Wild words
Horticulturist and garden writer Alys Fowler chooses ten of her favourite books on the theme of wilding, which takes us on a wide-ranging journey from the pioneering plantings of the Victorian wild gardener William Robinson to heartfelt poetry. Discover the nature-focused tomes you need on your bookshelf
Timber Press, £25 ISBN 978-0881929553
In what has come to be regarded as the original bible on naturalistic planting, published in 1870, groundbreaking landscape gardener Robinson argued for hardy plants to be grouped to mimic wild plantings, going against conventional wisdom of the day, which advocated the use of mass bedding plants. His addition of native plants to his schemes was seen as pretty radical at the time, as was his loose planting style. It's startling to think that the perennial meadow style that we so associate with modernist designers such as Piet Oudolf actually has its roots in Robinson's use of large drifts of hardy perennials, which, he suggested, could be naturalised into meadows, woodlands, watersides and mixed herbaceous borders (another of his ideas).
Not a man to shy away from
