Garden Graphics: How to Plan and Map Your Garden

How To Plan And Map Your Garden, A Unique Text To Help Size And Layout Plants For Their Future Size In The Landscape

Nesbitt hopes to facilitate the task of mapping a garden through the use of graphic "pictograms," or symbols relating to aspects or characteristics of plants and other garden features. The book's first section contains color photographs illustrating a variety of gardens, accompanied by plant lists and maps of each, as examples of Nesbitt's method. The second half includes a dictionary with nearly 1,000 symbols for plants and such things as paths, water features, and furniture. The format presents all symbols in like size, so enlarging some of them will be required. If a garden chart is generally a useful tool, it is often a necessary reference as well. Although some of Nesbitt's symbols make more sense than others, copying her iconography may help gardeners plan a new space or keep track of an established garden. Alice Joyce

This book aims "to introduce a new and easy method of garden mapping" by presenting a dictionary of 950 graphic symbols to represent common garden plants. The symbols are supposed to represent the plant's shape and give a better idea of the form and texture of the finished planting; the idea is to use them when drawing up a garden plan. Unfortunately, the symbols are not individual enough to allow readers to tell whether the circle with the scalloped outline is a peony, a poppy, or a shamrock pea. In addition, the author's decision to space the plants on the plan as they would appear when first planted gives a very spotty effect. It was very hard for this reviewer to relate the mixture of blobs, whorls, and spikes appearing in the 28 plans to the somewhat blurry photographs that accompany them. Amateurs will use this too seldom to justify the expense, and professionals will need a more handsome finished product than this method will provide. Not recommended.
- Molly Newling, Piscataway P. L. , N.J.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.