Paradise Found: Gardening in Unlikely Places - Hardcover

Cole, Rebecca

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0609604155 ISBN 13: 9780609604151

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 2000

Synopsis

In Paradise Found, Rebecca Cole presents simple solutions to gardening in small, difficult, or awkward spaces -- the reality that seems to face so many gardeners today. Whether it's a tiny terrace, an oddly shaped yard, or a location both shady and sunny, Rebecca helps gardeners overcome the limitations of their environments. She offers practical guidelines for placement, color, and form and she champions the use of hanging plants and containers to create beautiful, easy-to-maintain gardens. Filled with hundreds of lush color photographs, Paradise Found is an inspiring guide to gardening anywhere.

Paradise Found, by acclaimed author Rebecca Cole, offers a wealth of simple, beautiful solutions to common gardening difficulties. Whether a garden is too small or too big, too shady or too exposed, too empty or too cluttered, Rebecca explains how to overcome its limitations to create a unique and inviting garden paradise.

Illustrated with hundreds of inspiring color photographs, Paradise Found is a wonderfully practical book that simplifies the challenges of your garden space, from facing up to the realities of your space to envisioning your ideal garden to understanding the basics of placement, color, and form.

Drawing on years of experience and a no-nonsense approach, Rebecca explains how to transform an awkward terrace, how to improve a porch, and what to do with the overgrown wilderness you've somehow inherited. She celebrates the possibilities of hanging plants and container gardens and provides tips on year-round planting choices, easy irrigation systems, quick winterizing techniques, and where to find intriguing -- and affordable -- garden furniture and architectural elements. Rebecca's solutions are always fresh, creative, and remarkably sensible. Whatever the gardening challenge, Paradise Found will appeal to anyone looking to create a bit of heaven right at home.

About this title

Review

A gorgeous book full of glossy, inspiring photos, Paradise Found is a treasure for anyone attempting to fashion a garden on a terrace, rooftop, or other unusual spot. At first glance, you may think the text is superfluous in the pages of sun-filled statuary and foliage, but don't let the beauty distract you from the details. Enclosed here is a wealth of ideas for creating stunning and unusual gardens in spots that are currently barren brick or wood.

Creative containers are certainly part of it, but there are tips for larger reconstructions as well. Planning and design figure prominently in the equation. Emphasis is placed on choosing plants thoughtfully, and low-maintenance gardening is encouraged--it'll leave you with more time for simply enjoying your space! Reliance on local nurseries and experts is suggested as a good way for the novice to get started, but Westerners may be disappointed, as all sources given are east of the Mississippi. The East Coast crowd will discover all kinds of flea-market and nursery addresses listed at the end of the book.

Author Rebecca Cole has a great love of nonrefinished antique treasures--learn to love that rust and chipped paint, it's irreplaceable! She also includes a "recipe" for a garden that figures out the number of plants you'll need in relation to your space. Whether you follow this precisely or just as a general guideline, it's a helpful tool. Also be prepared to blow your plant budget after reading this book--Cole will have you buying plants in bulk, with all manner of accompaniments. --Jill Lightner

About the Author

Rebecca Cole Described as a "stylish, urban horticulturist" by New York magazine, Rebecca Cole is the author of Potted Gardens (Clarkson Potter, 1997). She appears regularly on television and radio, and her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Harper's Bazaar, the New York Times, Garden Design, and Martha Stewart Living, among others. She lives in New York City and New Hampshire.

Helen Norman is a professional New York-based fashion photographer and avid gardener who lives on a 130-acre organic vegetable farm in Maryland.

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0609604155
• ISBN 13: 9780609604151
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192