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GardenLarge, the Brine Garden, Duncan and Julia Brine

Legendary Norman McGrath Documents the Brine Garden

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Norman McGrath, the Brine Garden

© Norman McGrath

Photographer Norman McGrath is shooting the Brine Garden in its 25th year.

Norman and his wife, Molly, had lunch at Duncan and Julia Brine’s home and toured the Brine Garden in the fall of 2014. Not long afterwards, Norman emailed,

“Very much enjoyed our recent luncheon and visit to your beautiful garden. The fruits of all your care and planning have produced a unique environment. Would you consider embarking on a year long study which would examine closely the seasonal changes which make it so special?”

The Brines were thrilled at the prospect of collaborating with such an exceptional professional.

Norman is best known as an architectural photographer and author of the definitive book, Photographing Buildings Inside and Out, which has sold over 47,000 copies. But, for the past decade Norman has been observing and creating images of the Great Swamp, part of which is just across Route 22 from the Brine Garden.

Born in London, Norman was educated in Ireland where he earned an engineering degree at Trinity College, Dublin. His father was the Australian-born architect and author, Raymond McGrath. Norman has lived in the US since 1956.

Norman has photographed the work of a wide variety of influential and well-known architects and designers, including Mies van der Rohe, Hugh Stubbins, Charles Gwathmey, Frank Gehry, and Philip Johnson. His work has been featured in every major architectural publication and a collection of his photographs has been acquired by the Library of Congress. www.normanmcgrath.com

New Landscape Book to Love: Lauded by Louv and Tallamy

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  • UPNE – Integrated Landscaping: Lauren Chase-Rowell

    • “A first-rate model for forward thinking landscapers everywhere. It’s time to bring nature back into our lives, and this book shows us how.”—Richard Louv, author, The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods

      “From initial design to plant choice to installation, this book will guide you in the creation of a beautiful, functional, and enriching landscape, regardless of the size of your property or budget.”—Douglas W. Tallamy, author, Bringing Nature Home

       

      A new way of thinking about landscaping home grounds and public spaces, Revised and Expanded

       

      Most landscape manuals describe a linear sequence of processes: design, plant selection, installation, and ongoing maintenance. Integrated Landscaping is different. It uses natural ecosystems as models, taking a nonlinear, holistic approach that addresses these processes simultaneously. Integrated Landscaping treats each site as a system of plant and animal communities, considering their interrelationships with each other and their environment.

       

      Click here for TABLE OF CONTENTS

    • Brine Garden: Stream in fall

Photography in the Style of Traditional Chinese Painting

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  • This series of images was brought to my attention by a college friend now living in the northwest.
  • Brine Garden dreaming of Chinese painting

Landscape for Life — Based on the principles of the Sustainable Sites Initiative

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In Scotland’s Search for Native Roots, A Push to Restore Wild Lands

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  • In Scotland’s Search for Roots, A Push to Restore Wild Lands by Caroline Fraser: Yale Environment 360 – Annotated

     

    • As Scotland asserts its identity and its autonomy,
      environmentalists are working to restore its denuded landscape – planting native forests, creating wildlife corridors, and reintroducing species that were wiped out centuries ago.
      by caroline fraser

       

       

    • … beneath the superficially peaceful surface of Scotland simmers a longstanding discontent. Politically, the country is roiled by nationalism, fully engaged in “devolution,” the process of hedged independence set in motion a decade ago, when citizens voted in 1997 

       

      …. On the ground, Scots are as restive with an Anglicized landscape as they are with Anglo rule. “Who owns Scotland?” cries Rob McMorran, coordinator of a group of activists known as the Scottish Wild Land Group.

       

    • …Environmental groups are buying hunting estates to reforest; private landowners are experimenting with native planting; beaver have been reintroduced after decades of debate. Many such projects fall under the rubric of “rewilding”—the conservation method of restoring core wilderness areas, maintaining corridors between them for wildlife to migrate and disperse, and reintroducing top predators.