Re: A bit OT but not that much
- Subject: Re: A bit OT but not that much
- From: J* M*
- Date: Thu, 04 Jul 2002 12:53:24 -0700
> Here's a Q that is a bit off topic ..
>
> I have a friend who is relandscaping a home that is done in 1950s
> Moderne and wants the landscape to be consistent with the home. She
> is very influenced by the Case Study houses and has been looking at
> books of photos of those homes for landscape inspiration. The
> problem is, those books (and the homes) focus on architecture not
> landscape so there are glimpses of plants placed austerrely inside
> and adjacent to the homes but no photos of the general landscapes
> popular then. It seems to me that they relied heavily on flat planes
> of grass and slopes covered in ice plant but beyond that, I am at a
> loss to help her. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to find
> photos or which landscape designers to research for that era?
Nan,
In 1955, I was 14 years old and already a disciple of Thomas Church, Garrett
Eckbo, Robert Royston, James C. Rose, and Roberto Burle Marx. Before the
end of the decade I was studying architecture in college and designing
gardens in Albuquerque inspired by them. Sometime during my long college
career I was seduced by a mob of brilliant Brazilians into switching my
major to Portuguese literature and the history of art. But my interest in
the work of these early modernist landscape architects has continued right
up to the present.
The major premise behind their approach to landscape design was the (then)
new concept of integration of indoor and outdoor spaces into a single
edifice for living (much facilitated by California's mild climate and
paucity of biting insects in summer). This was accompanied by major use of
hardscape elements (paving, fences, walls, etc.) to create outdoor rooms and
by a primarily architectural use of plants. If your friend wants to go
beyond the "flat planes of grass and slopes covered in ice plant' and
explore the truly creative aspects of this movement, there are several good
books published in the 1950's detailing this approach. My favorites are:
Gardens Are For People by Thomas D. Church. New York: Reinhold, 1955.
[There is also a newer paperback edition of this work published in 1995 by
the University of California Press, Berkeley, with a new preface by Michael
Laurie, a bibliography of Church's own writings, and an new preface by
Church's long-time secretary, Grace Hall. If you can find it, get ahold of
the first edition, since the photos are larger and there are many colored
photos that were not available for reproduction in the new edition.]
Landscape for Living by Garrett Eckbo. New York: F. W. Dodge, 1950.
The Art of Home Landscaping by Garrett Eckbo. New York: F. W. Dodge, 1956.
[The first is a highly accessible text for students of landscape
architecture, and it includes an excellent exposition of the historical
background and the principles behind the movement. The second is a
how-to-do-it book for homeowners. It even includes a long chapter of "Case
Studies". It seems to me exactly the kind of manual your friend needs.]
Creative Gardens by James C. Rose. New York: Reinhold, 1958.
[This lavishly illustrated book shows both Rose's domestic landscape
architectural commissions (mostly in the Northeast but one in Pasadena) and
a series of "Modular Gardens" that could easily be duplicate anywhere (with
small regional modifications of plant material)--created in 1946 for a
series of articles in the Ladies Home Journal.]
For the past eight years I have replanted and maintained a large (1.4 acre)
Pasadena garden created by Thomas Church in 1963. This is a particularly
good example of Church's planning approach. It is conceived as a series of
connected outdoor rooms--each with a particularly intimate relationship with
the indoor rooms adjacent to it. The bones of the design are his but the
planting (except for some large trees and original hedges) is mine.
Nevertheless, I have hewed as closely as humanly possible to the spirit of
his style and approach.
This garden is presently at the height of its summer glory. I would be
happy to show it to you and your friend if you can make it up to Pasadena.
But you had better hurry. The house is currently on the market. Who knows
what the new owners will do with it?
John MacGregor
South Pasadena, CA 91030
USDA zone 9 Sunset zones 21/23
