1 comments about Basic Elements of Landscape Architectural Design.

1. This text is a good beginning one for landscape architectural studies- the first chapter on earthwork is not the latest technology, but valuable nonetheless to understand how it was done before GIS and more sophisticated equipment and methods.

1 comments about Landscape Ecology Principles in Landscape Architecture and Land-Use Planning.

1. Quick read if you want to avoid digging through peer-review journals to learn the same principles.

1 comments about Paradise by Design: Tropical Resorts and Residences by Bensley Design Studios.

1. This is a fabulous book! I just finished reading it cover to cover and I am amazed at the quality of design and how great the photos are! Well worth the money as this Mr Bensley is a true artist. The designs are inspirational and truely maxamilist....minimalisism is boring!

No comments about How to Turn a Place Around.

3 comments about The New Zen Garden: Designing Quiet Spaces.

1. This book is itself a work of art, the best I've ever seen in the field. The photographs convey the quiet, peaceful, beauty of small Zen gardens so well, that it is a joy to look at. Mr. Cali's text clearly introduces and explains both the historical background and the philosophical/aesthetic concepts behind Zen gardens. The traditional techniques to create your own garden space, large or small, are explained clearly enough to give anyone the confidence to create even a tiny oasis of natural peace within their home environment. This is best book on zen gardens to come out in a long time. Highly recommended.



2. "Early to pre-modern Japanese civilization was shaped in part by Chinese culture through direct contact or as filtered through the Korean Peninsula. Garden design arrived in Japan between the sixth and seventh century A.D., in the first wave of cultural influences from China that affected the arts, government, architecture, city planning and the written language..." Joseph Cali writes, he continues to describe the history of spiritual and cultural aspects of Japanese garden, and the underpinnings of the garden's art. He also shows you how to use Japanese garden principle to design you own small to medium garden, adding finish touches with stone lanterns, bamboo fences, sculpted plantings and cobbled pathways.
   
   "The New Zen Garden: Designing Quiet Spaces" includes five chapters: The Roots of Japanese Garden, Layout and Enclosure, Stone and Gardens, Water and Related Garden Fixtures, and Planting and Other Garden Features.
   
   "The New Zen Garden: Designing Quiet Spaces" has 88 pages and many beautiful interior color photos. It is a fine addition to your Japanese garden collection.



3. This book in itself is literally a work of art. The book is a beautiful. Like Zen ......the book points the way to a modern Zen garden. The colored photos, the text, the black and white photos, the plans, the sketches, the examples, the details, the composition are as perfectly organized as a high order Zen garden. This is the Zen garden book I had been looking for. Joseph Cali does an excellent job of walking you thru the process of designing a garden. He starts with a plan and then does something very few authors/designers accomplish in the western world..........he promotes garden design thru..........intuition. I love it. He shows you how to put a plan together that "responds" logically to the site and then he advises the reader that while you are actually building the garden, stop and...........listen to what should happen while in the process of creating the garden! Go with what "feels" right. This book is only 88 pages long. Again this in itself is symbolic of the Zen way; simple, pure and free of the particular. If you purchase this book, be sure to study the list of plants and the bibliography.

2 comments about Natural Architecture.

1. The order arrived last friday, five month later...and the seller was not a great help when asked the whereabouts of it.
   German del Sol



2. This beautiful volume has a wide-range of outdoor structures constructed, for the most part, from natural materials. As a member of a community that has built straw-bale structures, I found the range of materials and style of structures quite inspiring.
   
   I recommend this book for anyone intersted in the relationship between the natural world and man-made structures.

5 comments about Fences for Pasture & Garden.

1. I was very impressed that this book went into so much detail about fencing. We are at the beginning stages of fencing in over 8,000 feet of fenceline and this book offered many wonderful suggestions that we had not thought of and will definately put to use now that we know better! Thank you so much for putting together such a great book for those who aren't very fence educated!



2. I found this very helpful in putting up fence which I had not done before- just what I needed



3. We looked at the Fence Bible and a Guide to Stock Fencing. This book was better than both of them. It offers good basic fence building skills, expecially for building fences for livestock. Not a book for "pretty" urban fences.



4. ..this book would work for you as it spends three or four ENTIRE chapters on electic fences. other than that if you can dig a hole, put a post in the group and nail a board you will not learn anything.



5. This is one of the best books and resources I have ever read on fencing. It is truly a must buy for those new and old at fencing. If you are looking for a well written, well researched book on fencing, this is it.

1 comments about Practical Ecology for Planners, Developers, and Citizens.

1. This is an interesting and articulate book for both the specialist and the general reader who cares about a healthy world. It is of significant practical value while at the same time it presents a coherent background of information on which to base action.

4 comments about Timeless Landscape Design.

1. The collaborative effort of professional landscape architects Mary Palmer Dargan and Hugh Graham Dargan, "Timeless Landscape Design: The Four-Part Master Plan" lays out their unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' methods for creating award-winning gardens and landscapes for more than 30 years. "Timeless Landscape Design"showcases four distinct elements of landscape designs beginning with the approach and arrival sequence to create a sense of anticipation, the hub as the landscape property's natural center, the perimeter consisting of outdoor spaces wrapped tightly around the house, and passages to destinations which animate movement around the property and invite the enjoyment of garden places. Profusely illustrated in full color to provide a visual accompaniment to an informative text, "Timeless Landscape Design" can enable any homeowner or aspiring landscape student to master the basic principles in developing truly enduring landscaped properties in all climate zones and conditions. No personal, professional, academic, or community library Gardening & Landscaping reference collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of Mary and Hugh Dargan's "Timeless Landscape Design".



2. Mary Palmer and Hugh Dargan have designed some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen in Georgia, North Carolina and California (I am sure there are more gardens in other locations - I just haven't had the priviledge of viewing them). One of our homes has a Hugh Dargan designed landscape and it is the primary reason we bought the property. Their book Timeless Landscape is an uncommonly fine work that is a testament to their deep bench of knowledge and inspired vision. Every page offers an opportunity to learn from a master and every photo is an inspiration.



3. Make no mistake about it, this is definitely a coffee table book, with all the baggage that that moniker bestows. If you have no interest in gardening and are looking for a quick read to pick up a few landscape architect terms (like "genius loci") to kick around willy-nilly at cocktail parties, this book is for you! On the other hand, if you are a serious gardener looking for a concrete introduction to classic landscape design . . . you will need to look elsewhere.
   
   I will allow, the photographs are glorious (SOMETHING had to fill the 200 pages of this tome; it certainly isn't inciteful text), as they should be in all coffee table books. However, one would at the very least hope for a few inspiring pictures; unfortunately the photos chosen clearly lean to spare, colorless landscapes employing lots of expensive hardscaping and precious little pizazz. And don't look for any recommendations on plant material; the photo captions often detail the architect of the house, but mention plant material only in the broadest strokes.
   
   So, fellow gardeners, save the $29 bucks and head off to your local nursery and select a pretty perennial for your garden. I can assure you it will be more inspiring than this disappointing book.



4. or your eyes will not close! You'll be replanning your garden all night long. Excellent resource book for all levels of gardeners. One of the best books on my "garden shelf".

No comments about Avant Gardeners.