BOOK REVIEWS

The Unknown Gertrude Jekyll

Edited by Martin Wood
Published by Francis Lincoln
Distributed by Bookwise
$NZ59.95

Gertrude Jekyll, turn of the 19th century garden designer/writer, is said to have “changed the face of England more than any, save the Creator himself and, perhaps, Capability Brown”.

Much of Jekyll’s writing – well over a thousand articles notes and letters – has not seen the light of day since its original publication. Now Martin Wood has managed to uncover 100 representative pieces of this work.

These articles, he says, all show her basic philosophy summed up by the phrase “gardening for beautiful effect”.

Jekyll’s keen eye for the smallest detail and composition are amply demonstrated in this intriguing anthology.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH