Robin Johnson
I graduated with a horticultural Degree from Pershore Horticultural College.
I won a position to work in a plant nursery in New Jersey USA ( 1972-1974 ).
In 1975 I returned to the United Kingdom, to work in Horticulture, where I met and married an Australian and in 1977 we arrived Australia.
Books Written by Robin Johnson
Garden Design for Everyone Volume 1
A Guide to Landscaping and Garden Design Volume 1
Above all else this is a book for gardeners who want to learn about developing and designing their own gardens.
1. It shows the reader how to create their garden using major principles of garden design the decorative and structural elements.
2. It explains how to develop a plan to begin your garden, then how to plant and maintain it.
3. It explains that a garden can be successful in many different climates.
4. It explains how to create the right garden soil by making compost also building soil mounds to create the right garden mood.
5. Throughout the book I explain that is it not the plants you choose that matter, but the grouping of plants to create the effect you want.
Garden Design for Everyone Volume 2
A Guide to Landscaping and Garden Design Volume 2
1. I explain how the natural world and suburban gardeners have learnt to adapt to changing conditions.
2. I explain where we live has been affected by unpredictable weather conditions: e.g. extreme heat followed by cloud and torrential rain.
3. In volume 2 I explain how gardens will need to be designed and planted to create shady areas to accommodate a higher summer temperatures and they will need to have soak-aways for periods of heavy rainfall.
“I hope that my latest book Garden design for everyone volume 2 will set you on your journey of creating and building your own garden.” Robin
Review, Foreword & Synopsis of Garden Design for Everyone Volume 1 & 2
& Volume 3 currently being written by Robin
Your Sustainable Garden
Conserving the ecology of gardens using its natural resources.
An invaluable and practical guide to those many home owners and keen gardeners as they struggle to cope with the challenge of continuing water restrictions in finding ways to maintain viable gardens.
Your Sustainable Garden provides sensible and practical guidance for those who love and recognize the environmental and quality-of-life values of the suburban garden; achieving even better gardens with substantially less water!
The Gardener Through History
A journey of growing food from the stone age to modern times.
Through the eyes of a gardener, here is a journey of growing food from the stone age to modern times.
The story of sowing, and harvesting throughout the evolution of humankind and how this knowledge has cumulated into what we know today.
Robin is passionate about gardens, as can be seen in his practical down-to earth approach to the methodology of sowing and harvesting.
Synopsis of The Gardener Through History
Robin’s next book is A Fantasy Tale
a sequel to The Gardener Through History
I am writing a sequel’ to the “Gardener Through History” very differently. I hope future readers will be entranced with it as I am.
I am writing it as though I am (the author) actually there through each historic scene I have created. It is a book that is partly factual and partway an imaginary ‘tale’ through Britain’s history.
- I transport myself to Britain in the mid 1300’s, to see for myself how Britain was faring, after the eruption of giant Samalas volcano eruption.
It is 1257 this giant volcano erupted on the Indonesian island of Lombok.
The giant volcano caused columns of smoke to reach tens of kilometres into the atmosphere, burying Lombok Island, before crossing the continents, and reaching Europe and Britain. I knew due to this eruption Britain went on to experience severe cold, snow and wet weather.
I wanted to see for myself what life was really like on the land after the eruption, and what effect it had on Britain’s social and economic life from the middle of the 1300’s and onwards to our modern day.
A little fantasy
So here I am it’s the 1300’s I’m walking along long a country farm track in Britain’s midlands, Without warning I found myself struggling to walk, however I saw ahead of me just around a corner a horse with a simple two wheeled wagon.
She seemed to be waiting for me. The horse turned around, to see if I had climbed aboard, yes I was aboard, we moved off .
All of a sudden this beautiful horse turned around, to me, and spoke to me. Oh for goodness sake wasn’t I surprised! ‘A talking horse’. She wanted to see if I was alright. So we moved off together up the track.
In this cold weather I am sure she found it hard going, after going several miles, we had moved up a hill, then down the other side. In the distance I saw a bench on the side of the track there seemed to be somebody sitting there.
There was a women, I dismounted from the cart and went over to her. She was freezing cold I spoke to the horse who nodded his head. He didn’t want to let on he was a talking horse straight away. I asked her name she wouldn’t tell me! I asked her to join me, I tried to rub warmth into her body.
We climbed aboard the two wheel wagon and strode off up the track to find a small village. Along the way we encountered villagers struggling with bitter cold, going about their daily chores.
In the village there were many wooden carts just like ours spread along the main street which is wide and dirty and full men and women going about their daily lives.
There were also oxen with wagons stacked with hay or other foodstuff for their farms stopping at their Round House. Both of us stepped off the cart both very tired, entered the villager’s Round House where the rest of the villagers were heading our horse nodded and rested.
We entered the round house, lady and I wanted to ‘work out’ what year (decade) it was, the round house would give us a chance to talk to others give us a clue who was on Britain’s throne and that would give me (us), where in history we have ended up.
A few locals befriended us and came to talk to us wondering where we had come from. Even our clothes must of so looked different.The villagers were so friendly they took us in to their homes on the edge of the village.
Over the next few days, we eventually ended up ‘working on the land’ assisting the farmers to work their crops. I guessed they were an early Wheat Barley and Rye.
Over the following months my female friend and I began an admirable friendship went to work daily with the village women.
‘However she wouldn’t tell me her name’. What a sight it must have been to see these local villagers minding to their pigs and chickens scampering around the village. They lived in tiny homes made from straw, wattle and daub mud brick with one room. The woman I was travelling with, I saw helping village women collect berries from bushes close to the village.
After a few months the villagers gained our confidence, particularly after having worked alongside farmers and their women folk.
All being well you will enjoy our journey through history. At different periods of our journey ‘out of the blue’ our horse with its cart keeps appearing, to help us out.