No comments about Italian Villas and Their Gardens: The Original 1904 Edition.

No comments about Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond (Vol. 2): Water-Harvesting Earthworks.

5 comments about Perennial Combinations: Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right from the Start (Rodale Garden Book).

1. This is a wonderful guide to planning and developing a perennial garden. The author gives examples for numerous planting condition,such as shade, sand, clay. I can't wait for spring!



2. Although I have a plethora of gardening books, this one stands out as one of my favorites. It shows a picture example on every page. It has planting diagrams (garden plans) so you can duplicate what you see and it gives a lot of information about the plants. It's the best of both worlds - you can use the information and get creative, or follow the plans and duplicate what you see. Either way, you'll have a great garden!
   Although I've been gardening for a good many years, it's nice to have a reference as to how things will look together, instead of my usual "plant it here and hope for the best" approach! I'm tired of moving my plants every year.
   I bought my book over the winter and it's a great "dream" book. Now I can't wait till I can get out there and put it all to good use!



3. This book was (is) a big disappointment, containing as it does nothing new regarding perennnial combining that isn't covered in at least a dozen or more recent and more interesting books, not to mention the classics. This is perennial combining 202 with no spark of imagination in the pairings that can make a garden jump for joy. The photography is so ordinary and the color is extremly garish. Is that due to the Digital Imaging Specialists Dale Mack and Jane Ramsey or what? I can find no photographic credits (except for the cover) which is probably just as well. Obviously in a book this size (351 pages), from someone who is as accomplished as Mr. Burrell, there is useful information to be gleaned but I already have books that serve that purpose. If I had seen this in a book store, having thumbed through it for a few moments, I would never have bought it. However, if you are just beginning your library of perennial books this one may be useful to you.



4. One of the drawbacks of buying gardening books online is that you can't see the photos. If I had thumbed through this book I don't think I would have purchased it. Not that it doesn't have a lot of good information and ideas. It's just that the photos are, for the most part, awful. The color is garish and over-saturated and the images actually look blurry. Also, many of the plant combo photos are very close up, which doesn't help when you are trying to figure out how to place your perennials when planting. For me, a good gardening book has to not only give useful information and how-tos (which this book does for the most part), but it has to inspire with lovely photos! And that is where this book fails.



5. Being pretty new to perennials but having read many books I was having sort of a writers block when it came to WHAT to put in my new garden.
   
   I knew all about HOW but with so many choices I was overwhelmed!
   
   This book has a good number of templates to give you a jump start and many outstanding photos of combinations of flowers that work together. In fact this has some of the best photos I have ever seen in a garden book.
   
   It also covers difficult situations like what works in Heavy Clay and wet sites an so forth.
   
   My plan was a butterfly garden and they had the perfect template for a 12x8 garden.
   
   Excellent book for beginners or people that are looking for new combinations!! My fav book so far. (out of the 30 I have looked at).

5 comments about The New Create an Oasis With Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systms - Includes Branched Drains.

1. A very detailed book, but specificly aimed at very dry area's.
   There is info of use to wetter areas, but maybe not enough to justify buying the book.



2. I found this book more for someone looking to convert their existing house and plumbing to run on a grewater system, as opposed to for someone looking to build a house around/incorporating a greywater system (which is my situation).
   Still, an extremely specific and informative book for those who are interested in knowing every nuance of making a greywater system out of any situation.



3. I liked this book. It is short, fast reading and worth the time. I want to start my own catchment system because of this book. I have a need for understanding with some other environmental issues that were not addressed in the book, but overall, I am excited about the possible options for recycling water regardless of it's state (rain, grey, black) on my homesite. This book addresses my needs.



4. After reading the numerous reviews on this site prior to purchasing this book, I thought I was getting a very thorough book that would assist with "legal" system design and reclaimation strategies. While this book does gloss over them, it refers you to a sister publication for all "legal" builing issues and concentrates on illegal or 'radical' methods as they call it. Take this in mind of you are looking to design a 'legal' system for your home.



5. If you are a revolutionary and innovative thinker that respects the preciousness of water and its integral relationship to the planet earth; and if sustainability and conservation are forces that impel you in your daily life...
   Then this is a must have.

5 comments about In the Company of Stone.

1. Being a native resident of Vermont this book is very precious to me. I lived on a dairy farm with dry stone walls that were very plain. Dan Snow made the process into an art form as well as for practical use. The back of the book gives locations of some of his work here in VT and NH and I look forward to seeing some of it next summer. This book is one that should sit on a coffee table to be picked up and scanned by your guests rather than sitting on a bookcase shelf. The book is not only about the work of Dan Snow but a showcase of the photos by Peter Mauss, in color as well as black & white. It is a book you will treasure.



2. This is not a "how-to" book - it's better than that. It's a "why" book. The author expresses in his understated manner the "why's" of working with stone and for anyone who feels about stone the way he does (and I do)it is a delight to read - and look at. This book is absolutely inspirational and a joy.



3. If you love stones and stone work you'll appreciate the pictures but a book just can't manage to "show" the art involved in working with stone



4. Over a decade ago, Dan Snow repaired the hundred-year-old dry stone walls that wander across our property in Vermont. The tumbled stone had been evocative, but the symmetry of the reassembled walls has been an irresistible delight. I do not know Snow--he worked while we were away--but I have thanked him a million times for his art. In this book, he has somehow captured with words the sensory pleasure of organizing and reorganizing stones. The art of walling, as evidenced by Peter Mauss's photographs, and the skill of walling, as described by Snow, are compulsively fascinating, an adventure for the armchair dreamer.
   The text and illustrations blend carefully, and the color photographs sparkle. The reproduction of the black and white photographs varies in quality, alas. This is a charming book. An excellent companion book is Gordon Hayward's "Stone in the Garden."



5. Dan Snows stonework may be some of the best in the world. Of all the stonework I have seen over the years his stands of as the best of the best.
   This book illustrates much of Dans work demonstrating what is possible.
   Most of this work is dry laid stone which is an art in itself. For those who like work utilizing mortar I recommend Lew Frenches book. Buy this book if you love to view stonework that makes you say " WOW!"

2 comments about Stonescaping Idea Book (Taunton's Idea Book Series).

1. Lots of pictures, mortar and dry-stone, a little bit of everything. Makes you look at your yard with different eyes.



2. "Walks, pathways and steps play important roles around the exterior of the home. On a practical level, they offer a safe and comfortable means of approaching your house in all seasons and weather conditions. They also serve to connect your house with its surrounding landscape, providing a logical route to frequently used areas such as garages and outbuildings, or a more meandering route through gardens..." Andrew Wormer writes.
   
   He continues to discuss other aspects of stonescape, including paths, steps, sitting places, dinning places, outdoor rooms, garden paths and floors, poolside spaces, drystone walls, mortared walls, benches, sculptures, steams and waterfalls, entryways, driveways and transitions, and borders.
   
   "Stonescaping Idea Book" has six chapters: Paths & Steps, Terraces, Patios and Garden Spaces, Walls, Landscaping Features, Pools, Ponds and Fountains, and Finishing Touches.
   
   "Stonescaping Idea Book" has 144 pages and many beautiful and inspiring interior color photos. It is a must-have for stonescape lovers!

5 comments about Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn.

1. I received this book for my birthday this weekend, and sat down and read it that afternoon. As a permaculture student and an artist, this book fit my approach just perfectly. There are many books that deal in nitty gritty details of why and how to grow your own food and reduce your consumption, etc., but I've long been frustrated at the few texts and individuals devoted to the PR necessary to communicate with those not already fanatical about the ideas of permaculture and home gardening. This book is a start. I would have liked to read about more of the planning and ideas behind the presentation of the gardens to the respective neighborhoods. I'm interested in ways of bridging the gap between those who are "green" and those who remain mainstream in their ideas about the environment. This book offers some examples of injecting new ideas into the mainstream manicured lawn set.



2. I like the idea of growing more of our own produce in our yard, but I was somewhat disappointed in the quality of this book. Not disappointed in the condition mind you - it just wasn't what I was looking for.



3. My husband and I want to convert most of our front and back yard to fruit trees and gardens, as we have long thought that most people do not make use of their grass anyhow. Most of the book made the case for using property for food production, but the book was short on ideas for plants and layouts. The layout on the front cover is good, but there are a few such suggestions contained in the book. I would have liked a book full of ideas that I could use to help me plan my own edible estate.



4. I wanted to like this book. I think the idea is great but the gardens shown are not very pretty and the tone of the book is somewhat hostile. If you want to see a PRETTY vegetable garden suitable for a front yard check out "Rosemary Verey's making of a Garden". Look at the chapter entitled "The Potager". Now THAT's a beautiful vegetable garden. If it's too ambitious try just planting a border of red & green lettuce. It looks as beautiful as any other foliage plant. Put down a layer of wood chips. It really is a nice look. When you start getting into netting and wire fencing in the front yard that's when you leave many people behind. No one want to look at raggedy tomato plants in August.



5. have to agree with "wendycat". all of the photos i have seen of the edible estates are not very pretty, no offense to anyone but some are even somewhat hideous for a front yard garden. anyways, i've read the author has moved on to something else - animal estates....

5 comments about Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia.

1. This is a valuable book to see what trees and shrubs are like when they are mature. It will sort of help in identification, but it is not a book for identification. I enjoyed viewing it over again and again.



2. I bought this book to gain more knowledge about trees and shrubs so I make informed decisions on what to grow in my yard. This book helped me tremendously. I wouldn't have been able to select the trees and shrubs that surround and beautify my entire yard without the help of this book. I used to take it with me to nurseries and when seeing a tree I like, I opened the page that discusses it and got the ins and outs about it. I also have asked specialty nurseries for a specific tree I found in this book that they don't display, but can get as a special order. It was worth it. It is true that no book can contain all the information you need to know about trees and shrubs in your area, however, this book comes quite close!



3. I have already used this reference to choose and buy a hedge. Lots of information and mentions common hybrids. Only CON makes it tough to use. All the trees are listed by their Latin names and so hard to find for the everyday person.



4. This book is jam packed with helpful and beautiful photographs. it's the perfect book if you want to show a client or perhaps your wife what the plant you just bought (or more like a twig in a burlap coat) will look like when it grows up a bit. It has just basic info about each plant like ultimate size and ornamental qualities. If you are looking for something more in depth for each plant, get his manual of woody landscape plants. That said, I don't think you'll be disappointed to have the handy visual reference in your library of plant books!



5. This is probably the best gardening book that I have ever seen. I use it frequently. I am on a committee in my neighborhood that encourages tree-planting by our city's residents. This book is a life saver to take with me when dealing with perspective tree purchasers. It has great pictures of the trees and gives advice as to where they should be planted, problems, et.al.
   
   I like it so much that I have purchased it for gifts.

5 comments about Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (Vol. 1): Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life And Landscape.

1. It is not appropriately titled, or, better put, our minds are not appropriately programmed. All of our lands are in need of Rainwater Harvesting, not just the "drylands". Rainwater Harvesting for Ourlands, that is much better. Rainwater is another piece of the puzzle to independence.



2. This is an incredible study of a topic that most of us don't think about much, that is, how we are wasting our rainwater, and what we could be doing instead. This is required reading for anyone who cares about the environment.
   
   Best, the book is highly readable, with excellent illustrations. I knew literally nothing about this topic before I read this book. Now I am a believer. The story of the African man who "farms water" is incredibly moving and actually brought tears to my eyes. I have already bought three copies of this book to distribute to friends and I will probably buy more! The author, Brad Lancaster, speaks on this topic around the country and I am looking forward to hearing him in person. There are two more volumes coming in this series and I am looking forward to reading those, as well.



3. The concepts described in this book are applicable to all climates. The book is useful to any permaculture practitioner for any climate type. I live in the northeast with 35 inches per year, and it has been helpful to me personally in designing rainwater harvesting systems for my village lot. When is vol. 2 coming out?
   
   I suggest as companion reading "Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, and Ponds for Domestic Supply, Fire and Emergency Use--Includes How to Make Ferrocement Water Tanks (Paperback) by Art Ludwig; and also his "The New Create an Oasis With Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systms - Includes Branched Drains (Paperback)". Together you can come up with an irrigation plan for a yard anywhere.



4. If I had to give up all the books on my shelf, this would be one of the last to go. Not only pertinent to drylands, harvesting rainwater can and should be implemented in any climate. I can only wonder why all buildings and residents don't take collecting rainwater into account. Our landscapes and lives can be greatly enhanced by putting the tools Mr. Lancaster introduces into practice.



5. The author has a really great sense of our water and how we must learn to live within our means. Not just a technical manual but a rationale for changing our water ways.

5 comments about Landscaping with Stone (Home Landscaping).

1. I love the full color pictures - it gave me all sorts of ideas. I just wished there were a few more pages on "How to do it" I'd recommend this book though for the price - it was awesome.



2. Beautiful book, well put together, LOTS of pictures. I especially liked the way the author covered different styles of stonework. I'm not a fan of very formal design and he included examples of more informal, earthy landscaping.



3. What beautiful and innovative designs this book has. My husband and I wanted to landscape much of our property with stone. We actually did more than planned because we were so impressed by much of the ideas in this book. A concern of ours was the price. Much of the simpler projects you find you can do yourself (such as the small retaining wall around the garden), which saved on additional labor costs. We were guided which stones to use, and stones that could be found around the property. For the work that was a bit more extensive we called in a professional and showed him from the book what we wanted. He was very much impressed with this book himself.



4. Pick this up if you are always at Menards, Home depot, or you just like to play with rocks, on a friday night. It did occur to me after I read this, that my friends may think that I am wierd, because I read a book about rocks and how to place rocks, all on a...you guessed it...FRIDAY NIGHT! LOL! I am not cool!



5. From single stone placements to walkways, patios and garden rooms, this book will provide you with endless ideas and inspiration. The instructions are thorough yet easy to follow. A must for a resplendent garden!