Thank you, Pamela. I just ordered a used copy from Alibris in good condition for less than $6.00! I can't wait to receive it. I like that he encourages gardeners to be brave and try new things.

Carol

It is one of my favorite books too! I liked it so much that I finally found a hardback in a used book store and instantly snatched it up. The softcover was given to my mother. I keep it on my bed stand along with Derek Fell's The Impressionist Garden for whenever I need some quick inspiration. Both of these authors inspire me but in completely different ways. Graham Rose is ethereal, shadowy and mysterious (I especially like his use of mirrors to create optical illusions), while Derek's designs are bright and shimmery just like a Monet painting. Speaking of inspiration I can see a lot of Graham Rose's influence in your garden Pam.

Case in point,

The lovely Flora photographed by MissyGardenWhimsy at Pam's Red Rose Ridge.
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Thank you so much for the recommendation, mendocino rose! I just love the concept.

Mendocino rose and Molineux, what are your ideas for a romantic garden? I have noticed that both of you are romantic kind of gardeners and would love to hear input about this from both of you.

Chance

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm always on the lookout for good books. Given that yours is the most romantic garden I have ever seen, I hold this recommendation highly.

Rosefolly

"Romantic" gardens always evoke a strong sense of wonder and emotion. Secret pathways, flowery bowers, garden swings, water bubbling and dancing - showing off, bright shocks of color here and there, dark shadowy places with strategically placed mirrors cut to look like doorways into faerie. Whimsical faces peering out from dense foliage. The unknown scent of jasmine and roses wafting through the air. The intricate texture of fragrant herbs. Pathways that lead to a sudden pumpkin patch, overflowing with white gourds. Stepping stones with violets and other flowering ground-covers. Shimmering, dazzling light created using pastel "easter egg" colors. Walls, trellises, and fences for privacy. Garden like an artist, using the garden as your canvas and the flowering plants as your pigments and brush strokes.

Basically go rent THE SECRET GARDEN dvd by Warner Bros and you'll get an idea of what a true romantic garden looks and most importantly feels like. Btw, Pam and I could give you a million rules and you could still mess it up. Romantic gardens are unrestrained, definitely not formal, and intuitive. That's it, use your own intuition and innate creativity. Oh and be willing to make mistakes aplenty, because that is part of the whimsical fun.

P.S.: one of my favorite ways to garden like this is to come up with a theme, plan the garden, then try my best to break the rules while holding together a cohesive "vision". It ain't easy but the fey touched madness is one of the things that makes a Romantic Garden so wonderful.

Molineux, can I hire you! Wow, I like the way you explain things! I will try to do as you say and come up with a plan and throw out the rules at the same time and I will allow myself to make mistakes. I guess it takes time to get it right. Thank you for the inspiration!

Chance

Whenever I design a garden for a cient I begin by telling them that a garden is a journey. It should have places to go, things to see, surprises, detours, private and public spaces. I get them to talk about their feelings for spaces. What do they want to see out various windows; where would they like to sit. And also, what sort of special gardens to they remember.

My own garden is not nearly so well-planned. Or, it is a reflection of me--a bit haphazard, with a well-behaved front and no discipline behind.

This is one of my all time favorite garden books! When I read the posts title I immediately hoped it was this book and it was, hurrah.

I am glad to hear it's back in print. When I last looked on amazon it was not but there were several quality secondhand almost new books available.

A wonderful idea book that I read whenever I need a vacation from the world. My garden in NO way resembles any part of the book but I dream...(well I did add a small arbor that my climbing roses will one day adorn).

BTW that Flora statue is fabulous. I want one.
And I will look up Fells "Impressionist Garden" too.

Denise

Huh. All honor to the romantics out there, and the photo is lovely, but I don't think I'm one of them. I feel like a drier person altogether. I'll be interested to see what others think of our garden.

Melissa

Patrick, I love the book Impressionists Roses too. You must also have Dereck Fell's Secrets of Monet's Garden. Chance you must get the book. I could go on and on about my ideas and philosophy. I look at it rather like manipulating emotions. I once took a film class in which it was discussed the very subtle ways that film makers evoke feelings. Artists have tricks too like the dissappearing pathway. You really want to see what's around that turn. Perspective gives another feeling. Graham Rose talks about walking from enclosed areas into more open ones like walking through a forest and then coming upon a bright meadow. I try to engage all the senses. It can be delightful to follow the sound of water in the distance. Water in it's various forms has meanings, from calm still water to lively fountains. As Catsrose said it's all a very personal journey.
Denise you can probably find Flora if there is a serious statuary place near you. She is actually called Persephine. Often they have books with photos that you can order from. Sometimes too if you order something rather than taking it off the lot they will discount. It's amazing what the presence of something like this does to your garden.

Thanks for the recommendation. I've seen this book on amazon but with no reader reviews so I didn't get it before, but now I've just ordered one. Yolana

Oh my goodness-----I will just have to get this book---

BTW---I live just a short distance from D. Fell----and have had the pleasure of meeting him at on eof the many talks he gives in our area---

Oh how I wish I had access to GW and all the great people here when I was still young and healthy enough to garden---

But I can still enjoy pictures and my precious roses that keep blooming with little or no care--

Thanks Pam aand Patrick----

Florence

Oh Pam thanks for this. Neat book.

I just had to share this with you. When I read your post I looked the book up in the arboretum's database and we had it. I just mosy-ed over to the library on my lunch hour and got that and more gardening books. We don't have a lot of visitors in the library, so it's like having my own private gardening library. When I was little I used to have a recurring dream about a library and it had the most wonderful books I could imagine. I thought of that when I went over to our library yesterday. A whole library just with horticulture and gardening books. All for me!! How do you like that? My dream came true!

Pray tell, what is the romantic white rose that is in the photo of Flora? The foliage and all gives a very pretty effect.

Lux

Well mendocinorose, may I call you Rose?
You thread has lead me not not only buy "The Impressionist Garden" by Derek Fell (TY Mr. Molineux) but when browsing other Fell titles found (and ordered) "Impressionist Roses". Luckily for my budget they both were available secondhand.

Mr. Fell sounds like he belongs on this forum. Read the review (written by himself,lol) and how he reads something in Princeton library and next thing is off to France just to see where Fantin-Latour (the great rose painter) passed away in his rose garden.

Fell article

It just struck me, morrisnoor's garden is the epitome of "The Romantic Garden". Now we just need to get Mr. Fell to go there and photograph it, produce a book and we can all buy it!

Hey Patrick, when are you ever going to come out to California? You really should see Pam's garden in person, and I'm sure lots of us out here would love to show you their gardens.

In a related question, have you gotten a digital camera yet? If not, send me an e-mail to lemec at mac.com (of course, remove the blanks and put the @ for at). I would e-mail you from the forum, but haven't figured out how to do that, if it is even possible anymore at that.

--Ron

Thanks Ron for your kind comments. Unfortunately, a trip out to California is completely out of the question. Last summer, while in between jobs, Rob broke his neck and was out of work for three months, which wiped out our savings. When he finally found new employment it was at a salary $10,000 less than what he was formally making. Translation: no vacations for the immediate future.

The good news is I FINALLY got the digital camera for X-Mas that I've been asking for years and years and years. A good one too designed specifically for outdoor photography. Of course I still haven't taken it out of its packaging yet. To be honest I'm a little intimidated by the thing but trust me - I WILL get around to it. I'm already prepping my roses for the spring flush. I'm especially looking forward to taking some pics of REINE DES VIOLETTES and doing some serious enabling. She is the my most prized rose because I've got her trained up an iron support and then fountaining over. Last year she was SPECTACULAR and I have good hopes for this year.

Be warned my dear enablees. The Evil Enabler is armed and will be soon be ready to take aim and shoot. Get ready to hold onto your pocketbooks.

He-he-he-he-he...

I'm so glad that this started an interesting discussion. Florence how exciting that you have Mr. Fell near you. Maybe he'll come out this way sometime to give a talk. Jackie I can relate so well to what you said about the library. What a wonderful treat. Last year I had the experience of getting together with Jon, along with Michael and Gregg at Wisely. That is where the library of The Royal National Horticulture Society resides. All garden books, even books that had belonged to Graham Thomas. It was heavenly. I told the volunteers that if I only lived near there I would be in that place all winter reading. Denise you are right about Marizio's garden . Thank you for sending a link to the review with the story about Fantin La Tour. I can only hope that I die in my rose garden. Patrick, I am very sorry about Rob's accident. I'm glad about the camera though. I would tell you to restrain yourself but I know that's impossible!

Oh No! Not Patrick with a camera. The only thing saving me from the "evil enabler" was that he couldn't take his own pictures! No really, I can't wait to see pictures of your garden in bloom. Get that thing out of the box and start pointing and shooting so you will be ready for the blooms!

I am so sorry to hear about Rob's accident. Thank goodness you have each other to lean on. I remember what a support he was during your transition after your Dad's passing.

Pam, I have so admired the pictures of your garden. I am determined to get to your open house this year. It's only a few hundred miles south of me :-)
It is the essence of the romantic garden to me.

Thanks for the posting.....I will check out the books.
Kathy

Thanks for the book suggestions. I need something besides old rose catalogs! I ordered some of these 2nd hand, too.

I'm already plotting how to get to Pam's open garden this year. Usually, by the time it happens, I am just exhausted from the month of rose festivities that starts with Dirt Days and the Sacramento Open Garden. I'm going to try to spare myself.

Pam and Michael's garden truly is the most romantic one I've ever seen. You are surrounded by roses and other plants, there are many surprises along the way, the statuary is whimsical and beautiful, and it just feels so loved. I would love to have my own copy of Flora, or Persephone. I found one in a garden center nearby, but somehow it feels like I'd be weakly imitating a perfection, and it doesn't seem right to have own of my own. I love the rapturous expression on the statue's face. I do have a small stature of a little boy reading, a Corinthian column, a Japanese lantern and a Buddha, so I'm not without some garden decoration already.

The Sacramento cemetery is pretty darned romantic, too. It helps to have roses going UP, Jeri and I were discussing recently - and ours clamber trees, go over structures, etc. It also helps to have the monuments and statuary, towering trees, and sense of time past.

My own garden - NOT romantic. I'm not that type of person, really. Like Melissa, I'm really not that type of gardener or person. That's what makes life interesting, it takes all kinds. But I love visiting other's gardens and seeing what they have wrought.

Patrick, so sorry to hear of Rob's accident. Hope that he is fully recovered. Just take that camera out of the box and start to take photos - you'll find that using it at the most basic level is quite easy! What did you get???
Anita

Thanks Pam---I just ordered the book------I don't have will power when it comes to books and roses-----
Patrick---you are already dangerous enough and now you have a camera we are all waiting breathlessly for pictures--Pam---How well I remember after one of my surgeries --it was your rose arbor picture that forced me to get my brushes and paints out and start to paint again-
I've had two surgeries since then ---hopefully I will be inspired to paint again---LOL
Jackie-----it sounds like a delightful place----a quiet lovely room full of books-----a little corner of Heaven.
Can't wait to get my new book----

Florence

I'll miss Pamela's open garden this year. We will be traveling. But I can confirm that it is the most romantic garden I have ever seen. Graham Rose could well have consulted her when he wrote his book!

Rosefolly

First of all Luxrosa I forgot to tell you that the rose above Flora is Climbing Iceberg.
Anita please do try to come. Once you get here it will be relaxing. If there's room at that point you could stay over. Kathy send me your address and I will send you an invitation. The party is almost always on memmorial weekend Saturday. All forum memebers are welcome.

Patrick, I'm so sorry to hear about Rob, how awful! I am glad you've got your camera now, and can do one of your life's callings! ;-)

I do think Pamela's garden is one of the most romantic, if not the most romantic garden I've ever seen. I've seen photos of Maurizio's garden, and it looks just fantastic. I think my style is probably cottage-formal, I like straight lines, but the beds being filled with all kinds of goodies.

--Ron

Just as an aside and not that I have a dog in this fight or a romantic garden or bone in my body, but Philip Oliver's garden has beautiful ruins that he purchased I believe and then some that I believe he built. His garden is quite lovely, charming, with very esoteric areas and certainly romantic. It's quite worth the trip to Alabama to see his garden and even his home which has a rich history.

I'm embarrassed to say that I missed Derek Fell at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show last week. He spoke just the day before you posted, Pamela, promoting his new book, The Gardens of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it was late in the day. Marji and I were fretting over being indoors on a perfectly sunny day and left the show to go have oysters on the half shell and stare out at sun-sparkled water, boats passing through the locks, and the islands instead. But I did order his book, The Romantic Garden, and love it. I can't even begin to imagine a garden more fittingly characterized as romantic than Pamela's. It's what I'm aiming for in our garden but we're still too young with plants and also trying to keep open spaces for play with the pups.

Jackie, I get such a kick out of imagining you exploring the library at your new job. It must seem as though you find another treasure every time you turn another corner and start another day. I hope you're taking lots of photos!

Patrick,I had no idea that Rob had suffered such a harsh injury. He's very fortunate that you're there to love and care for him. I wish you both great fun as he heals and you play with the new camera.

I received my book yesterday and fell asleep reading it last night. The thing that I noticed immediately is that every photo in there could have been taken in your garden, Pam. It's a really nice book and I look forward to having a little more time with it.

Carol

Sue Graham Rose wrote The Romantic Garden. Derek Fell wrote Impressionists Roses. I'm looking forward to our flower and garden show next month. It may be the last one.
Carol I'm so glad that you got the book. And thanks to you and others who said nice things about my garden.

Pam----I was sorry to read that this year might be your last garden show------If and when I ever get to Ca. maybe I will be lucky enough to have a private visit----I would so love to meet you and DH in person and stroll through your gorgeous garden.

Florence

I'm sorry for not disclosing Rob's accident earlier. At the time I was simply too distraught to calmly discuss the accident. It took everything I had just to keep it together those first few days. Afterward, he did so well it just seemed silly to make a big deal about it. The bad news was that he came very close to being quadriplegic. He was body surfing at Ocean City when he got hit by a rough wave. He was slammed straight down on his head. Any other angle would have been - SNAP!!! - complete paralysis from the neck down, provided of course he survived which most don't. What really happened was a crack that went all the way through the vertebrae. Like I wrote earlier, he was in a neck brace and laid up for three months. The bone has since healed but Rob still has a sore spot where arthritis has set in. He really only feels it is he turns his head in a certain direction. His docs have told him to get used to it. So now you folks know the whole story.

As for the books in addition to The Romantic Garden and The Impressionist Garden, I also have Impressionist Roses and The Magic of Monet's Garden both by Derek Fell. Other inspiring books include: Pleasures of the Cottage Garden by Rand Lee, English Cottage Gardening for American Gardeners by Margaret Hensel and Tasha Tudor, The Cottage Garden by Christopher Lloyd and Richard Bird (very beautiful garden plans in the back of this treasure), Theme Gardens by Barbara Damrosch, and Rosemary Verey's Good Planting Plans. Many of these are no longer in print but you can buy some used for next to nothing.

The Romantic Garden, The Impressionist Garden and Impressionist Roses still remain my favorites. I also have all of the David Austin Books, and for a great reference text you can't go wrong with Classic Roses by Peter Beales. I've used that sucker so much the binding is beginning to come loose.

Best wishes,

Patrick

Pamela, thanks for the author correction on The Romantic Garden. I knew I shouldn't have posted that early (2:30 am) in the morning without checking and double-checking. Hope you enjoy the SF F%G. It's heartbreaking to think of our west coast shows ending. The owner says if he can find a buyer before mid-March, they'll continue. Who do we know?

Patrick, that's a great list of books. I'm off to find a few of them. As for body-surfing in Ocean City, I was just talking with Marji about missing it. You've made me far more cautious. Guess we'll just stick with the fierce Pacific, watching from afar.

Pam that DOES sound like Heaven being in such a library with such companions! I envy you! It's so cool that we all share these similar loves.

Sue I LOVE my job! You're right - every day I find something new.
:)

Zeffy, I think that Pamela meant that this is likely to be the last year for the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, not her last year to have her open garden. Now that really would be very sad news.

Paula

Here is a link that might be useful: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show

Patrick,

Happy spring! It certainly sounds like it will be a joyful season after what you and Rob have been through. As another poster said, what a great thing that you have each other.

I'll have to put some of these books on my list, just in case I ever have money again.

Melissa

Florence I did mean The San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. The one in Seattle that Sue attended is the same people. They are trying to sell the venue and it looks like this is the last year. Rosalia however, continues.

I had this book from the library when I was in England. Thank-you for reminding me about it Medocino Rose.
I realised, I must get it again. My favorite gardens are the romantic ones.