| Fashion News Tennessee |
Tennessee designer's line exudes exuberance
By Kevin Cowan (Contact)
Thursday, December 6, 2007
At just 29, Jeff Garner has accomplished a lot in the fashion world with his Prophetik clothing line.
This purple print trench is one of Garner’s favorite pieces in the collection.
unknown
Garner said his men’s pieces appeal to rockers in the Nashville music scene.
Garner said his men’s pieces appeal to rockers in the Nashville music scene.
One would think the man behind the Prophetik clothing line could predict where his label is headed in the future. Think again.
"I just take each year as it goes," said Jeff Garner, the label's designer. "I just allow it (the line) to breathe, to blossom. That's what makes it free and
independent."
One thing Garner is certain of is that he will be in Knoxville on Friday for a fashion show, which will feature his styles, at Obligato, a West
Knoxville boutique on Kingston Pike.
The 29-year-old will travel from Franklin, Tenn., where Garner has his headquarters. He grew up there on a horse farm. During his youth, the focus
was not on playing cowboy.
"When I was little, I would get my sister's Barbie sketch pad and sketch out my own clothes," Garner said. "I had this knack for putting things
together that other people wouldn't think to do and rework vintage stuff. I would do applique and drawing on jeans."
After high school, he headed west to attend Peppperdine University to study artist management and event production, not fashion design. In
California, Garner made some connections and got work at an entertainment firm in creative management, where he did marketing, art direction and
some clothing design for such acts as Fleetwood Mac and Barry Manilow, for whom he still fashions pieces. That company also owned Prophetik.
"They brought me in to design for them," Garner said. "I had this passion, so they said, 'Why don't you take it and run with it? You're the heart of
it.'"
Run with it he has. Six years later, Prophetik clothing is in dozens of boutiques and specialty stores, such as Obligato, coast to coast. The line also
has presence overseas in the Netherlands, Japan and Australia. Soon Garner will travel to Vienna, Austria, to discuss distribution in that country
and Germany.
Prophetik includes men's and women's designs, as well as a small children's segment.
For the fall/winter lines, Garner went with an "Exuberance of Soul" theme.
"I feel like people need to refocus," he said. "Sometimes we lose sight of the soul. People don't realize why things are happening to them. It's
something deeper; the soul's trying to move them into a different season. The exuberant part makes the soul both beautiful and pleasurable. I'm
trying to expose this concept in a clothing line."
Garner probably did a little soul-searching to come up with the collection's retro resonance.
"It's Renaissance," he said. "It's French 18th century. At first you think of nobility, but I took more from the peasants' style."
Garner uses lace, ruffles, puffed sleeves and other touches from the period. He also incorporated fur and velour.
One of his favorite jackets is done in regal purple, which pops against the group's more neutral pieces, which are done in browns, olives and
mahogany. Deep red also contrasts the subtle shades.
Garner steers away from lots of embellishment, prints and appliques.
"It's noise," he said. "Besides, I did that a few years ago."
Another thing Garner hasn't done is jump on the jeans bandwagon. He has only one pair, which combines denim, corduroy and leather.
The fit of the clothing is European, which means it hugs the body. Prices allow many to embrace the line. T-shirts are $28-$48 and jackets
$70-$120, depending on the fabrication.
Also, Garner has designed a special T-shirt for the fashion show. Half of the proceeds from that item's sales will benefit Hannah's Hope in
Ethiopia, which provides care and shelter to orphaned kids there.
In addition to the fashion show, which will feature men's and women's looks, there will be an appearance by Thomas Ian Nichols. The actor, most
known for his role as Kevin Myers in the teen comedy "American Pie," also sings and will perform numbers from his album "Without Warning,"
which will be released Jan. 15. His set will be acoustic.
Style writer Kevin Cowan may be reached at 865-342-6426.
Turning those home dreams into reality
For homeowners and gardeners (or those who aspire to become one or both), the shiny pages of home and garden books can offer hours of pleasure
as well as advice and designer know-how. This year’s releases run the gamut from beautiful picture books to practical manuals. On the following
pages you’ll find our pick of the best, in case you need some ideas for last-minute holiday giving.
‘Inspirations from France & Italy’ By Betty Lou Phillips Gibbs Smith, 2007 Hardback, $39.95
A Dallas-based interior designer and prolific author, Betty Lou Phillips’ name comes up remarkably often in conversations about European-style
décor. Her many books — “French Influences,” “French by Design,” “Villa Décor,” among others—are widely read by decorators who want to
imbue a residence with Old World ambience while maintaining modern aesthetics.
Phillips’ eighth and newest book, “Inspirations from France & Italy,” goes beyond its gloriously beautiful photos with brief, well-edited chapters
to educate the reader on the evolution of European style in the context of historical periods —the influence of Versailles on French style, the
permanent overlay of Roman and Etruscan design on Italian interiors. In sidebars, Phillips salutes Mario Fortuny, the textile designer, and Pierre
Dupont, whose Savonnerie carpets influenced Aubusson designs.
Local owners of Tuscan and Old World- style homes, whether the house is custom- built or part of a development, will find Phillips’ book helpful
in choosing furniture, fabrics and colors that work well in spaces that easily overpower all but the most deft decorating choices. And for the rest of
us, Phillips shows several light, airy cottages as a counterpoint to all the expensive damask and gilt. A seaside house even features polka dot sheets
from the Garnet Hill catalog.
Especially helpful for those currently decorating a home, Phillips has compiled an extensive resources section stating where to find furniture,
accessories and even garden ornaments, and a directory listing the contact information of the architects and designers who worked on the projects
shown.
‘Houses: Inside and Out’ By Mariette Himes Gomez Collins Design, 2007 Hardback, $39.95
A sequel to her best-selling book, “Rooms: Inside and Out,” Mariette Himes Gomez’ new book, “Houses” looks at the whole picture — visually
walking a reader into the yard, through the front door and then around the house. Along the way, she analyzes what makes these homes work from
their fireplaces and staircases to aesthetic elements of balance, color and movement.
Gomez shows a wide range of homes, both formal and casual, ranging from Greek Revival to Modernist and Colorado cabin styles. While Gomez
shows projects that obviously cost millions, she focuses on elements that would be easy to imitate in smaller, budget-minded homes.
‘Couture Interiors’ By Marnie Fogg Laurence King, 2007 Hardback, $50
Fashion and furniture began to fuse some time ago—think designer sheets, chairs and toasters. Marnie Fogg’s fascinating and colorful new book,
“Couture Interiors,” shows how the Laurens, Westwoods, Karans and Missonis of the fashion world have revved up interior design via patterns
and textures.
Especially interesting are the edgy, sometimes quirkly ideas explored here, such as the chair seat-vest, a collaboration between architect Ron Arad
and fashion designer Issey Miyake. This is a visually inspiring book, best for those who think seriously and intellectually about fashion and
interior design.
‘Urban Country Style’ By Elizabeth Betts Hickman and Nancy Gent Gibbs Smith, 2007 Hardback, $29.95
Here’s a book with examples of unpretentious homes with city wisdom but country flair, that is, stainless steel appliances blended with well-worn
farmhouse furniture, corrugated metal siding accented with recycled barn doors. Best of all, there are lots of ideas here for renovations in an existing
home, more helpful than a dream book in our current economic climate.
We like the authors’ six-element guideline, a design philosophy that they call FUSION or Functional, Unexpected, Simple, Integrated, Old and
New. Follow it and you’ll gain a home that’s both handsome and workable.
While this book will appeal to homeowners with construction and decorating know-how, it’s an excellent one for first-timers, too. The text includes
both simple and sophisticated interior design tips such as “In furnishing your living room, make sure your rug is large enough—and that means large
enough so that every piece of furniture in the seating group has all four feet on the rug (although you can get away with only the front feet of a sofa
on the rug).”
‘Interior Architecture Now’ By Jennifer Hudson Laurence King, 2007 Softcover, $29.95
Here is an exhaustive, 351-page book, published in the U.K., compiling 55 of the most interesting people and architectural design firms working
around the globe. Chapters are devoted to individual artists or design studios, and most of the photos are of commercial interiors, but author
Jennifer Hudson includes some intriguing private homes and resorts as well.
More than likely, the happiest recipient of “Interior Architecture Now” would be someone studying or already involved in architecture or interior
design. And yet, even nonprofessionals will enjoy flipping through the cutting edge/definitely edgy pictures.
‘Design Idea Book’ By Karen Templer Sunset Books/ Oxmoor House, 2007 Softcover, $21.95
If you love home tours and show houses, this is your book, the best of the best from homes shown in seven magazines including Sunset, Cooking
Light, Southern Living, and even a Tennessee idea house from The Progressive Farmer.
What you’ll find here are lots of ideas for kids’ quarters to beach houses, guest cottages to formal living rooms. In all cases, designers have sought
to convey homes as they’re used today, so kitchens are designated as the heart of the home, and utility rooms are for more than just the washer and
dryer.
Keep in mind that these are show houses assembled by interior designers, not real life residences, so you won’t find eyeglasses on bedside tables or
dog bowls in the kitchen, unless a photo stylist put them there. But in an age when the trend is for a stylish home to look staged at all times, the
fact that these aren’t real homes doesn’t really matter at all.
‘Down to Earth’ with Helen Dillon Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $29.95
The subtitle of this book is “Advice and inspiration from one of the world’s great gardeners. A sample: “If Val and I set off on a tour of the
garden…we’re hardly past the greenhouse when his conversation turns to slugs … ‘At least 30 caught last night,’ Val will inform me, as if he was
discussing the game bag after a shoot.” And then Dillon relates how she and Val, her husband, set out saucers of cheap lager to catch the pests.
Obviously “Down to Earth” is more than a how-to gardening book.
Born in Scotland and gardening in Dublin for the past 36 years, Dillon (she’s well-known for her lectures and previous books) writes about basic
topics such as seeds and pests with a narrative style more common in memoirs: “The only good thing I can think to say … is that occasionally the
slime has a pretty mother-of-pearl look, iridescent, like the nail varnish that came from Woolworth’s in the 1960s.”
If you’re a gardener as well as a reader, this book is a must-have. Good for beginning gardeners, too.
‘The Garden at Night’ Photographs by Linda Rutenberg Chronicle Books, 2007 Hardback, $40.00
This is a coffee table book in its truest sense — almost as big as a small coffee table, it’s meant for eye-popping visual pleasure. Rutenberg has
taken her large format camera to 20 public gardens in North America, each featuring a different regional flora, from spiny cacti of Phoenix to the
delicate blossoms of Montreal to the palms of Florida.
Photographed in the dark of night, even familiar flowers such as a dahlia look eerie, while exotic specimens such as the reptilian aphelandra or
tubular pitcher plant become downright scary. With a forward by William Shatner (yes, the “Star Trek” actor) and introduction by Christopher
Dewdney, who references Jung and Rousseau, this book is for those who like to look, rather than dig in the dirt.
‘Bringing Nature Home’ By Douglas W. Tallamy Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $27.95
Especially important as development in our area puts pressure on our wildlife population (deer wandering on the San Luis Obispo County airport
runway, for instance), author Douglas Tallamy explains eloquently how native plant species depend on native wildlife. With habitat destruction,
we risk sending both into extinction.
And yet, as Tallamy explains, gardeners can give wildlife a helping hand by blending native species with landscape plants to keep the neighbors
happy. Scholarly in his writing style, Tallamy is not aiming for a popular audience, but dedicated gardeners will find his descriptions of the plants
and insects (bird food) interesting.
‘Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners’ By Christopher Lloyd & friends Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $29.95
Venerable Christopher Lloyd (1921-2006) was an English plantsman, not a dainty gardener, and in this, his last book, he celebrates creating “hot
and steamy planting schemes” such as a tough agave surrounded by delicate, brown-centered daisies and lush green ferns, or giant red cannas laced
with mauve verbena.
When he died just just before finishing this book, friends stepped in to complete it. Lloyd lived and gardened his entire life at his 15th century
manor house, Great Dixter, and became a best-selling author. He scandalized many in the garden world when he replaced his classic 80-year-old,
Edwin Lutyensdesigned rose garden with an exotic garden, “a direct invitation for a good wallow,” he writes. “From the first, it is intended to
indulge.”
‘Trees of the California Landscape’ By Charles R. Hatch University of California Press, 2007 Hardback, $60.00
After gazing at a landscape for years, you may someday find yourself asking, “What kind of tree is that?” If it’s anything other than a pine,
weeping willow or jacaranda — a soapbark tree, for instance, or a Chinese tallow—more often than not, no one knows the answer.
Hatch’s exhaustive work catalogs all types of California trees, one per page with photos of a full-grown tree, a close-up of the bark and a cutout of
the leaves. If the tree is limited to certain areas, a map shows where it grows. The book is too big to carry in a backpack, but it absolutely belongs
in a serious gardener’s (or hiker’s) library.
‘Tree Houses: Living a Dream’ Edited by Alejandro Bahamón Collins Design, 2007 Softcover, $19.95
Who would have thought that any but the Robinson Family would go to such elaborate lengths to place a house in a tree? But here is the proof —
from Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and the United States, tree houses run the gamut from simple sheds nestled in branches
to steel modules built to protest deforestation by urban guerillas in Spain. A few of the tree houses are computer models, but most are real life
examples, often complete with rope bridges, entertaining platforms, even curtains and doll beds. Unless you’re handy with hammer and saw, it’s
best not to show this book to the kids.
‘Designing and Renovating Larger Gardens’ By Douglas Coltart Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $34.95
If you find yourself with a five-acre property and the desire to do something grand, Scottish landscape architect and garden designer Douglas
Coltart has advice for you.
With his ample use of gravel and stone, Coltart’s garden designs are easily adaptable to the Central Coast. Especially valuable is his chapter on
unifying the house with the yard and creating dual functions for various areas depending on the temperature and time of day.
Just as Coltart’s book is not a quick read, his method of garden design is slow and careful, starting with using a compass to determine true north.
This is a book for serious gardeners and garden design professionals.
‘The Self-Sustaining Garden’ By Peter Thompson Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $29.95
Updated from a 1997 edition published in the United Kingdom, this book aims to lessen the work of gardeners in temperate zones (our climate).
Thompson presents the idea of “matrix” gardening along with case studies so that gardeners don’t inadvertently create more work for themselves
with the wrong combination of plants.
Pruning, raking and weeding can take the pleasure out of gardening, but Thompson starts at the beginning with soil management and then carries
through with garden planning. He aims for gardens that appear full and lush but require little actual effort.
A book for a thoughtful gardener who doesn’t mind English terms and welcomes categories of garden plants such as “Unsociable shrubs.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Kevin Cowan (Contact)
Thursday, December 6, 2007
At just 29, Jeff Garner has accomplished a lot in the fashion world with his Prophetik clothing line.
This purple print trench is one of Garner’s favorite pieces in the collection.
unknown
Garner said his men’s pieces appeal to rockers in the Nashville music scene.
Garner said his men’s pieces appeal to rockers in the Nashville music scene.
One would think the man behind the Prophetik clothing line could predict where his label is headed in the future. Think again.
"I just take each year as it goes," said Jeff Garner, the label's designer. "I just allow it (the line) to breathe, to blossom. That's what makes it free and
independent."
One thing Garner is certain of is that he will be in Knoxville on Friday for a fashion show, which will feature his styles, at Obligato, a West
Knoxville boutique on Kingston Pike.
The 29-year-old will travel from Franklin, Tenn., where Garner has his headquarters. He grew up there on a horse farm. During his youth, the focus
was not on playing cowboy.
"When I was little, I would get my sister's Barbie sketch pad and sketch out my own clothes," Garner said. "I had this knack for putting things
together that other people wouldn't think to do and rework vintage stuff. I would do applique and drawing on jeans."
After high school, he headed west to attend Peppperdine University to study artist management and event production, not fashion design. In
California, Garner made some connections and got work at an entertainment firm in creative management, where he did marketing, art direction and
some clothing design for such acts as Fleetwood Mac and Barry Manilow, for whom he still fashions pieces. That company also owned Prophetik.
"They brought me in to design for them," Garner said. "I had this passion, so they said, 'Why don't you take it and run with it? You're the heart of
it.'"
Run with it he has. Six years later, Prophetik clothing is in dozens of boutiques and specialty stores, such as Obligato, coast to coast. The line also
has presence overseas in the Netherlands, Japan and Australia. Soon Garner will travel to Vienna, Austria, to discuss distribution in that country
and Germany.
Prophetik includes men's and women's designs, as well as a small children's segment.
For the fall/winter lines, Garner went with an "Exuberance of Soul" theme.
"I feel like people need to refocus," he said. "Sometimes we lose sight of the soul. People don't realize why things are happening to them. It's
something deeper; the soul's trying to move them into a different season. The exuberant part makes the soul both beautiful and pleasurable. I'm
trying to expose this concept in a clothing line."
Garner probably did a little soul-searching to come up with the collection's retro resonance.
"It's Renaissance," he said. "It's French 18th century. At first you think of nobility, but I took more from the peasants' style."
Garner uses lace, ruffles, puffed sleeves and other touches from the period. He also incorporated fur and velour.
One of his favorite jackets is done in regal purple, which pops against the group's more neutral pieces, which are done in browns, olives and
mahogany. Deep red also contrasts the subtle shades.
Garner steers away from lots of embellishment, prints and appliques.
"It's noise," he said. "Besides, I did that a few years ago."
Another thing Garner hasn't done is jump on the jeans bandwagon. He has only one pair, which combines denim, corduroy and leather.
The fit of the clothing is European, which means it hugs the body. Prices allow many to embrace the line. T-shirts are $28-$48 and jackets
$70-$120, depending on the fabrication.
Also, Garner has designed a special T-shirt for the fashion show. Half of the proceeds from that item's sales will benefit Hannah's Hope in
Ethiopia, which provides care and shelter to orphaned kids there.
In addition to the fashion show, which will feature men's and women's looks, there will be an appearance by Thomas Ian Nichols. The actor, most
known for his role as Kevin Myers in the teen comedy "American Pie," also sings and will perform numbers from his album "Without Warning,"
which will be released Jan. 15. His set will be acoustic.
Style writer Kevin Cowan may be reached at 865-342-6426.
Turning those home dreams into reality
For homeowners and gardeners (or those who aspire to become one or both), the shiny pages of home and garden books can offer hours of pleasure
as well as advice and designer know-how. This year’s releases run the gamut from beautiful picture books to practical manuals. On the following
pages you’ll find our pick of the best, in case you need some ideas for last-minute holiday giving.
‘Inspirations from France & Italy’ By Betty Lou Phillips Gibbs Smith, 2007 Hardback, $39.95
A Dallas-based interior designer and prolific author, Betty Lou Phillips’ name comes up remarkably often in conversations about European-style
décor. Her many books — “French Influences,” “French by Design,” “Villa Décor,” among others—are widely read by decorators who want to
imbue a residence with Old World ambience while maintaining modern aesthetics.
Phillips’ eighth and newest book, “Inspirations from France & Italy,” goes beyond its gloriously beautiful photos with brief, well-edited chapters
to educate the reader on the evolution of European style in the context of historical periods —the influence of Versailles on French style, the
permanent overlay of Roman and Etruscan design on Italian interiors. In sidebars, Phillips salutes Mario Fortuny, the textile designer, and Pierre
Dupont, whose Savonnerie carpets influenced Aubusson designs.
Local owners of Tuscan and Old World- style homes, whether the house is custom- built or part of a development, will find Phillips’ book helpful
in choosing furniture, fabrics and colors that work well in spaces that easily overpower all but the most deft decorating choices. And for the rest of
us, Phillips shows several light, airy cottages as a counterpoint to all the expensive damask and gilt. A seaside house even features polka dot sheets
from the Garnet Hill catalog.
Especially helpful for those currently decorating a home, Phillips has compiled an extensive resources section stating where to find furniture,
accessories and even garden ornaments, and a directory listing the contact information of the architects and designers who worked on the projects
shown.
‘Houses: Inside and Out’ By Mariette Himes Gomez Collins Design, 2007 Hardback, $39.95
A sequel to her best-selling book, “Rooms: Inside and Out,” Mariette Himes Gomez’ new book, “Houses” looks at the whole picture — visually
walking a reader into the yard, through the front door and then around the house. Along the way, she analyzes what makes these homes work from
their fireplaces and staircases to aesthetic elements of balance, color and movement.
Gomez shows a wide range of homes, both formal and casual, ranging from Greek Revival to Modernist and Colorado cabin styles. While Gomez
shows projects that obviously cost millions, she focuses on elements that would be easy to imitate in smaller, budget-minded homes.
‘Couture Interiors’ By Marnie Fogg Laurence King, 2007 Hardback, $50
Fashion and furniture began to fuse some time ago—think designer sheets, chairs and toasters. Marnie Fogg’s fascinating and colorful new book,
“Couture Interiors,” shows how the Laurens, Westwoods, Karans and Missonis of the fashion world have revved up interior design via patterns
and textures.
Especially interesting are the edgy, sometimes quirkly ideas explored here, such as the chair seat-vest, a collaboration between architect Ron Arad
and fashion designer Issey Miyake. This is a visually inspiring book, best for those who think seriously and intellectually about fashion and
interior design.
‘Urban Country Style’ By Elizabeth Betts Hickman and Nancy Gent Gibbs Smith, 2007 Hardback, $29.95
Here’s a book with examples of unpretentious homes with city wisdom but country flair, that is, stainless steel appliances blended with well-worn
farmhouse furniture, corrugated metal siding accented with recycled barn doors. Best of all, there are lots of ideas here for renovations in an existing
home, more helpful than a dream book in our current economic climate.
We like the authors’ six-element guideline, a design philosophy that they call FUSION or Functional, Unexpected, Simple, Integrated, Old and
New. Follow it and you’ll gain a home that’s both handsome and workable.
While this book will appeal to homeowners with construction and decorating know-how, it’s an excellent one for first-timers, too. The text includes
both simple and sophisticated interior design tips such as “In furnishing your living room, make sure your rug is large enough—and that means large
enough so that every piece of furniture in the seating group has all four feet on the rug (although you can get away with only the front feet of a sofa
on the rug).”
‘Interior Architecture Now’ By Jennifer Hudson Laurence King, 2007 Softcover, $29.95
Here is an exhaustive, 351-page book, published in the U.K., compiling 55 of the most interesting people and architectural design firms working
around the globe. Chapters are devoted to individual artists or design studios, and most of the photos are of commercial interiors, but author
Jennifer Hudson includes some intriguing private homes and resorts as well.
More than likely, the happiest recipient of “Interior Architecture Now” would be someone studying or already involved in architecture or interior
design. And yet, even nonprofessionals will enjoy flipping through the cutting edge/definitely edgy pictures.
‘Design Idea Book’ By Karen Templer Sunset Books/ Oxmoor House, 2007 Softcover, $21.95
If you love home tours and show houses, this is your book, the best of the best from homes shown in seven magazines including Sunset, Cooking
Light, Southern Living, and even a Tennessee idea house from The Progressive Farmer.
What you’ll find here are lots of ideas for kids’ quarters to beach houses, guest cottages to formal living rooms. In all cases, designers have sought
to convey homes as they’re used today, so kitchens are designated as the heart of the home, and utility rooms are for more than just the washer and
dryer.
Keep in mind that these are show houses assembled by interior designers, not real life residences, so you won’t find eyeglasses on bedside tables or
dog bowls in the kitchen, unless a photo stylist put them there. But in an age when the trend is for a stylish home to look staged at all times, the
fact that these aren’t real homes doesn’t really matter at all.
‘Down to Earth’ with Helen Dillon Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $29.95
The subtitle of this book is “Advice and inspiration from one of the world’s great gardeners. A sample: “If Val and I set off on a tour of the
garden…we’re hardly past the greenhouse when his conversation turns to slugs … ‘At least 30 caught last night,’ Val will inform me, as if he was
discussing the game bag after a shoot.” And then Dillon relates how she and Val, her husband, set out saucers of cheap lager to catch the pests.
Obviously “Down to Earth” is more than a how-to gardening book.
Born in Scotland and gardening in Dublin for the past 36 years, Dillon (she’s well-known for her lectures and previous books) writes about basic
topics such as seeds and pests with a narrative style more common in memoirs: “The only good thing I can think to say … is that occasionally the
slime has a pretty mother-of-pearl look, iridescent, like the nail varnish that came from Woolworth’s in the 1960s.”
If you’re a gardener as well as a reader, this book is a must-have. Good for beginning gardeners, too.
‘The Garden at Night’ Photographs by Linda Rutenberg Chronicle Books, 2007 Hardback, $40.00
This is a coffee table book in its truest sense — almost as big as a small coffee table, it’s meant for eye-popping visual pleasure. Rutenberg has
taken her large format camera to 20 public gardens in North America, each featuring a different regional flora, from spiny cacti of Phoenix to the
delicate blossoms of Montreal to the palms of Florida.
Photographed in the dark of night, even familiar flowers such as a dahlia look eerie, while exotic specimens such as the reptilian aphelandra or
tubular pitcher plant become downright scary. With a forward by William Shatner (yes, the “Star Trek” actor) and introduction by Christopher
Dewdney, who references Jung and Rousseau, this book is for those who like to look, rather than dig in the dirt.
‘Bringing Nature Home’ By Douglas W. Tallamy Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $27.95
Especially important as development in our area puts pressure on our wildlife population (deer wandering on the San Luis Obispo County airport
runway, for instance), author Douglas Tallamy explains eloquently how native plant species depend on native wildlife. With habitat destruction,
we risk sending both into extinction.
And yet, as Tallamy explains, gardeners can give wildlife a helping hand by blending native species with landscape plants to keep the neighbors
happy. Scholarly in his writing style, Tallamy is not aiming for a popular audience, but dedicated gardeners will find his descriptions of the plants
and insects (bird food) interesting.
‘Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners’ By Christopher Lloyd & friends Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $29.95
Venerable Christopher Lloyd (1921-2006) was an English plantsman, not a dainty gardener, and in this, his last book, he celebrates creating “hot
and steamy planting schemes” such as a tough agave surrounded by delicate, brown-centered daisies and lush green ferns, or giant red cannas laced
with mauve verbena.
When he died just just before finishing this book, friends stepped in to complete it. Lloyd lived and gardened his entire life at his 15th century
manor house, Great Dixter, and became a best-selling author. He scandalized many in the garden world when he replaced his classic 80-year-old,
Edwin Lutyensdesigned rose garden with an exotic garden, “a direct invitation for a good wallow,” he writes. “From the first, it is intended to
indulge.”
‘Trees of the California Landscape’ By Charles R. Hatch University of California Press, 2007 Hardback, $60.00
After gazing at a landscape for years, you may someday find yourself asking, “What kind of tree is that?” If it’s anything other than a pine,
weeping willow or jacaranda — a soapbark tree, for instance, or a Chinese tallow—more often than not, no one knows the answer.
Hatch’s exhaustive work catalogs all types of California trees, one per page with photos of a full-grown tree, a close-up of the bark and a cutout of
the leaves. If the tree is limited to certain areas, a map shows where it grows. The book is too big to carry in a backpack, but it absolutely belongs
in a serious gardener’s (or hiker’s) library.
‘Tree Houses: Living a Dream’ Edited by Alejandro Bahamón Collins Design, 2007 Softcover, $19.95
Who would have thought that any but the Robinson Family would go to such elaborate lengths to place a house in a tree? But here is the proof —
from Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and the United States, tree houses run the gamut from simple sheds nestled in branches
to steel modules built to protest deforestation by urban guerillas in Spain. A few of the tree houses are computer models, but most are real life
examples, often complete with rope bridges, entertaining platforms, even curtains and doll beds. Unless you’re handy with hammer and saw, it’s
best not to show this book to the kids.
‘Designing and Renovating Larger Gardens’ By Douglas Coltart Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $34.95
If you find yourself with a five-acre property and the desire to do something grand, Scottish landscape architect and garden designer Douglas
Coltart has advice for you.
With his ample use of gravel and stone, Coltart’s garden designs are easily adaptable to the Central Coast. Especially valuable is his chapter on
unifying the house with the yard and creating dual functions for various areas depending on the temperature and time of day.
Just as Coltart’s book is not a quick read, his method of garden design is slow and careful, starting with using a compass to determine true north.
This is a book for serious gardeners and garden design professionals.
‘The Self-Sustaining Garden’ By Peter Thompson Timber Press, 2007 Hardback, $29.95
Updated from a 1997 edition published in the United Kingdom, this book aims to lessen the work of gardeners in temperate zones (our climate).
Thompson presents the idea of “matrix” gardening along with case studies so that gardeners don’t inadvertently create more work for themselves
with the wrong combination of plants.
Pruning, raking and weeding can take the pleasure out of gardening, but Thompson starts at the beginning with soil management and then carries
through with garden planning. He aims for gardens that appear full and lush but require little actual effort.
A book for a thoughtful gardener who doesn’t mind English terms and welcomes categories of garden plants such as “Unsociable shrubs.”
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