Book Review: Russell Page. The Education of a Gardener.

This is one of the most engaging books on garden design I have come across and yet it has no glossy colour photographs or clever grid patterns to entice you in.  Instead it sets out the philosophy and practice of garden design from a gardener who studied painting at the Slade School in the late 1940’s and spent the remainder of his life designing gardens for a wide range of clients.  Russell Page applied his understanding of style, colour, composition and design to the creation of gardens of all shapes and sizes in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.  The book is immensely readable, brought to life with stories and black and white illustrations of gardens he has designed.

His book explores the importance of the interplay between objects, organic or inorganic, in creating ‘magic’ in a garden.  He talks about the importance of harmony “linking people to nature, house to landscape, the plant to its soil” and stresses the value of learning through physical contact with plants and soil.  He describes his process for designing a garden and outlines the many questions he asks of his clients and himself.  Not all of his examples on a grand scale, although many of them are.  In Section Two of the book he offers many examples from town gardens to public spaces and explores the garden styles of France, Switzerland and Italy.

The curious thing is that Page did not have his own garden except in his imagination.  He describes it perfectly in his final chapter.  This is well worth a read for any gardener and for those who love visiting gardens.

Note:  The book was first published by Random House in 1983.  The cover as shown above was published by Vintage Publishing in 2023.

Reviewer: Margaret Williamson: Margaret retired recently as is an organisation development consultant and coach.  She is a member of the Caley Council and a committee member of the Federation of Allotment Garden Associations (FEDAGA) as well as an enthusiastic grower of fruit and veg on her Edinburgh allotment. Margaret is currently studying Horticulture and Plantsmanship at SRUC.