New Book: Gardens by Design

I found out about this book via the Timber Press newsletter. It looks quite interesting, so I am going to take a look at my local bookstore or library. Due to limited storage space, I always try to look at books first before buying them for the collection. My wife and I started this rule once we realized our bibliophilic habits would eventually require a second house just to hold the library. (SMILE)

Further information from Timber Press...

I'd be willing to bet that when most die-hard gardeners think of design, it's yummy plant combinations that first spring to mind — pairing that deep purple coleus with a tangerine dahlia, or juxtaposing the wispy copper blades of Carex buchananii with the jagged, silvery blue leaves of African honeybush. The parts of the garden that aren't actually growing — paths, walls, steps, chairs, trellises — just don't give us the same tingle of excitement. But they should. Any plant combination that's good in itself will look ten times better in the right setting. That's why we should care about well-chosen and well-groomed hedges, good stonework, sturdy arbors and pergolas.

If terra-cotta-colored concrete pavers never got your pulse racing before, they will after you take a look at Noel Kingsbury's newest book, Gardens by Design. Kingsbury has assembled 26 of the world's top designers — including Julie Moir Messervy, James van Sweden, John Brookes, and Steve Martino — and has persuaded them to divulge how they go about creating successful gardens. The inspiring examples are drawn from properties of every size and style, from tiny urban courtyards to rolling country acres, suburban backyards to rooftop decks. But don't worry — it isn't all about hardscape. The three chapters on planting design (written by such luminaries as Piet Oudolf, Beth Chatto, Carol Klein, and Isabelle Greene, among others) provide plenty of nourishment for hopeless plantaholics. And if you've even glanced at the other chapters, you'll come away with dozens of ideas about how to create the most effective display for your horticultural treasures. -- Tom Fischer, Executive Editor, Timber Press