Gaining Ground: Dramatic Landscaping Solutions to Maximize Garden Spaces

Quarto, 2000, PP.199, Featuring The Gardens Of Michael Glassman

A gardening reality that everyone faces up to, usually sooner rather than later, is that anyone who loves plants never, ever has enough garden space. That is why a book such as Gaining Ground is as useful for gardeners trying to squeeze one more tree or shrub into their half-acre backyard as it is for those learning to garden in pots on the deck of their new condominium. So many of our gardening books are from England, where anything smaller than an acre or two is considered to be a tiny garden. We need more American gardening books like Gaining Ground, which deal with gardening on suburban plots and apartment-house balconies.

Author Maureen Gilmer, host of the new PBS show Backyard Living, has written a book filled with creative and practical ideas on how to make the most of whatever space you have. How to shield out street noise, plant narrow privacy walls, use color to create the illusion of space, and personalize even the smallest garden are clearly illustrated in both photos and text. The color photographs feature the designs of Michael Glassman, Gilmer's cohost on Backyard Living, whose dramatic style and attention to detail is well suited to small spaces and urban living. The use of water to bring noise and movement to the garden and lighting to capture night views are signature Glassman, as are pots filled with flowers and expert hardscaping.

Gilmer gives clear and thorough advice to aid in plant choices. If your space is limited, it is especially important to choose trees, shrubs, and flowers that look their best most of the year or are so fabulous that they earn their garden space through sheer flamboyance.

Gardening is a game of choices, and this book should help us play "less is more" thoughtfully and intelligently, without a sense of deprivation. --Valerie Easton