Right from the start Rob Littlepage emphasizes that gardens are about far more than just plants and that the owner or designer has a wonderful palette of materials, structures, patterns and colours, all of which can be woven in such a way that they positively relate to the house and surrounding landscape. Gardens are about the creation of personal space, perhaps the largest space over which we will ever have direct responsibility and that in itself is both a fascinating challenge and a real responsibility.This whole question of simplicity and practicality is something that Rob eschews in both this book and his work, over complication is the death of any design, in any field; this is perhaps the most important lesson of all.David Stevens FSGD, FCI HortEmeritus Professor of Garden Design, Middlesex University, England