World of Garden Design: Inspiring Ideas from Around the Globe to Your Backyard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811826562 ISBN 13: 9780811826563

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2000

The creators of Garden Design magazine, the most luxurious and informative of gardening pulications, are ready to whisk readers away on a journey throught the world's most astounding gardens and shwo how these international ideas can take root in hoem soil. An inspiring dream book as well as an impressive compendium of gardening history and inforamtion, The World of Garden Design offeres the superlative photography that is the award-winning magazine's trademark, beautifully illustrated maps and plans, and a section called "Bringing It Home" which adapts the finest elements of the world's garden styles to home gardens. From the sweeping pastoral landscapes of England and Ireland to the exotic walled gardens of the Mediterranean, from the hot color f the tropics to the venerable aesthetic of the Far East, The World of Garden Design plumbs the fascinating origins of gardening's most essential principles. With its sumptuous photography, garden history, and practical information, The World of Garden Design is the ultimate guide for the true garden-lover.

Review:

You'll find it hard to tear yourself away from the gorgeous world tour of garden photos of this colorful book. More inspiration than practical guide, there's plenty to admire no matter what your style preference. Choose from among stately formal gardens, shady riverbanks, tidy herb beds, or complex succulent showcases, all presented with stunning depth of color on pleasingly glossy paper. Each photo has accompanying suggestions and design hints from the gardeners responsible for such glory. The text is scant, but what there is makes for interesting reading.

Design histories, the practical needs for each environment that resulted in creative and stunning plant choices, important elements of each type of design--these are all included as the sidelines to the incredible pictures. In the section entitled "Bringing It Home," the text expands to practical tips to help you duplicate the looks you've admired on previous pages--each style is covered in slightly greater depth, but the focus is on design, rather than plant care or environmental suitability. The perfect book to pore over on a cold and rainy day, The World of Garden Design is fabulous fodder for brainstorming sessions in developing fresh ideas for your own gardens. For those lucky enough to travel the world seeing various gardens in person, this book will give you ideas for new places to visit, or lovely reminders of the places you've been. --Jill Lightner

About the Author:

Susan Dooley lives and gardens off the coast of Maine. A former editor of the Washington Post Magazine, she writes about gardens for Garden Design, Architectural Digest, and other publications.