It is difficult to appreciate the originality of this book because it has become so influential. I was born in 1953 and grew up in Southern California. It amazes me that Thomas Church developed his style of garden design during the 1940's because by the early 1950's, it had become the typical style of Californian suburbs.
In the early 20th century, garden design in the United States was dominated by three traditions: the grand formal gardens of Italy and France, the landscape gardens of eighteenth century England, and the Edwardian flower gardens of Gertrude Jeckyll. When Thomas Church began his landscape architectural business in 1930, he knew that he wanted to go in a different direction from those traditions, but he wasn't sure how to attain his goal.
Thomas Church (1902-78) lived in San Francisco, and during the 1930's he responded to the small houses that were being built on small lots by focusing on the need for outdoor living space. This is the reason why he titled his book Gardens Are for People. His gardens were for people to live in.
Avid gardeners might question whether most of Church's gardens should be better described as landscaped playgrounds, since they are mainly places for children and adults to relax and play in. Swimming pools played a central role in his designs; flowerbeds didn't.
The following quotation is from Gardens Are For People: "We all know the undeniable charm of strolling down a path brilliant with annuals and winding through an informal garden filled with flowery surprises and delights. Gardens like this do exist, and true gardeners are eager and willing to spend the time and care to maintain the casual and cluttered perfection this type of garden offers throughout the seasons." Church believed that most people wanted plantings that were easy to keep tidy, so he designed gardens which were dominated by hardscaping. Church did value trees and easily grown shrubs, but flower gardening was like vegetable gardening - hobbies that were best confined to a few raised beds.
