The Laskett: the story of a garden

The Laskett: the story of a garden

by Sir Roy Strong (Author)

Synopsis

This is the story of one man and a garden. It is also the portrait of a marriage expressed through the vision and mystery of creating a garden. Neither the author, Roy Strong, nor his wife, the designer Julia Trevelyan Oman, had foreseen this when they eloped and married in 1971. Over 30 years later they find themselves surrounded by the largest formal garden made in this country since 1945, a garden that has increasingly become recognized as one of the most important laid out in the second half of the 20th century. And yet it was created not only with little money and less labour, but quite unconsciously. But it is not so much the horticultural triumph that will grip the reader as what this garden on the Welsh Borders in Herefordshire has come to mean in the lives of its creators. The Laskett is the tale of a garden as the domain of ghosts and as the habitat of memory.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 272
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Bantam Press
Published: 01 Oct 2003

ISBN 10: 0593050703
ISBN 13: 9780593050705
Book Overview: Roy Strong was awarded the Shakespeare Prize by the FVS Foundation of Hamburg in recognition of his contribution to the arts in the UK. His books include The Story of Britain , The Spirit of Britain , A Country Life and Feast: A History of Grand Eating .

Media Reviews
Ascerbic commentator, strongly opinionated and owner of a very dry, contagious wit, no matter what ones thoughts are of Roy Strong and his wife Julia, together they have created one of the most important and stunning gardens of the last one hundred years. Based on the old, formal style of gardening, the two and a bit acres of The Laskett nestle in the Hertfordshire countryside as if it they had always been there. Both Sir Roy and his wife, the designer Julia Trevelyan Oman, have spent their lives in the heart of the British art world and their talents in garden design reflect this. Strong foundations and innovative, often quirky features transform the garden from a straight Victorian replica to something personal, transcending mere garden and becoming a symbol of their partnership and marriage. Amusingly written in Strong's inimitable style, it is a fascinating insight into the making of this Eden. With assistance, advice and encouragement from horticultural luminaries such as Rosemary Verey and Sir Geoffrey Jellico, Sir Roy has also developed his gardening passion into a career. Now renowned for his books on the subject, he has also advised on gardens as prestigious as Highgrove and that of Sir Elton John. Not everyone's cup of tea, this is still an intriguing glimpse into the birth and development of one of England's great gardens and the lives of its eccentric owners. - Lucy Watson