Perhaps because it's called New England, a lot of people expect the gardens in the region to look like what you might find in Britain. But while the New England landscape is reminiscent of England at times, it is also very much different. In Great Gardens of the Berkshires
For each garden she profiles, Small answers one of the great mysteries about garden design: where designers get their inspiration. The landscape elements that comprise the gardens at The Mount, the former home of author Edith Wharton, were patterned after English, Italian, and French gardens that she had seen on her travels, but they also reflect the natural features of the New England landscape.
The gardens at Naumkeag, a collaboration between landscape architect Fletcher Steele and his client, Mabel Choate, were inspired by gardens in Spain and France, by the Cubist gardens at the Paris Exhibition of 1925, and by Chinese gardens that Choate and Steele encountered in their travels.
In turn, Lee Link's private modern garden in Sharon, CT, was inspired by Naumkeag, by the naturalistic garden at Innisfree in Millbrook, NY, and by the words of Irish gardener and author Helen Dillon.
Small delves into the creative genius behind the five public gardens included in the book, and she masterfully draws out beautiful, motivational stories about the artistry of the private garden makers she introduces to readers.
Ninety-nine year old Emily Rose has been gardening at Little Sutton in Alford, MA since 1941. Small writes that "the gardens flow with ana undulating rhythm that relfects the property's sloping contours" and says that to "counterbalance the vast openness of much of this awe-inspiring landscape, several spaces offer intimate enclosure."
The contemporary house of Jack Hyland and Larry Wente, says Small, is complemented by "long and narrow axial views that make it seem bigger," and by "a bold and effusive planting style" that "pushes against the underlying geometric grid."
Small's talent for description and her long familiarity with plants and design make this book a valuable addition to any avid gardener's library. Photographs by Rich Pomerantz beautifully illustrate Small's major points and are inspiring in and of themselves.
Most of the private gardens in the book are often open to the public on garden tours sponsored by local organizations or by the Garden Conservancy's Open Days Program.
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