5 comments about A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Olmsted and America in the 19th Century.

1. A Clearing in the Distance is a great biography about a man who had great strength and deep sorrows. The first half of the book covers Olmsted's life before becoming a Landscape Architect. He was basically a very talented man who could not find his calling. Once he found it, he pursued his passion with commitment and daring that changed the way that subsequent generations have thought about their environment and surroundings.
   
   The book provides valuable insights into both Olmsted the man and the world in which he lives. There are musings that are the author's thoughts and are obviously not historical, but they are interesting too in that they give us insight into the author's biases and interests.
   
   Overall, A Clearing in the Distance is well worth reading.



2. Olmsted's life is fascinating and Rybczynski does an adequate job of presenting the highlights, but the writing style is something less than engaging. In addition, the author spends too much time on trivial matters while neglecting more important things. For example, he writes page after page about Olmsted's failures to connect with a romantic mate. Goodness, he wasn't much of looker or a lady schmoozer and this plagued him for years. There, I said it in one sentence. Had the author done likewise we might have learned more about the details of some of Olmsted's projects. If the author wanted to play up relationships to give the reader a fuller appreciation of Olmsted's psychological make-up, he would have done better to delve deeper into the parent-child relationship.



3. Olmsted and Rybcznski seem somehow destined together, and this book is a thoroughly readable and engaging introduction to both of them. If they had been contemporaries, they probably would have somehow connected as friends or collaborators or both. Through his work, Olmsted came to define the American public space as distinct from the English or French styles. Early on he was influenced by farming, the English countryside, naturalism, notables such as Carlyle and Ruskin, and by the American pursuit of happiness: our need for recreation and spectacle. In his works, he combined "economics, nature, aesthetics, moral and intellectual improvement, and salvation." He spoke of throwing "a garment of beauty around our homes."

   Author Rybczynski doesn't limit his chronicle to Olmsted the Designer, though. Rather, he devotes ample space to covering Olmsted as a man of letters, Olmsted's brushes with politics and social reform, his travels to the West, his marvelous mind for engineering (everything from pumps to drainage systems and pipes), and his varied and important organizational and administrative accomplishments. Of particular interest are the chapters in the book devoted to the slavery issue and Olmsted's voice in the anti-slavery movement; Olmsted was an idealist who felt that slavery corrupted society. He once leaned once toward joining a group of German settlers in Texas who did not recognize nor condone slavery.

   Olmsted is best remembered though as a designer who brought us the seeds of a national park system through a lifetime of projects, public and private: Stanford and Berkeley, Belle Isle (Mi), Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Central Park, park systems in Boston and Chicago, huge projects in Washington, DC, and many more. Olmsted also deserves credit as the creator of the parkway. The reader will find many familiar names mentioned here, evidence that Olmsted was an extraordinary man who lived in extraordinary times. James Hamilton (the son of Alexander), Charles Dana, William Cullen Bryant, Frederic Church, the Vanderbilts, and others all played a role in his life and work.

   Turf, trees, and lakes -- or grass, woods, and water -- to put it a different way, are the hallmarks of an Olmsted space. He abhorred clear distinctions and separations, flowerbeds and botanic beauty or decorative gardening. Instead, Olmsted embraced illusion and worked to "accommodate chaos and order." He incorporated science, theory, and art; accident and achievement. Architectural dwellings were minimized or hidden. There was careful composition of groups of trees against expanses of lawn. For us, we should be careful when visiting Olmsted's projects, for in the case of several, he lost interest due to squabbles and bickering with clients. Stanford University certainly stands out in this regard--to what degree is it considered a work of Olmsted's? Worn down by periodic bouts of depression and debt, Olmsted did not live an easy live and died from what is almost stated by the author as Alzheimer's disease. But for those that bear his mark, we can delight in the fact that they continue to survive.




4. This book strikes a lovely balance between describing Olmsted's life and personal history and his creations, parks that span the United States.

   You may be surprised to learn, as I was, the vast number of projects he undertook. How Central Park was really his first significant project. How he had to fight political and economic battles to keep it from being ruined. How he was able to truly "get it right" with Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

   Through the fascinating descriptions of the landscapes, the author also provides great insight into Olmsted's life. What struck me the most was how Olmsted, as with many of his contemporaries (U.S. Grant, Mark Twain) worried for most of his life about his finances and his career.

   This is a first rate work, told in a clear and compelling fashion.




5. One has the impression when reading Rybczynski's biographic sketch of the life of Law Olmstead there exist three problems for landscape architecture (or garden design in Europe) in America: 1) It is underappreciated; 2) It is underappreciated; and, 3) Something like the first two. Olmstead, who is best known for his developments upon Central Park, part of the Stanford campus and part of the immediate area near or around the Capitol grounds, is here shown in detail in a study which marks a departure from his earlier works: whereas the author's studies in the past centered around elements and observations of the minutae that went in making up the entirety (the part to the whole), here he focuses more broadly upon the designer himself and the varied phases of his life. Olmstead as a monumental (pun nonintended) historic American figure whose works were to influence lanscape in such a way as to mesmerize, even propheticly figure prominently in urban design and display (cf., Panama-Calif exhibitions 1900-1913 or the several Worlds Fairs); Here, it were as if a fortune teller took an enormous tea cup, spilled its contents onto the landscape and let all see the wonderous result and dream of still greater possibilities.

   One had hoped there would have been far more illustrations, composites, sketches (even if by the author), documentary photos (Perhaps he could even have shown a series of transparent overlays detailing the before/after result of the development of Central Park in the way one recalls from childhood those spooky human diagrams in ancient Encyclopeda Britanicas). There are few illustrations, yet the whole holds up well. Recommend as a getaway book subsectional to American history.

5 comments about Feng Shui in the Garden : Simple Solutions for Creating a Comforting, Life-Affirming Garden of the Soul.

1. I really like this book. It gives suggestions for gardens made to improve one's life. I made a miniture 3x3 foot version of the 'Power Garden' and loved it! This book has some good illustrations. There were no photo examples but I will still rate it a 5 because it has some great information regarding the bagua, the meanings of color and meanings of shapes in Feng Shui, the different types gardens (i.e. Meditation Garden, Lover's Garden, Children's Garden, etc) and many helpful tips. This is a fairly basic book that someone will understand even if they know little or nothing about Feng Shui. This is a cheerful and fun book, with none of the superstition, none of the complicated ceremonies, or number calculations like other Feng Shui books I have read. I own this book and will read it again once I am ready to plant a garden in my new place!



2. I followed the guidelines for plants, color, fragrance, shapes,and meaning, and designed five interlocking Florida feng shui gardens based on Nancilee's book. We used the bagua to locate the right spots (for us) for a Meditation garden, a Healing garden, a Fertility garden, a Child's garden and, in the Power Corner, the Lover's garden.

   The result is a tropical paradise which enchants us, our friends, and garden enthusiasts. The book was a great guide to learning by doing.




3. Fortunately I already knew Feng Shui. This book, I felt was rather thin on the basics of Feng Shui. As I read it I kept waiting for Wydra to touch more upon the Bagua, but it never came.



4. I recommend this book if you are looking for a new approach to what might be called the garden metaphor. This book provides wonderful definitions of the garden and the importance of place, but also gives practical ways to analyze faults as well as checklists and questions to help gardeners pinpoint where they might want to go. I found it helped to diagnose my problem areas and also pointed to some not so radical solutions that changed emphasis just enough to give my garden a whole new look. I highly recomment it.



5. Feng Shui in the Garden is a great book for either the feng shui savvy or the novice. Easy to understand explanation about feng shui and soul provoking ideas for the garden make this a "best buy". Ms. Wydra presents a mini encyclopedia on vegetation that transcends the norm by including the implications of color, shape and symbolic meaning of plants and trees. The reader also learns how to create speciality gardens to include a power garden, a lover's garden, a meditation garden and a healing garden plus more. She continuously connects all of this with the Ba-Gua, a feng shui roadmap for life. What I especially like about this book is the simplicity of the garden designs - nothing seems overwhelming. I highly recommend this book.

No comments about The Balanced Garden.

5 comments about Native Trees Shrubs, and Vines for Urban and Rural America: A Planting Design Manual for Environmental Designers.

1. If you are looking for a native tree or shrub, this book will help you find the right plant by size, shape, and wet or dry conditions. Great illustratiions. Useful for designing special gardens such as rain gardens and wet gardens.



2. This is a very useful book for those living in the appropriate area. The book contains information on native trees and shrubs in Eastern and Central United States. Native trees and shrubs found west of the Rockies are NOT included in this book.



3. Overall, the information contained in the book is excellent. It is well-presented, well-organized, and very thorough. However, I was disappointed to find it is best suited for use by those who live in USDA Hardiness zone 5 or farther north. I live and work in zone 6, which is really the fringe of the area addressed in this book. Species native to the southeast are included only if they are hardy over a wide range. (For example, Southern magnolia is omitted in this book, as are loblolly and slash pines and yaupon holly.)

   I have a degree in landscape architecture and prefer to use native plants in planting design. This book has been helpful, but will never replace my dog-eared copy of Know It and Grow It--a reference far more suited to my region.




4. This book has excellent info on each plant within its text. I am a native plant landscape designer and soil requirements, natural habitats, associate plants (communities), urban tolerance, flower & fruit development are a few of the plant categories I use on a daily basis. The line drawings are also superb for knowing the form the plant will take in the landscape and how the flowers & fruit will appear. This book is used so much, my pages are starting to fall out. I hope they create a new version soon! This book is a 'must' for all landscape designers & architects --- it's a great tool.



5. This comprehensive volume puts all the information needed to choose native plantings in one handy reference source. The book is divided into two parts, Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, with each part further divided into two sections. The first describes different factors normally considered in selecting plantings, classifying over 250 woody plants by these characteristics. Classifications include: Visual characteristics: form, branching, foliage, flower and fruit. ÐEcologicla relationships: most suitable habitats, including flood and shade tolerance. ÐCultural requirements: soil, hardiness, silvical characteristics, urban conditions, similar and associate species.

   The second section is an encyclopedia of native woody plants. Each MASTER PLATE includes the plants scientific and common name, plus all of the plants characteristics as described in the first section. Also included are a map showing the plants native region; a drawing of its twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruit; a photo of its bark, and a photo or line drawing of its crown without leaves.

   Thus, you can find the information you need in one of two ways: you can choose the plant characteristics you want and look them up in the first section to find the plantings that fit your needs. Or you can look up the specific plants in the second section to learn if their characteristics are appropriate for your landscape

   No other book on native plantings provides as much information, as usefully organized, as this one does. Landscape architects, ecologists, park personnel, botanists Ðanyone interested in natural landscapingÐwill find this to be an invaluable reference that greatly assists in choosing and nurturing native trees, shrubs, and vines.

   harlen d. Groe

1 comments about A Small Garden Designer's Handbook.

1. Of all the lovely garden picture-books out there, few actually offer applicable advice (unless you own a country-house estate!). A Small Garden Designer's Handbook is not only chock-full of gorgeous photography, it actually shows you how you can turn the smallest plot of earth into a personalized piece of Eden.
   
   With chapters on ground planning, enclosures, plants, and focal points, you'll see the options are abundant even if your acreage is not. There is an insightful emphasis on the "architecture" of the garden: using it to support plants, or using plants AS architecture-- helping to make the garden an extension of the home, not just a separate entity. With attention paid to details like paths and paving, entrances and eye-catchers, as well as ornaments and containers, you needn't worry if your thumb is not the greenest around.
   
   From the inside flap:
   There are many elements - apart from the plants themselves - that make a garden different and special. All too often they are seen as playing a secondary role, but in fact they dictate the flavor of the whole garden. Used wrongly, they can destroy its harmony; used with skill, they can pull disparate features together and can give structure at a stroke; used with bravura, they can lift the mundane into something spectacular.

No comments about Gardens of San Francisco.

No comments about Norwich Cathedral Close : The Evolution of the English Cathedral Landscape (Studies in the History of Medieval Religion) (Studies in the History of Medieval Religion).

No comments about Landscape and Sustainability: Second Edition.

No comments about Computer Graphics for Landscape Architects: An Introduction.

1 comments about The Pennsylvania Barn: Its Origin, Evolution, and Distribution in North America (Creating the North American Landscape).

1. Now in a revised and expanded second edition, The Pennsylvania Barn: Its Origin, Evolution, And Distribution In North America by Robert F. Ensminger (Professor of Geography, Emeritus, Jutztown University) offers the reader an informative and in-depth study on a characteristic piece of American vernacular architecture - the forebay bank barn, which is also known as the Pennsylvania barn or the Pennsylvania German barn. Black-and-white photographs, diagrams, and a study of the evolution, uses, diffusion, folklore and future of this unique architectural work combine to make The Pennsylvania Barn a distinctive and aptly researched study which is especially recommended to students of American Architectural History.