cajoling his readers as he guides them through the gardening year. Arranged to cover the seasons from January to December, this magical book will delight all who love good gardening and good writing.   

About this title

About the Author

Christopher Lloyd, the youngest of 6 children, was born at Great Dixter, a Lutyens house and garden, where his father designed the sunk garden and planted the yew hedges and his formidable mother (known at Great Dixter as "the Management") taught him to garden. Educated at Rugby and Cambridge, he served in the army during the war before taking a BS in horticulture at Wye College, where he also worked as a lecturer. He served in the Army during the war, but in 1954, he returned to set up a nursery specialising in unusual plants in Great Dixter, where he lived for the rest of his long life. He published numerous very successful gardening books, and made a name for himself as the foremost British gardener and British garden writer of his generation. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Open University and an OBE for his services to horticulture, but it was the Royal Horticultural Societies Victoria Medal of Honor (VMH) that gave him the greatest satisfaction. He died, aged 84, in 2006. His previous books include The Well-Tempered Garden and Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure, a collaboration with his head gardener, Fergus Garrett. Preface by Beth Chatto, who has won 10 consecutive gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show. In 1960, she began Beth Chatto Gardens, which she created from a wasteland in Essex. She collaborated with Christopher Lloyd in publishing their letters in book form (Dear Friend and Gardener, 1998).

Introduction by Stephen Anderton, who - at the request of Christopher Lloyd himself - is writing the official biography, with the suppport of the Trustees of Great Dixter. Previously manager of historica garden restoration projects for English Heritage, Stephen Anderton is a freelance garden journalist, author and lecturer. He writes a weekly column for The Times.

Review

"Christopher Lloyd’s was a maverick voice in the panoply of twentieth-century gardeners, but one which spoke with such an unparalleled authority and enthusiasm that it is certain to endure."  —TLS

"One of the greatest gardeners of the 20th century . . . this celebration of a lifetime of adventurous horticulture will delight all who love good gardening and writing."  —Manchester Evening News

"The ideal book to inspire gardeners, both beginners and those with green-fingered experience."  —The Good Book Guide

"As with the best gardens, this is a book to stroll in . . . infused with a lovely combination of light touch, deep passion, and technical exactness."  —Michael Fishwick, Oldie

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House UK
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0701181346
• ISBN 13: 9780701181345
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 416