Each Little World

Angie Lewin in the garden

I am mad for British artists — especially printmakers — whose style is at once decorative and informative, if you can picture that. For me, that group includes the late Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden, and the very much alive Angie Lewin, whose work can be seen at St. Jude's Gallery.

I was immediately smitten with Lewin's work the first time I saw it, not only because of her style but because I own a Coronation mug like the one depicted in her print (above). At the time I first saw that print, there were still a few copies for sale. They cost more than I could afford and now the edition is sold out. But I've discovered a way I can own a bit of Lewin's work.

 ANGIE LEWIN

A new garden anthology, "Garden Wisdom," compiled by Leslie Geddes-Brown, features 20 full color illustrations by Lewin. According to a description by the book's publisher, it features "practical advice" from over 50 eminent gardeners. You'll find Monty Don, Piet Oudolf, and Gertrude Jekyll along with:

"the elegant prose of Sir George Sitwell, evoking the sea-maidens and gold-red fish that might lurk beneath the surface of a water-basin to Vita Sackville-West describing the glories of the scent of thyme and Anna Pavord recounting her tribulations and triumphs with tulips ..."

While you can order "Garden Wisdom" from any number of on-line sources, you might consider using The Book Depository in the U.K. (an unfortunate name choice, however, for an American of my generation). I recently ordered Monty Don's "The Ivington Diaries," from this on-line site after being alerted to both the book and the site by the lovely Cornflower. I was absolutley amazed at the service. The book was listed with a U.K. publication date of October 5. I ordered it on Sunday, Sept. 27 and had it in hand before the end of the week. 

Not only that, but the Book Depository offers free world wide shipping — and the prices on their site are given in U.S. dollars which is always helpful. Though the discount on "Garden Wisdom" is only ten percent, who knows when or if it will be published here in the U.S. Knowing I can order it so easily on the Depository site, makes me much more likely to keep making impulse buys as these wonderful English titles are introduced.  

Inspiration: Catherine Martin

Magazines from around the world are one of my favorite splurges. So the last time I was at Borders, I picked up a copy of the Australian edition of Vogue Living. I've long been a fan of this publication but was intrigued by the cover which declared it was a "Collector's Edition." 

Actually there were four cover choices; three were mirror images with only the colorways slightly changing from cover to cover. I opted for the unique design: an exploded image of the bird using a wider and more dramatic group of colors (far left below). It had the drama and individuality that suggested I'd find something unusual inside the cover.

peoplethings.com

What was unusual was that the entire issue — like the magazines produced by Martha and Oprah — showcased the viewpoint of one woman: Australian Catherine Martin. I'd never heard of Martin who turned out to be the wife of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann and the designer (costumes and sets) for his blockbusters: "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet," "Moulin Rouge," "La Boheme," and "Australia." I've only see the first film on the list which explains my unfamiliarity with the duo. Martin is the magazine's first guest editor in its 40 year history.

I applaud Vogue Living for making such a bold gesture at a time of uncertainty for print media. Indeed at a period that's seen the demise of publications ranging from House & Garden to Southern Accents. I liked what Martin did with the issue from the art direction (by Bazmark's Silvana Azzi Heras) to the choice of subjects. Two things sold me on buying it: the moody bouquets by artist/photographer Kristin Perers and the spread on 17th century Petersham House, located just outside London (above and below), and owned by Gael and Francesco Boglione. 

I've been enamored of Petersham Nursery and Cafe — adjacent to the house for which they're named — since I first heard of them a few years ago. The nursery has an enviable list of plant offerings, and there's a shop with everything for the garden, from tools to antique sculpture. Though I am not likely to make it to Petersham Nursery any time soon, I did send to the U.K. for "A Year in My Kitchen," the cookbook by the cafe's resident culinary genius, Skye Gyngell, before it was released in the U.S. (Gael Boglione and Gyngell are also both Australian).

I've seen tons of shots of the gardens, nursery and cafe/teahouse adjacent to Petersham House; but never the inside of the house itself — until now. The magazine has enough images to satisfy even a domestic voyeur like myself. I was particularly struck by the simplicity and editing visible in every room; especially compared to the lushness of the gardens. You can see it in the two bedrooms pictured here. 

Each has an idea or motif that is the focus of the room. Though focus is perhaps too restrained a word for the exuberance of the red drapes and leather chair in the one room and the enveloping "Tree of Life" wallcovering in the other. What I like about these rooms — and others pictured — is that they belong to a couple with plenty of space and money, yet they've deliberately chosen to keep floors bare and furniture to a minimum. 

In most rooms the color palette is neutral, featuring natural linens and creamy walls with minimal window treatments and large scale paintings and drawings (most subdued in tone as well). These two bedrooms are exceptions in this quiet interior landscape. In one room those glorious drapes beckon you to view the garden outside the window; while in the other room, there's no need to even get out of bed since you're surrounded by a garden. So I herewith offer a special thank you to Catherine Martin for finally giving me a glimpse inside the home whose gardens have charmed me for so long.

Though this special "Collector's Edition" is dated May/June, I just bought my copy a week ago. Thus it appears that this issue will continue to have a viable shelf life long past its initial appearance; and should still be available for you to purchase into the near future. 

Happy Birthday, dear Persephone

If you're lucky enough to be in London today, then you can stop in Persephone Books in Lamb Conduit Street to celebrate this delightful publisher's birthday. "There are cute books, there are beautiful books," said the Irish Times, "and then there are Persephone books."  Quite so. 

Persephone's first book came out in March, 1999. But they note that — like the Queen — they are celebrating in June; today, in fact. There will be all sorts of tempting taste treats on offer as well as a special offer for visitors: three books for the price of two — today only and only in the shop.

My Persephone titles lined up on top of my china cabinet in my red sitting room.

But Persephone has kindly extended that offer to those of us who must buy from abroad for this whole week. I had been thinking about how lovely it would be to have something new from Persephone to read this summer and now here is my chance! Great titles at a great price. The free book will ship surface mail no matter what method you chose for your other two titles. I've discovered on past orders, however, that surface mail is virtually as quick as airmail and in some cases has actually been faster.

What did I order, you ask? One of the most recent titles, "Miss Buncle's Book" by DE Stevenson (No. 81); one of the early titles, "A Woman's Place:1910-75 by Ruth Adam (No. 20, endpaper shown above); and one from the middle. "The Runaway" by Elizabeth Anna Hart with illustrations by Gwen Raverat (No. 37, endpaper shown below). At least that's what I meant to do. I had a bit of difficulty this time deciding which titles to pick, and seem to have messed up my order in my confused state. So I am currently corresponding with Lydia at the shop to be sure I am getting the books I intended!

If you haven't been on Persephone's Web site lately, it's worth a visit. The smart women who run Persephone have added a daily blog post that is a must and the way I now begin my morning. They very aptly describe it as a "parallel in pictures to Persephone Books." The first entry (below) gives a clue as to how those lovely gray book covers originated: 

"The first Persephone book ten years ago this spring, and the most recent: ten years of endpapers wrapped round the grey of a Dean & Deluca cup; first noticed by us in New York in 1998, thereby prompting the question — why can't books look as chic as a coffee cup?"

All Passion Spent

What if Knole, that fairy tale of a castle given to Thomas Sackville by Elizabeth I in 1566, had not been entailed? What if it had passed on to the little girl who grew up there — Vita Sackville-West — instead of going to a distant male cousin who inherited it from Vita's parents? 

KNOLE HOUSE/COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Knole, with its seven courts, 52 staircases, and 355 rooms, is the largest private house in England. It sits there still, surrounded by a deer park of 1,000 acres. It is its own world; a world apart. When she lost Knole, Vita — like a jealous lover — left, never to return.  

Instead she spent her life writing about the land, about houses, about home; creating fictional embodiments of the dream of Knole. Until she finally made it flesh at Sissinghurst: her own world apart, surrounded by what may well be the most famous garden of the 20th century.

KNOLE HOUSE/COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/BRITANNIA ILLUSTRATA 1709

Virginia Wolfe transformed Vita and Knole into "Orlando," while Vita herself used the historic house to great effect in her 1930 novel, "The Edwardians." But it is in "All Passion Spent," the story of the "quietly defiant" Lady Slane and the house she's held in her memory for thirty years, that Vita creates a home suited to the rest of us. She calls that little house "an entity with a life of its own." 

The life of the house and the old woman who retreats there after the death of her diplomat husband, make "All Passion Spent" a charmed tale. Vita's subtext, as always, is a subtle anger at the way her world treated women. But mostly this is a book full of irony, humor and warmth; the traits of the engaging Lady Slane.

"When can one please oneself if not in old age?" asks 88-year-old Lady Slane? 

My mother-in-law is exactly that age, which may be one reason why the book resonates with me; that and having come of age during the second wave of feminism in the 1970s. I've clearly crossed that invisible line where I find an old lady more fascinating — and more worthy of my time — than the young women who populate so many contemporary books and movies.  

And certainly if that lady comes to the screen in the person of Dame Wendy Hiller. Yes, she of the elegant diction and the gorgeous cheekbones, played Lady Slane in the 1986 BBC production of "All Passion Spent." The performance earned Hiller a BAFTA nomination as Best Actress. The production was seen here in the U.S. on Masterpiece Theatre, though I don't recall it. 

But I am currently in a Hiller phase and watched the film twice: the first time to enjoy Hiller herself; the second to enjoy the marvelous triumvirate of Lady Slane's admirers: Mr. Bucktrout, Mr. Gosheron and Mr. FitzGeorge. One could equally concentrate on her awful children and their spouses; but it's Lady Slane's attitude to life — and death — that makes one think that reaching 80 may be something to anticipate rather than fear. 

The film is quite faithful to Vita's book; the main departure it makes is giving Lady Slane's great-granddaughter more of a role than in the book. Here she serves to convey much that Vita offered in the book as inward commentary. And perhaps the producers were concerned that there was not a young person among the remaining cast members!

The back of the DVD calls the film "a beautifully realized portrait of a complex woman reflecting on choices made, lost, and regained." It's a perfect description of both the film and Vita's book.

Brits discover the Midwest

Two out of my three favorite British magazines seem to have discovered the Midwest. Selvedge, the gorgeous little bible devoted to the fiber of our lives, has a story on "Amish Quilts from Illinois" in the current issue, No. 27. And the cover story on Issue No. 145 of Gardens Illustrated is all about Illinois prairies. I'm just waiting for World of Interiors to thrill me!

The cover photo of Gardens Illustrated is a luscious shot of pink Monarda with a pink sky, rising mist, and trees fading into mauve silhouettes at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Ill. Gorgeous — but more ethereal (even a bit sci-fi) looking than anything I've actually seen on our Wisconsin prairies. Still, maybe that's how they look in Flatland. 

I notice the covers of Gardens Illustrated no longer carry a date on the U.S. issues; just the number. That's so I won't realize, when I go into Borders in March and pick up the most recent copy, that it's actually the JANUARY issue! WOI has the date on the front but seems to only be showing up sporadically at the location where I stop most often. 

Since Selvedge only publishes six times a year, I can usually find it at my local "stockist," as they like to say. It comes in late, of course, but then it sits around since it has a long shelf life. Still, I'm considering splurging on a subscription, which is cheaper than buying it off the shelf — especially since you can't use any discount coupons when buying it at Borders. It may be classified as a magazine but at $25 it costs more than many books! 

If you read Gardens Illustrated closely, you'll notice that they are sponsoring an "Exclusive Reader Trip" to "Visit American Prairies and Midwest Gardens." They'll be hitting the high spots including Piet Oudolf's Lurie Garden (above and below) in Chicago's Millenium Park, as well as the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum, Oak Park (home to numerous Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces), and the Missouri Botanic. There will also be some stops at unnamed private gardens. 

It's a ten day trip (Sept. 20-30, 2009) and costs $3,826.52 — not including international air fare. That price  includes hotels, all dinners and some lunches, and transportation while on the tour. It's organized by Distant Horizons which offers some pretty fantastic sounding tours; thus putting the American Midwest in some rather elite company, culturally speaking. Other tours include the Khmer Empire, the ancient Silk Road, Persian gardens and artworks of St. Petersburg to name a few.

Those of us who are going to the Garden Bloggers' Spring Fling in Chicago will be hitting a number of those same high spots as well — at a fraction of the cost; even if you do have to travel from one of the coasts. Clearly, if you haven't signed up, you should. And perhaps our blogging friends in the UK should think about Chicago in May instead of September. 

At the very least, maybe some of us Midwesterners should figure out how to hook up with the UK contingent during one of their Chicago stops in the fall. We can talk about it when we meet in May!

TOP IMAGE: Though not the current issue of Selvedge magazine, I thought it had the most Midwestern feel with that haystack. 

CENTER: Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) in front of Russian sage (Perovski atriplicifolia) at the Lurie Garden in late July, 2007.

BOTTOM: This gives you the true sense of the Lurie Garden; it feels like the prairie but there is a crane lurking on the skyline. I am not positive about the name of this grass. I believe it is Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster.' If I'm wrong, maybe one of you can correct me. 

Dressing for the garden

I'm dreaming of Valerie Finnis. No, not the delicately pale blue Muscari that bears her name and is planted in my spring garden. I mean Valerie Finnis, the photographer. It's because of Finnis that I started gardening in a rather confused fashion. I got the wrong idea about garden fashions — what gardeners wear to work in the garden — after seeing some of her portraits in old books and magazines. 

In the early 1950s Finnis, an expert in Alpine plants, acquired her first camera, becoming one of the first women to specialize in photographing plants and gardeners in their domains. She never took more than one exposure of each subject because she considered film too expensive to waste. Finnis made portraits of dozens of gardeners who were both accomplished and quirky — in and out of the garden. 

VALERIE FINNIS

I might consider Rhoda, Lady Birley (above), suitably dressed for the garden if I couldn't see her feet. Sorry, those pretty little party shoes she's wearing are not only silly looking but downright dangerous when you're holding a pair of pruners the size of the ones Rhoda's clutching. But her scarf — or whatever's around her neck — is a perfect color match to her garden blooms.

Finnis captured both Nancy Lancaster (below) and Rhoda, Lady Birley (above), in the garden wearing outrageous hats — something dear to Finnis' own heart. Both of those women were drama queens so I should have guessed they were dressed for the camera and not the garden. But, at the time, I didn't know any real gardeners, so I couldn't be sure if they actually gardened wearing such strange and rather lovely attire. These photos are the reason why I have more garden hats than any other item of garden gear.

VALERIE FINNIS

Nancy Lancaster well-covered here in the midst of a rosebush. Though the hat looks used and useful, it's still a pretty outrageous coverup!

VALERIE FINNIS

This hatless portrait (above) of Nancy Lancaster, doyenne of English country house style, is on the cover of Valerie Finnis' book, "Garden People." Lancaster's sporting a scarf and a hollyhock in "buttah yellow," the color of her famous — and much imitated — salon. I'm still not sure about her outfit; that jacket looks too nice to be so close to a hose!

There seem to be a limited number of photos of Vita Sackville-West in her garden at Sissinghurst Castle. I've seen one where she's beginning to dig the border in the southwest corner of the Tower lawn — by hand. Of course, it's a ludicrous image when one considers the size of this garden. But what really makes it laughable is that Vita is wearing a skirt! 

Most images show her wearing jodhpurs (below) that look more suited to the stables than the garden, along with knee-high lace-up boots. The whole get-up always looks highly uncomfortable to me.

VALERIE FINNIS

Vita Sackville-West (left) examines an urn at the base of the Tower at Sissinghurst Castle. Her garden assistants — Pamela Schwerdt (center) and Sibylle Kreutzberger — are dressed like Vita in jodhpurs but with rubber boots. The picture below shows the pair — who eventually became joint Head Gardeners at Sissinghurst — in more modern and comfortable long pants. But the two women are wielding wooden wheelbarrows, albeit with rubber wheels! Still, I might put up with a fair amount of discomfort if I could work somewhere as beautiful as Sissinghurst!

VALERIE FINNIS

I love the image Finnis captured of Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Parker, a pair of snowdrop enthusiasts (below). He looks like he just stepped off the train, briefcase in hand, and she's perhaps coming home from a committee meeting. They meet — by chance or choice? — in the garden.

Of course, I like the photo because it reminds me so much of myself. I have a tendency to pull into the driveway, get out of the car and get lost in the garden — all before I've opened the front door, checked for mail or greeted my spouse. This picture suggests I'm not a bad person, just an addicted gardener. An issue for my husband, but clearly not for the Brits!

VALERIE FINNIS

Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Parker get up close and personal with their snowdrops.

At age 46, Finnis' married another avid gardener, Sir David Scott, then age 82. An hour after the church ceremony, the newlyweds were out in the garden weeding together. If that's not a match made in gardening heaven, I don't know what is. I don't believe this is the wedding day photo, but clearly they're dressed for work here: though gloveless, their heads are nattily covered.

Valerie Finnis works in the garden with her husband, Sir David Scott. Finnis fell for Scott because he was the first person she'd ever met who recognized Gillenia trifoliata (Bowman's root). 

TOMORROW: What gardeners really wear.