No comments about In a Zen Garden: Words and Wisdom for the Zen Gardener.

2 comments about Bonsai: Miniature Potted Trees.

1. I recently bought a Juniper bonsai and have become very interested in these exquisite miniature plants. Bonsai is the reproduction of natural tree forms in miniature which increase in beauty and value as they mature over the years. I am now thinking about purchasing another and want to learn as much as possible about the growth and proper care for these Japanese-style miniature plantings. I browsed through bookstores and also asked a friend, who has numerous healthy bonsais, for some book suggestions. I finally purchased "Bonsai: Nature in Miniature." A few people recommended it as a bonsai book that is especially designed for beginners. It is also an excellent book to accompany a bonsai given as a present.

   Kyuzo Murata and Isamu Murata have created a book filled with beautiful color photographs and drawings which provides specific, step-by-step instructions for: how to select a tree; what fertilizer to use; lighting; watering; trimming; wiring branches to form tree into desired shape, etc.. The text also emphasizes the pleasures of viewing the trees as works of art.

   The selection of subjects, photography, illustrations, the writing style, all present the subject - an introduction to bonsai - in a clear and interesting fashion. Highly recommended.
   JANA




2. This book has been translated from Japanese. There are some really great tips, but it is very hard to follow. The text does not appear to line up with the pictures in some cases and most of the book is in black and white. It also does not seem to be sequenced well. It jumps from one topic to the next and then back again.

No comments about The World of the Japanese Garden: From Chinese Origins to Modern Landscape Art.

1 comments about The Courtyard Gardens of Kyoto.

1. I got my copy when I was in Kyoto, in a small tea shop which could as well have been one of the ones pictured here. (The rest of the series is good, too.) This book features exclusively photos of the interior courtyards, often with bamboo or groomed grave. Tatami mats, some snow. Classic gardens, and more modern ones. Now I want a garden like these -- not to mention a courtyard to put one in! (Note: publisher, ISBN, and title are correct, but the author is instead Mizuno Katsuhiko.)

1 comments about Backyard Building Projects: Complete Plans for More Than 40 Useful or Decoratve Objects to Make for Your Garden (Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guides).

1. My family found a number of fun projects in this book. We'd been thinking about ways to accent our flower beds and found useful project in this book. We created some different birdhouses as well as a few paths throughout the garden. We very pleased with the results.

3 comments about Simply Zen: Interiors Gardens.

1. Some nice pictures and does provide the Zen philosophy, but cannot be used to provide ideas nor gives a "how-to" to implement the Zen design into your home environment.



2. As a beginner decorator in Zen design, this booked helped me understand the concept behind why Zen is Zen, and how I can incorporate this into my home decorating. If you want a more indepth look at the meaning behind Zen decorating, while giving you ideas along the way, this is the book for you.



3. When I realized I had borrowed this book 6 times from the local library I decided it was time to buy it. Not encyclopedic, but captures the spirit and the tone with lots of nice ideas to fit into whatever you are doing at the moment. Graceful and thought provoking with beautiful pictures. This is not step-by-step how-to-look-Zen. This is how Zen feels when it touches the things around you.

2 comments about Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast.

1. This book is one of the few books on US Japanese-style gardens which compares and contrasts the real gardens of Japan with efforts to recreate the essence of their beauty in the western US. Beautiful Photos



2. Kendall H. Brown begins his history of Japanese-style gardens with a quote from James Rose to the effect that Japanese gardens outside of Japan are fakes. Brown's attitude is, however, more ambiguous than ambivalent. He seldom says he doesn't like something. His liking may be found between the lines. At the end of his history, Brown concludes that Japanese-style gardens are meant for play. It is pleasant to think of people having a smiling time in Japanese-style gardens . . . the wistaria, azalea, carp and waterfalls call for that. Nevertheless, Japanese in Japan are as out of touch with their past traditions as are Americans with their's. There is pleasure in knowing the symbolic uses of gardens in Japan and in their transplanted versions in the United States. Gardens in both countries should be more creative as is the case with "California Scenario" by Isamu Noguchi, the last garden Brown describes. (It is popular with skateboarders!) "Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific Coast" is a splendid book and the only book extant that gives the historical background of West-Coast Japanese-style gardens. Melva Levick's photographs whet the desire to see the gardens, if for no other reason than to see which is better . . . the photographs or the gardens. A small objection: If Brown had included acreages, one might be better able to compare the problems and successes of the individual gardens.

2 comments about Bonsai: Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy.

1. With few color photographs but many excellent line drawings and lucid writing, the author covers all the essentials. The techniques presented are both practical and innovative. The chapters on shaping, soil, and styling are exceptional. Only Naka's two volume set rivals this publication.



2. This text was the one i'd been searching for so long. I've purchased a dozen bonsai books over the years and finally found Koreshoff's book. It's straight foreward, simple, and explains so many things i'd been confused about that other bonsai books don't touch on like the philosophical purpose of the shapes of trees. Bottom line is this: you can get many bonsai books and get close to what Koreshoff has done, or you can purchase hers and be done. You won't regret it.

No comments about Pocket Bonsai: Care Shaping Repotting Species.

5 comments about Bonsai In Your Home: An Indoor Grower's Guide.

1. This book helped me a lot in deciding which tree to grow and maintain. This book had drawings and pictures that assisted me in pruning, wiring, and the transplanting of my tree.



2. This book says everything from how to care for your bonsai, to how to grow bonsai from cuttings and seeds. This is a great book for beginners as well as the experinced grower.



3. Paul Lesniewicz describes the bonsai art with simplicist and skill. This book is full of wonderful photos and great advise.



4. This book, of the 3 I purchased, is the one I refer to most often. It has detailed descirptions of each tree along wiht detailed instructions on care for the tree including maintenance, repotting, propagation, etc. Very easy to understand and has answered the vast majority of my questions.



5. The greatest thing about this book is that it is just about indoor bonsais!
   
   There are a lot of bonsai books. Many of the books tell you about shaping and creating, planting and repotting, the different types of soil, the tools you will need, pruning, cutting, and trimming, how to wire or bend the branches and all of those necessary things that it takes to make a tree or plant a bonsai. This book has all of this information and it presents it very well. I am sure there are some bonsai books that do this better, but this book is totally devoted to indoor bonsais and there are not many books on indoor bonsais.
   
   An indoor bonsai does not mean that it lives indoors all year. All bonsais grow better if they are outside as long as your area will permit. An indoor bonsai is one that can live in the house during the winter without a dramatic set back. Outdoor bonsais on the other hand must spend the winter out doors. If you try to keep them in the house for the winter they will eventually die. Most bonsai books include many of the indoor bonsais, but they don't label them as indoor bonsais and they don't tell you how to keep them thriving in the house for the winter.
   
   In this book there are over 40 indoor bonsais that are presented on a two-page format. One page has a beautiful large picture of each bonsai, plus a small picture on the next page. The second page has general information about the bonsai; it's origin, size, flower and fruit information, and other interesting information about this bonsai. Then the rest of the page has the following sections: Location, Watering, Feeding, Transplanting, Soil, Pruning, Wiring and Propagation. It also has symbols for light, water and temperature during the winter, so you can see that information at a glance.
   
   A smaller version of this book is "Indoor Bonsai" written by the same author. It is similar, but there are fewer trees with the two-page format. It does have a section in the back listing many more indoor trees with a paragraph on each of them.