The best gardening short courses for 2014

Many thanks to Ed Cumming (@edcumming) writing in the The Telegraph Gardening (@telegardening) for selecting my online garden history course as one of his best gardening short courses for 2014. 

The month-long course is hosted by My Garden School and begins on December 07.  Take a look here for more details and a taster of the class.  

For a review by a former student, check out Anastasia Abboud's blog, Our Ever-Changing Landscape.

Review of my Online Garden History Course

 

As I am sure you all are aware I teach a month-long online garden history course hosted by My Garden School.

A previous student, Anastasia Abboud, very kindly and unsolicited has posted this review of the course and her experiences on her great blog, Our Ever-Changing Landscape.

Thanks Anastasia!

The Body & Philosophy in the Garden

Thanks to philosopher Damon Young (second from right) for writing up a report of The Body in the Garden Festival and posting on his blog, Darkly Wise, Rudely Great.

Damon is also the author of a splendid tome entitled Philosophy in the Garden - currently available here and to be published in the UK early in 2014.

Radio Interview

Just back from a great trip to Australia where I contributed to The Body in the Garden - the inaugural garden and crime writers conference.

And where I was also interviewed by Margaret Throsby  (@margaretthrosby) on her Midday programme on ABC Classic FM.  If you would like to hear our conversation its available here.

Hanwell Castle's Lost Jacobean Gardens

 

Hanwell Castle - photo citation

An exciting and ambitious garden archaeology project is featured in today's edition of the Banbury Guardian.  One of the sad things about gardens and garden history is how often down the centuries gardens are destroyed - by a decline in fortunes, lack of interest leading to neglect, wars, and straightforward changes in fashion. 

One of the big gaps in extant gardens in Britain are those from the 17th century.  So many were lost during the Civil War and subsequent Commonwealth when  ornamental gardens were far too frivolous for Puritans tastes; and those that did survive we subsequently landscaped according to 18th century fashions.

This makes the archæological survey and dig at Hanwell Castle in Oxfordshire all the more exciting.  The gardens are privately owned and closed to the public but for those who really want to get to grips with the project and the garden’s history, the archæologist in charge of the dig, Stephen Wass, has put together an infomration-filled website - The Hanwell Park Project.  Do have a good burrow and learn all about what has all the signs of becoming a fascinating exercise ain garden archæology and history.

All I hope now is that the owner of the garden may see it in her heart to open the garden occasionally so that us keen garden historians can sate our interest.

What's Out There Weekend, 26-27 October

If you happen to be in Los Angeles on the weekend of 26-27 October The Cultural Landscape Foundation is organising a 'What's Out There Weekend' which features:

'features free, expert-led tours at more than two-dozen significant examples of designed landscapes in greater Los Angeles. The region is known for its distinct Modernist design legacy, which connects indoors and outdoors in innovative ways, but Los Angeles also has a unique legacy of Postmodernist design, with public spaces that meld architecture, landscape architecture and art into one inseparable unit. Explore Modern, Postmodern and other significant sites that go back to the region's Spanish Colonial roots and Asian, Hispanic and African America heritage, with tours that reveal anecdotes and stories about city shaping, landscape architecture and design history. Many are places people pass daily, but do we know their background stories?

Click here for the schedule and to register 

On-line Garden History Course

 Still time to sign up!

My month-long, online garden history course hosted by My Garden School starts Saturday 05 October.  Over the four weeks we will examine 4,300 years of garden history - that most overlooked yet fascinating of all forms of artistic expression.

The course takes an interdisciplinary approach.  Of course we will examine the hows and whys of the the different expressions of garden art, but we will also investigate the ways in which gardens were (and are) such an integral and important component of their culture and society, and reflect on how gardens have influenced their zeitgeist, and vice versa.

For a review by former student Deb Wiles, please check out her post on her blog Got Soil?