Dream
Plants for the Natural Garden
Piet Oudolf, Henk Gerritsen, Henk Gerristen
Synopsis
Gerritsen and Oudolf describe their special choice of ideal plants
- perennials, bulbs, grasses, ferns and small shrubs. The book provides
complete growing information for each plant and advice on how to
use them to best effect. Rather than striving to create big and
bold masses of colourful blooms that are vigorously pruned back
as soon as they have finished flowering, the Gerritsen and Oudolf
choose plants chiefly for their form - leaves, flower heads and
stems included - which retain their natural beauty through all the
seasons. The structure of the book is based around the way that
plants behave - their relative growing strengths and reliability
- factors that always inform the authors' designs.
Rating - 4* |
Planting
the Natural Garden
Piet Oudolf
Synopsis
It provides an update of cultivars developed since 1999 however,
and there are a number of suggested plant combinations that do not
appear in the previous books which will be helpful to those enthusiasts
developing a naturalistic style of planting in their own gardens.
The text is also peppered with little gems of information that increase
understanding of individual plant life cycles. To keen supporters
of Piet Oudolf's and Henk Gerritson's work these features alone
will justify getting the book.
Rating -
3* |
The Landscape of Man: Shaping the...
Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, Susan Jellicoe
Synopsis
This volume looks at the landscape of 28 cultures, ranging from
ancient Mesopotamia to the present day, and shows how the environment
is conditioned by the philosophy and religion of each civilization.
A selection from Geoffrey Jellicoe's "The Atlanta Historical
Garden" is included.
Rating - Must have 5* |
The Essential Garden Book: The...
Terence Conran, Dan Pearson
Synopsis
This reference work is for anyone wanting to improve their garden.
Design solutions are presented along with practical information
enabling you to create a garden that looks and works as you want
it to. The book is split into six sections on essential gardens,
exterior design, living space, planting design, a directory and
foundation techniques.
Rating - 4* |
Gardening with Water
James Van Sweden
Synopsis
An acclaimed landscape architect explains how nonprofessional gardeners
can create dramatic landscape effects by using such water elements
as fountains, pools, water falls, and dry streams, with tips on
plantings, construction diagrams, and a glossary of favorite plants.
Rating - 3* |
Garden Colour Palette
Paul Williams
Synopsis
This work provides information on how to achieve successful colour
mixes in the garden. The split page format enables you to mix and
match plants to create colour combinations, while notes provide
planning information, including the growing requirements and characteristics
of each plant.
Rating - 3* |
Gardening with Nature
James Van Sweden
Synopsis
An acclaimed landscape architect explains how nonprofessional gardeners
can create dramatic landscape effects by using such water elements
as fountains, pools, water falls, and dry streams, with tips on
plantings, construction diagrams, and a glossary of favorite plants.
Rating - 3* |
Bold, Romantic Gardens
James van Sweden, Wolfgang Oehme
Synopsis
From the fabulous clear photographs of Van Sweden and Oeheme's work,
to the intricate details of how a kerb detail works, this book will
inspire and delight. Unlike so many generic garden design books
that attempt to list a collection of concepts, this book shows a
fusion of well disciplined hard landscaping with a free form of
grasses and other naturalistic planting
Rating - Must have 5* |
Landscape Construction: Earth and Water...
Derek Lovejoy (Foreword), C.A. Fortlage, E.T. Phillips
Synopsis
This third volume of "Landscape Construction" covers the
design and construction of simple earth and water retaining structures
as far as the normal scope of landscape work is concerned. Major
civil engineering work such as highway embankments and reservoirs
are excluded. Chapters one to four cover the simpler forms of earth
retention likely to be part of a landscape contract, divided into:
methods of construction that rely on the soil as part of the structure;
various types of gravity retaining walls; and those which are constructed
independently of the soil. Chapters five to nine deal with all types
of water retaining construction, from "natural" lakes
to small ornamental pools, and the construction of natural and ornamental
watercourses are also covered.
Rating - 4* |
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