American Horticultural Society Practical Guides: Small Gardens (AHS Practical Guides)

Tells how to create a small garden, solve design problems, and select useful plants

Full of solid, practical advice and plenty of how-to pictures, Small Gardens is an ideal title for those looking to maximize their limited gardening space. Focusing on appropriate plants for small areas and exploring all kinds of options for dealing with slopes, uneven ground, and specific family requirements, you'll find direction for growing healthy plants and creating your own unique haven.

Designed to be a complete do-it-yourself guide, don't let the small format of this book fool you--it's absolutely jam-packed with ideas for all styles of gardens, and as always, publisher Dorling Kindersley manages to take fairly complicated projects and reduce them to a manageable size that even the home improvement novice can handle. Practical considerations are dealt with firmly--no skipping such detail work like drawing up thorough plans or designing around underground utilities.

The aim of this book is to get you professional-quality results, and if you follow directions carefully, you'll get the job done beautifully. The plant listings supply plenty of ideas for all climates and special needs--new gardeners will find all kinds of useful tips.

Inspirational ideas are plentiful--the garden photographs are lush and detailed, and provide all kinds of unusual notions for creating a truly unique gardening space. Whether you're looking to make to most of a private courtyard or incorporate a built-in barbecue into your small lot, you'll find options for all your projects that will set your plants off beautifully with striking combinations of textures and materials. --Jill Lightner