The Wild Garden / Or Our Groves and Gardens Made Beautiful by the Naturalisation of Hardy Exotic Plants; Being One Way Onwards from the Dark Ages

The author advocates introducing hardy exotic plants into gardens and woodlands so they naturalize, thrive with little care, and create richer, more varied plantings than formal flowerbeds. He defines the wild garden as the deliberate naturalisation of these hardy exotics in places where they will establish and resemble spontaneous growth, distinguishing this method from wilderness planting, rock gardens, or highly cultivated borders. Clear, illustrated chapters provide practical examples and species groups—bulbs, perennials, climbers, brookside and bog plants, roses, and wall and hedgerow treatments—and advice on combining them. The book includes guidance for adapting the approach to small gardens, shrubberies, and large parks, with a specific proposal for improving bare park borders. Drawings show successful plant combinations and seasonal effects.