The American Man's Garden, Rosemary Verey, Bulfinch Press, 1990
While it may seem odd to start our series of book reviews with a 16 year old book seemingly restricted to half of the population in only one country, this book is timely for several reasons. The last in a series that includes The American Woman's Garden and volumes covering English gardeners, The American Man's Garden is well-written and beautifully photographed. At this time of year, when planting chores are coming to an end, it is energizing to sit down and read about gardens that others have created. The gardens in this volume are largely private gardens that most will not have visited, or, indeed, even read about. As Alan Lacy says in the Foreword, the book 'has much to teach about plants that are worth trying, about particularly successful combinations of plants, and about...gardening for love.'
The main reason that I have had this book off my shelf several times in the last year, however, is that one of the gardens featured is Western Hills in Occidental. As those of us who loved the nursery mourn its closing, it is heartening and instructive to remember that the lessons from that wonderful garden live on. The piece was written by Marshall Olbrich, who, with his partner, Lester Hawkins, was the garden maker at Western Hills. In recounting their experiences with design, planting and nature, Marshall gives, in my view, the best description of what a garden is that I have ever encountered: "...gardens are compared to paintings and analyzed in similar terms...our garden seems to me more like a rather disorganized novel or drama in which characters come and go, with the good pining away and the wicked sometimes flourishing...I myself sometimes forget the plot and have to be reminded..." What gardener has not often felt the same way!
Other entries are similarly informative and inspirational, and combined with the sumptuous photographs make this book an excellent choice for winter reading. It is out of print but readily available from used book sources such as www.alibris.com. I bought my copy used and was able to get one in excellent condition for a fraction of what it sold for originally.