Inspired

My local library is not terribly good. Unless you are in the market for a bestseller, there is not much selection. Thank goodness for the inter-library loan system. I can usually get whatever it is that I am looking for from another library. I have even been able to borrow books from Rutgers courtesy of the Middlesex Library.

Occasionally, though, I do find a gem on the shelves. My current treasure is "The Gardens of Gertrude Jekyll" by Richard Bisgrove. An oversized tome, it has pictures and descriptions of gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll. The author has also reproduced her garden plans changing only the plant names to their modern equivalents as well as making them more legible than her original handwriting and adding water colors to make them easier to imagine, especially the plans for gardens that no longer exist.

Drinking in the wondrous photos, getting lost in the plant lists, and trying to picture vanished gardens, I find myself wanting to make major changes to the beds in my backyard. I have to keep reminding myself that the owners of these gardens had literally acres, virtually unlimited budgets and armies of gardeners whereas I have only my tiny 50x100 lot, a non-existent budget and only my limited spare time for gardening.

Another drawback is that most of the gardens Ms. Jekyll designed were intended to be enjoyed at a particular time such as late summer only. I prefer to have blooms throughout the growing season. I can still draw inspiration from her ideas. For instance, I should to widen my borders. I should also learn to use foliage, such as the iris after it blooms, as part of my planting schemes.

When I have finished this book, I will naturally be looking for something about Vita Sackville-West and the gardens at Sissinghurst.