On the Wild Side

"Keith Wiley has been captivated by wild flower colonies and natural landscapes for as long as he can remember. Inspired first by the flora and fauna of rural England, and later by the world's deserts, coastlines, mountains and woodlands, he has distilled the essence of these wild landscapes into a single garden with success. A visit to Namaqualand motived him to close-plant Gazania, Arctotis and Ursinia in a vibrant, yellow-and-orange ribbon of colour to recapture the exuberance of the wild spectacle. The arid landscape of Colorado encouraged him to embrace a new palette of greys, duns, tawnies and golds in exchange for the familiar greens. The flowering hillsides of Crete sparked a passion for allowing plants to colonize against a backdrop of tumbledown stone." "Each chapter explores different plant groups, noting how they occur in the wild and how this effect might be translated into a garden setting. Detailed practical advice runs throughout the book, from soil improvement and drainage to using mulches, from managing self-seeding to sculpting new features out of the land. Over 200 spectacular images enhance the page and complement the text." "Much more than a book of new planting ideas, On the Wild Side challenges our whole understanding of what a garden is. Why strive for year-round colour throughout the garden when small areas can seize the limelight at their seasonal peak? Why aim for the tallest, bluest, largest delphinium, when the success of a whole community of flowering plants is so much more powerful? Why agonize over colour associations when a loose mix of many colours will evolve to give far more pleasure? Change and evolution is at the heart of new naturalism - is your garden ready for it?"--Jacket.