No comments about Urban Gardens: Plans and Planting Designs.

2 comments about Gardens in Provence.

1. This stunning tribute to the gardens of Provence is truly a masterpiece. The author and photographer have captured the most breathtaking collection of photographs of crafted nature to behold. The care and artistry that is unveiled is the essence of the beautiful plants that are seen in this unique and exquisite area of the world. The wonderful herbs that are evocative of Provence are left wild or cultured into enchanting or simple shapes that enrich the senses. The heady perfumes of Rosemary, thyme, lavender, and all the other local favorites almost reach the olfactory glands through the seductive rendering of this landscape. This book is sensual browsing; put your rosemary, lavender and thyme nearby. Create your own aromatherapy. Better yet, go there!



2. I was disappointed when I gave this book as a gift to find that it is not exactly the same as the hardcover edition. Some photos are missing that were in the hardcover edition so if you enjoyed that book don't think that this one will replace it. I don't know if the text is different.

5 comments about Eden on Their Minds: American Gardeners with Bold Visions.

1. I just bought this book for my wife, an avid gardener, for her birthday. I had no idea if she would like it, but based on the publisher's write-up and the contents I thought she might enjoy it. Well I hit a home run! Not only did my wife love the book, but apparently she has another book by this same author. Now we are all happy, my wife loves this book and I scored some brownie points for "paying attention" to my wife's likes and needs!



2. As we await the arrival of the first of the spring catalogues,three of my gardening friends and I have been purusing the contents of Starr Ockenga's wonderful new book, Eden on Their Minds, marvelling that the author has come up with a gem equal to its companion book, Earth on Her Hands. Whether we are consulting the wealth of information contained in the detailed plant lists; being transported from the cold and dark of winter by the breathtaking images of Eden that fill the book; daring through the inspiration of these visions to be more adventurous in our own gardens; or imagining a conversation with any one of the gardeners who are introduced to us so engagingly in striking black & white photographs, we agree that this book--a bargain at its retail price, not to mention the [Amazon.com] price--deserves its honored place on our horticultural library's shelves and on our laps as we meet, talk about gardening, and look forward to spring!



3. Starr Ockenga's newest book is called "Eden On Their Minds," a playful reference to the title of her recent companion volume, "Earth On Her Hands." Any gardener (or wanna-be) glancing through "Eden On Their Minds" will soon be transfixed...and transported.

   I don't have a garden of my own - I have to rely on New York City's parks and mid-highway "malls" for my greenery. Somehow, though, Ockenga's gorgeous book takes me from concrete-bound trees to a world of sweet-smelling, dewy expanses of Iowa grass; the world of moss-hung live oaks lining a centuries-old Louisiana lane; the world of a sage-and-lavender-smelling "gravel garden" in New York State; the world of the proud almost haughty precision of Neville Bryan's Chicago flower garden. Magical.

   This is the gift book I gave my mother for Christmas, knowing she would eat up every photograph. This is just the book for those frosty mid-winter nights when you lounge in your favorite armchair, surrounded by garish, boasting seed catalogs, planning your spring. "Eden On Their Minds" is a book that invokes new life, encourages those of us with less than a green thumb, and reminds us that the Earth is struggling to amaze our humble human species, even as we pollute and destroy and ravage.

   A helpful addition at the end of every chapter is a list of the plants grown in that chapter's featured garden; both common and botanical names are given, along with a brief description of the plant. An excellent index completes the book.

   Starr Ockenga's latest book does amaze us. If you are not already a gardener, after reading this book you will want to be one when you grow up.




4. Check out "a reader" with one star. I agree. Buy something else.



5. Great book for gardeners and homeowners to daydream with. It shows lots of homes all over the U.S. Great for winter days when you can't get outside.

No comments about A Medley Of Gardens: Denver Style.

1 comments about A Garden for Life: The Natural Approach to Designing, Planting, and Maintaining a North Temperate Garden.

1. Bioplanning is Diana Beresford-Kroeger name for gardening within nature. Using the characteristics of the Northern Temperate Bioregion and the ecological needs and values of all of her favorite plants, Beresford-Kroeger offers plans and reasoning for wonderful gardens. She also lists many invaluable ecologically friendly techniques and products (many made from common household products) to use for reducing common garden problems ie. using wood ash as a fungicide.
   This book is my new must have in gardening book.

5 comments about Natural Garden.

1. This is one of the best books on gardening I have ever read. It is a pleasure to read. It is so interesting that I read it from cover to cover. It helped me plan the complete redesign of my garden. It gave me the information I needed to work with my landscape architect as an informed gardener.



2. I'm a chilean landscaper. The first time I saw this book was on a client's hands and I don't resist in to look all the wonderfull images. Now I'm woorking in a new garden, whit many reminiscenses of this book. A good invertion.



3. This book was written before it was understood that re-creating a "natural" garden look without using native plants really doesn't satisfy in the way native plant gardening can. So, it is somewhat muddled. But, as with all Mr. Druse's books, the photos are fabulous, the concepts are sound; it's the implementation that is better discussed in his later book "The Natural Habitat Garden," which I recommend highly to anyone interested in pursuing a garden that looks "right" for their area.



4. Ken Druse is an amazing photographer, as well as an expert gardener who puts nature's welfare first. All gardeners will hopefully become "organic" in the future, if there is to be any hope at all for our natural world.



5. I love his style of using a few different gardener's ways of expressing themselves through their gardens. His books are crammed with IDEAS that help readers create their own visions of what they could do with their growing space. This is a great one, for "letting go"--Nature's partnership with the gardener, to make the "garden" less formal and intrusive of the landscape that is there--Yet making the gardener's home the jewel in that natural setting. I highly recommend this work!

5 comments about Zen Gardening.

1. If you are a beginner of japanese garden, this is a good book to start. It introduces different garden styles and the spirit of Zen.



2. The strength of this book is it's illustrations. It is not a this is how to do it book. It is one to understand and appreciate the aesthetics. I would recommend it.



3. One of the most beautiful photographic representations of oriental garden design available. The photographs and writing are both of excellent quality. The format of the book is put together in a very appealing manner and the overall impression is of a writer who is sensitive to the style and philosophy of the gardens. A sense of quiet and calm pervades throughout. Sunniva loves gardens, people, photography and writing. She is multi-talented and it shows.



4. but not the only one to own. Wonderful images and good explanation of philosophy, but if you are wanting a nuts and bolts, this is how to do it, this book is not the one. I would add it to a collection of several. I have read it a number of times times and get more out of it each time.



5. This book will not tell you how to build a Japanese Zen garden. What this book will do however, is tell you what should be in your garden, where it should be and why it should (or shouldn't) be there.

   Sunniva Harte does a fine job of explaining the concept of Japanese gardening (Zen being one style), ably assisted by a veritable trove of glossy photographs showing Zen gardening at its best.

   Purchase this book if you wish to understand the concepts behind Zen gardening. Don't purchase this if you're looking for a 'how to' on Zen garden creation. Nice book.

1 comments about Lost Gardens of England: From the Archives of Country Life.

1. Being such a splendid book, my only want is that it should be in colours. The book captures the spirit of each garden with pictures and words and it feels like reading a fairy tale.
   
   It also captures an era lost to us now, of grand houses and parties, ladies in white dresses and men smoking cigars and the act of creating exactly the garden fantasy you want whatever the cost. Some are wild, some are amazing, some ar just beautiful but all very interesting and nostalgic to look upon.

No comments about Easy Gardening: Recipes for Successful Planting (Daily Telegraph).

4 comments about Easy-Care Landscape Plans: 41 Professional Designs for Do-It-Yourselfers.

1. The book is good -- for an advertising piece for landscaping plans. It is well illustrated and does include a lot of information on landscaping. It helped me. HOWEVER, each landscaping plan has an 800 number with a plan code. For $45 plus the company will send you a detailed plan that is adapted to your zone. Frankly I would have preferred to know this up front. I should have been more suspicious when I saw the low book price. Would I recommend the book? Yes - if you want some ideas about achieving different looks in a suburban garden. But unless you are willing to pay more, don't look to this guide for plant recommendations.



2. This book has a bunch of very specific plans for designs that you must BUY. While you can get a few ideas from it, it is very vague and general, and yet, geared to a specific-lot plan. Browse it if you like, but don't bother to buy it.



3. I thought this book would come with the plans inside, based on the title and subtitle. But it is just a book of plans to order. There are no plant keys, just sketches of various landscaping plans that you can send away for. I am completely dissatisfied and would like to return this item.



4. Hmm. The previous reviews baffle me a little as one can tell from the title this is not a one-size-fits-all book as each region in the country has different requirements and the title doesn't point to any one in particular. This book has great sketches with general plant categories, quantity needed, and placement guides to help you achieve a similar look in your yard. I'm not an expert gardener by any means, but I would consider myself a bit more savvy than a novice. Not one of these plans in its entirety was what I was looking for but I took bits and pieces of several and drew up my own sketch for my yard. Then by looking around my city for things I like and talking with my local nursery personnel, I was able to select the perfect plants to fit my sketch -- all for free (well, the plants cost me money of course!). So if you are looking for someone to do it all for you, this is not the book and you are probably better off hiring someone. If you want guidance and inspiration, this is a great book and if you find a particular plan you love, you can order it and get all of the information handed to you at a reasonable cost.