Photography Within the Humanities

Addison House Publishers, 1977. Hard cover, 157 pp. No other printings listed. [Excerpt from Introduction] This is a radical departure from the general run of gardening books which flood in every year. It is the first book this century to cover what was known in Victorian times as 'sub-tropical gardening. This exciting style of gardening involves the use of exotic-looking but largely hardy plants to create a garden reminiscent of some far-off tropical clime - an infonnal, peaceful place, perfect to relax and unwind in. This book describes and iUustrates the most beautiful of these plants and explains both how to grow them and how to create a setting in even the smallest gardens which will show them at their best. Gone are angular walls and fences and costfy but short-Uved beds of annuals. In their place are angelica trees and forest pansies, loquats and Kiwi fruits, smoke bushes, majestic rheums and giant ferns. Despite their exotic names, such plants are of the easiest culture; and like all the plants Myles Challis recommends in this book, they are handsome and distinctive in some way. The exotic garden is full of huge, beautifully-formed leaves as well as fmely-cut and often variegated foliage; it boasts spectacular flowers alongside silky evergreens; and it is rich in unusual features such as plants with bright crimson stalks or striking architectural shapes. In addition to the 'hardy exotics', Myles Challis has made a selection of 'tender exotics'. Grown in tubs or pots, these thrive out of doors in summer and make superb house or conservatory plants in winter. They include such magnificent plants as the datura, featured on the front cover of this book, and the banana musa ensete, which would be the pride of any garden. The Exotic Garden provides a wealth of practical information on both culture and design, but it is also an inspiring book, which aims to bring a sense of magic and mystery to the gardening scene.