I can’t claim to be a gardener but I enjoy books about gardening and this book has happily slipped into my collection. It’s a natural in books about gardens but also a book to restore your faith and spirit in Johannesburg. Twelve of the Patrick Watson gardens are in Johannesburg… places as diverse as 27 Boxes, Victoria Yards, the Saxon Hotel, Villa Arcadia, Steyn City and in the suburbs - Inanda, Khyber Rock, Craighall, Randburg, Sandton, and Midrand. My prediction is that this book will become a collectors' item even in the standard edition.
Book Cover
This is a book that inspires and enthrals. It could even be the book that leads many of us to find new ambitions as gardeners. Through this book we can’t but become passionate about Patrick Watson gardens.
During the course of a long career, Patrick has revolutionised garden design. He has created hundreds of gardens and here 23 are presented in loving detail. I love the diversity in the coverage of the so many gardens. This is a satisfying choice of the Patrick Watson oeuvre.
Good gardens, captured by the camera lens through changing seasons and moods, are always highly photogenic. Hundreds of photographs taken by drone over wide vistas and in close up detail show off the talent of the photographer and gardener. The texts are informative and succinct.
Nirox Estate
Patrick Watson paints landscape pictures with, in and of the veld. “Veld” is a peculiarly South African word capturing the open spaces, the grass savannah land, and the wide vistas of Africa. It’s a word which conjures up the smell of the bush… dry, dusty, aromatic grass. Veld is unique to Southern Africa... we talk about the Highveld of the plateau, the middle veld and the lowveld as one descends off the escarpment. Our veld is the equivalent of the prairies of the USA or the pampas of Argentina.
This book is a tribute to the man and a record of his magnificent gardens. He is the successor to Joanne Pim and Ann Sutton, who were both early influences on Patrick. He was also influenced and formed a close friendship with the Brazilian landscaper and artist Roberto Burle Marx. Patrick is a consistently hard worker and combined with his talent, vision, self-taught knowledge and persistence underpins his success.
Spier Estate
Jane Carruthers, environmental historian and emeritus professor at the University of South Africa has contributed a thoughtful foreword, explaining the context and offering an excellent assessment of the work of Patrick Watson as ecologist, artist, philosopher and professional. Jane stresses that Patrick is unique in the grounding of his gardens in ecological diversity, nature and his own artistic intuition. His work, whether in big or small spaces, blends the client’s brief and his own unique style.
Over a period of forty years, Patrick has created and shaped gardens with trees grasses, bushes, indigenous flowers, ponds and pools of water. Patrick turns a garden space into a landscape, a painting on the veld and brings the veld to the city. His gardens epitomise the spirit and feel of place and his genius lies in expressing mood, soul essence. He created the gardens at the Lost City, Sun City and Steyn City. I began to recognise the quintessential Patrick Watson garden in the small patch outside the Origins Centre at Wits. Later I saw his vision in the gardens of Coromandel, the Press Estate near Dullstroom, as well as the gardens of the now vacant Edgardale, the headquarters of Edgars. Then, when last year our HASA symposium group enjoyed an outing to the Pilansberg, a highlight was the Watson garden at the Moruleng Cultural Precinct.
Moruleng Cultural Precinct
Patrick’s own garden in Greenside, Johannesburg is a mix of chaos and harmony in plants. His deep knowledge of plants and botany enables him to work with biodiversity. He makes bush, cacti, succulents, rocks and trees relate in a seemingly effortless coherence.
The work, life and genius of Patrick Watson is presented and celebrated by the author Gareth van Niekerk who is a passionate fan of the Watson gardens. Coongratulations to van Niekerk and his team for celebrating Patrick in this book and persevering to publish a rather splendid and special garden book.
Clivia House, Khyber Rock
The book has been arranged in three sections. There are 23 chapters on the selected gardens (with splendid full colour photographs by Elsa Young). There is a biographical section on Watson and his own garden. There is also a more technical section for the real gardeners of the plant lists for seven gardens and this section is enlivened by the pages of artworks by Heidi Fourie.
Overall this is magical book. It is well designed and handsomely produced. It is a high quality production and a highly desirable book. This book is a long overdue tribute to South Africa’s most innovative and creative landscape gardeners.
Special offer to the Heritage Community in South Africa. Purchase your copy through Johannesburg Heritage at R480 (instead of R650). They are gathering orders and collection will be in Johannesburg from the Northwards office at 21 Rockridge Road. Order via email - mail@joburgheritage.org.za. If you are unable to collect, they can send the book via PostNet for an additional R109.
Kathy Munro is an Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand. She enjoyed a long career as an academic and in management at Wits University. She trained as an economic historian. She is an enthusiastic book person and has built her own somewhat eclectic book collection over 40 years. Her interests cover Africana, Johannesburg history, history, art history, travel, business and banking histories. She researches and writes on historical architecture and heritage matters. She is a member of the Board of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation and is a docent at the Wits Arts Museum. She is currently working on a couple of projects on Johannesburg architects and is researching South African architects, war cemeteries and memorials. Kathy is a member of the online book community the Library thing and recommends this cataloging website and worldwide network as a book lover's haven. She is also the Chairperson of HASA.