No comments about Designing the Landscape: An Introductory Guide for the Landscape Designer (2nd Edition).

No comments about Landscaping Principles and Practices.

5 comments about The Landscape Diaries: Garden of Obsession.

1. A marvelous book, filled with beautiful pictures! The accompanying text by itself is worth the price - a delightfully written love story. Unique garden design ideas abound, despite the author's keeping the how-to information to an absolute minimum. For the literary-minded, the property that is the subject of the "landscape" part of this wonderful book was once owned by Theodore Dreiser of "Sister Carrie" fame. I have had the pleasure of visiting this estate in the course of my own work, and the photos in the book make me realize that it has been too long, and I must go again soon!



2. For as long as the concept of beauty has been in our vocabulary, so too has the fascination with trying to define it. While many may be unable to provide a concrete definition, recognizing beauty is easy. The Landscape Diaries: Garden of Obsession illustrates and exemplifies this point. When the book arrived, packed in dreary brown cardboard, I was overwhelmed to open the package and see such a stunning gem inside. The cover itself is just breathtaking. I immediately looked through all the photographs and was so intrigued I read the entire book that night. Along with the beautiful pictures is a profound and inspiring love story including partner, children, nature, work, and pursuit of self.
   
   After I finished reading this book, I kept thinking how many people would enjoy it. When I started deciding whom to recommend it to, I realized that I couldn't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy it.
   
   Instead of going on to read another book, I re-read a favorite poem of mine, "Ode on a Grecian Urn", by John Keats. The last lines of the poem are: " `Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' -- that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." That quote describes this delightful book since much of it reads like insightful, intriguing, provocative and, well, beautiful poetry. Bravo!



3. From the wonderful photo on the cover, I expected a beautiful photographic exploration of an award winning garden. What I didn't expect was a story I couldn't put down! When was the last time you read a gardening book in two sittings? Nope, I can't think of another either.
   
   This book is more than just a book about a garden. The landscape photos will ensure that this book stays out for guests to enjoy; if they want to read the story, then they'll have to buy their own.
   
   I've been visiting and learning from Shanti Bithi's bonsai collection for many years. Now I know the whole story of the love, passion and a drive for excellence that created the beautiful "Garden of Obsession."



4. Beautifully illustrated throughout with 115 pages of truly impressive color photography, "The Landscape Diaries: Garden Of Obsession" by Gayatri Carole Rocherolle combines 18 pages of preliminary material with 172 pages of engaging and informative text showcasing a personal memoir of a woman and her husband's twenty-year focus on the development of the Steinhardt Gardens in Bedford, New York --private garden comprising 54-acres of land that includes ponds, bridges, 400 cultivars of lovely Japanese Maples, exotic animals, and more. Through a series of wonderfully written vignettes, "The Landscape Diaries" reveals what it was like for Carole to runaway to Europe at the age of twenty to marry the man who would become her husband, meeting her French relatives for the first time, selling plants from a deli parking lot, starting a business, developing a fascination with bonsai, going through an unintentional quarantined plant scare. "The Landscape Diaries" is a personal autobiography that is especially recommended to the attention of gardeners, landscapers, and anyone who has aspired to create a horticultural wonderland of their own.



5. I read this book in one sitting and have spent many hours on the photo's. Gayatri's story is romantic and inspiring and the photos are beautiful. I have had to replace the copy in my office because it was badly worn by frequent use, so I know many others are enjoying it as well. I am giving it as Christmas gifts this year.

2 comments about Modern Landscape Architecture: A Critical Review.

1. The editor, Marc Treib, said in the introduction that ideas in the field of landscape architecture is 15 years behind architecture(and architure is behind art for another 15 years). But for the history of modernism, landscape architecture seemed to be behind architecture for several decades. Finally, landscape architecture has its own history.This book can be read along with "Invisible Gardens" (MIT Press, 1994)written by art critics Melaine Simo and landscape architect Peter Walker.That would makes a general picture of what modernism in landscape architecture is like.

   But what happened after modernism? For those who really interested in the subject of modernism/postmodernism in landscape architecture, i suggest them to read essays in Landscape Journal, e.g "Cubist space, Volumetric space, and Landscape Architecture" by Patrick M. Condon(spring, 1988),who called for a transition of design paradigms of landscape architecture in the late 20th century ; or "Form, Meaning, and Expression in Landscape Architecture" by Laurie Olin, who had criticized some important classical, modern and contemporary landscape architectural works. That would makes a more comprehensive and in-depth exploration in the changing ideas of landscape architecture. It's kind of pity that "a critical review" is just an anthology of pappers in one single symposium(and some historical documents) that some important concepts like Condon's were elimated. So a more coherent and critical history of modern(even 20th century) landscape architecture is still expectative.




2. This book is a rare find since it is a collection of articles which help explain the origins of the Modern Garden . Through it you can trace the formation of midcentury design . Through it you can learn what Modernist garden designers were reacting to in traditional garden design and architecture , and discover how influential Landscape Architects like Thomas Church and James C.Rose used this new "freedom". The book is witty and the viewpoints are diverse. It should be required reading if you are training as a garden designer or a Landscape Architect in part because it a corrective to the usual theoretical approaches .

5 comments about Poolscaping: Gardening and Landscaping Around Your Swimming Pool and Spa.

1. Transform the swimming pool of a backyard into a Tuscan paradise with tiles and flowering plants, or create a pool with a beach-like presence filled with beach plants: that's the idea of Pool Scaping, a title which covers both swimming pool decor and appropriate landscaping around it. Pool Scaping is a lovely guide which covers the specifics of plants in a water surrounding.



2. This is one of the not so good books for pools like many many others. I don't know may be it is too hard to write for pools. There are inside some pictures but nothing to catch the eye neither spectacular. THis book was suppouse to guide you how to create your own pool but I have see much better books!
   So if you are going to spend money to build a pool keep on searching for another book!



3. Based on the description, I believed this book would be full of design ideas and photos of well-landscaped pools. It isn't. If you are looking (as I was) for examples to show a landscaper (or to do it yourself), you should look elsewhere.



4. This book was an excellent resource for the designer looking to work with swimming pools. The ilustrated examples and artistic tips were an invauable inspiration for sparking the imagination when designing pools. Before reading this I did think of pools as slabs of concrete filled with water, but I believe this book has put far down the path of being able to design elegant swimming pools. I consider this a must read for any architectural designer.



5. I had high hopes due to high reviews, but I was very unhappy to find that only a small section of the book is actually about plants! You would think with a name like "Poolscaping" that the book would have had more to do about plants and landscaping around the pool. The book is instead divided in chapters about how to build a pool and many pictures on waterfalls and spa's. Very generic as a whole.

No comments about Planetary Gardens: The Landscape Architecture of Gilles Clément.

4 comments about Spanish Phrases for Landscaping Professionals.

1. I've been in the landscaping business in Colorado for twelve years, and I wish I'd had this book before now. We have many Spanish speaking workers in Colorado, and this book comes in handy every day. It has especially helped facilitate the process of hiring and training new employees. The phonetics and the layout are easy to understand and read. I am finally able to communicate more effectively with my workforce. This book has proved to be an invaluable resource.



2. It is apparent as I reference this manual that the direct limitation is in how limited the phrases are as it applies to usage in settings other than the landscape industry. Granted, there are other useful phrases that have enabled me to communicate better than I have prior to owning this manual. However, the gap present, and, by no fault of the authors, is one that does not present langauge that allows me to effectively direct in the nursery/greenhouse environment. Regardless, Holben & Arbini are to be commended for taking that all too important first step in assisting those of us deficent in the language arts. I'm pleased with the purchase. It supports me greatly in it's own way.



3. Great book!
   
   It's separated into different chapters based on different kinds of landscaping work (papaerwork, masonry, laying sod), and provides complete sentences, with pronunciation guide and English translation, that you can turn to and use immediately. It also has a very useful vocabulary list in the back. It won't take the place of a series of night classes at the local technical college, but it will get you through the work week.
   
   If you already speak a little spanish, this is a 5 star book.
   
   Downside? There are some typos (misplaced or missing accent marks, wrong gender for noun) that will make the some-spanish speakers a little crazy, and make the non-spanish speakers look like fools to their hispanic workers.
   
   Still, I take this book to work with me every day.



4. In an industry with an increasing percent of Spanish Speaking employees, this book helps a manager with a basic understanding of the pronunciation of Spanish to communicate key work-related information.

5 comments about Bird-by-Bird Gardening: The Ultimate Guide to Bringing in Your Favorite Birds-Year after Year.

1. I just started reading Sally's book, one of which I should have written myself, but am delighted in the way she has designed this topic. As a person with a forestry background, I have long advocated that the birds represent the plant community, however indirectly. That said, once one gets the needs of a particular species, which has been well brought about by the endangered species advocates, then a landowner can tailor approaches with managing property in order to attract those birds. Other wildlife is benefitted, too, but we do concentrate on birdlife. So, this a two pronged effort: pay attention to the plant associations, and then realize the wildlife management aspects resulting. Each of us can be an earth citizen, making a vital contribution on one's own land. I have a radio show and weekly newspaper column here in NH, "COUNTRY ECOLOGY" where I pursue these ecological profiles and whatever one can do to make things prosper. I formerly built over 11,000 bark-faced natural birdhouses during 14 years in that business, and was on the board of directors for NABS. I take care of two UNH natural areas on Squam Lake, where "On Golden Pond" was filmed years ago.



2. I found this book to be of little use to anyone other than those just beginning to be interested in birding. Many of the chapters could be combined into simply a chapter entitled how to attract birds. Many are repeates. This book is also seriously lacking in usable pictures of many of the birds that it discusses.



3. I agree with the reviewer who said this book is of little use to anyone who knows much at all about birds. When I wasn't wanting to toss the book across the room because I was sick of the idiotic comparisons (sorting birds is like sorting socks, et al) I was saying to myself "no kidding."
   Plant sunflowers for birds. Plant tubular flowers for hummingbirds. There, I just saved you about $25 and a couple hours. Thank me by not supporting this author by buying this garbage.
   She also makes no mention of the fact that you can plant all the aforementioned goo you want but still some birds WON'T come to your yard. Why? They don't come to your part of the country. Other than hummingbirds, which the author list what hummers can be found where, the author makes little to no mention of the fact that some birds are rare to never seen in some parts of the country, plentiful in other parts. I really don't know how this author got this book sold because it lacks facts, research and anything else that makes it helpful for anyone other than readers who don't know that most all birds eat sunflower seeds. And if you don't know that, you probably can't read in the first place.



4. I really like the concept of this book. Very few of my gardening for birds books are set up by the "how to attract birds by bird family" groupings. I wish it had a little more substance though.
   
   The first section contains three chapters with some general overview information on how the bird families are divided up, basics of bird needs, general thoughts on habitats, etc.
   
   The second section features chapters on the general bird families which include: woodpeckers, flycatchers, vireos, crows/jays; swallows; chickadee/titmouse; nuthatch; wren; kinglet; thrush; mimic thrush; waxwing; warbler; tanager; large finch; small finch; blackbird/oriole; hummingbird; gallinaceous (quail, bobowhite, etc.).
   
   Each family chapter includes an overview of the bird family, a brief summary of their range and habits, the plants they eat, a suggested mini garden bed plan designed to attract them, information on their eating habits, and a chart of the top few plants to attract them. It also includes brief paragraphs on their backyard fare, feeder foods, water preferences, and nesting needs.
   
   The third section covers the seasonal aspects of bird watching - noting general migration habits, overwintering, etc.
   
   The back has a chapter of resources for things like feeders, birdbaths, plants etc.
   
   Overall I don't think it was anywhere near as bad a book as some of the other reviews imply, but I will say it didn't have as much meat as I had hoped it would have. I also agree with the comment that mapped bird ranges would have been more useful. Plant lists are somewhat skimpy (except hummingbirds - that one is pretty extensive).
   
   I felt like I learned a good amount about each of the families and that was good (and educational). I didn't really feel like I learned a lot about how to attract them to my yard in particular. The book was well written and easy/interesting to read.
   
   So, I would say it is an interesting book to add to your bird knowledge library, but it doesn't really meet its objective of showing you how to attract particular families of birds to your yard.



5. I have tried over the years to create a yard that is as friendly to wild birds as possible. I've made kind of a game out of seeing how many different species I can attract to my yard. I found this book to be very helpfull in my efforts. As the title suggests, it's more of a gardening book than a bird guide, so people who want detailed information about the birds should look elsewhere. But if you know enough about birds to know which ones can be found in your area, the information in this book will help you plant gardens that will entice those birds into your yard.

5 comments about Creating a Cottage Garden in North America.

1. For those of us who like the cottage garden look and live in North America, this is a valuable book. Written in a style laced with humor, it debunks myths and inspires an adventurous approach. It is full of detailed information about how to create the cottage garden look and includes a well organized glossary of specific plants which lend themselves to an easy approach to this style. It also includes a palatable dollop of horticultural history, well written and not overwhelming for those more interested in today! Good enough that I decided I must own it!



2. Stephen Westcott-Gratton has written a 'hit the nail on the head' how to book on putting in a Cottage Garden. It is obvious he is both gardener and writer because his advice is methodical and his suggestions very workable.

   He dispels the myth that English Cottage Gardens need to be contrived, reinforces the necessity for tight plantings and encourages the experimentation of different plants which provide the fun and color for this kind of garden.

   This book covers the history of the Cottage Garden and some of the plants traditionally used. It is both an enjoyable read and an informative tome for taking your small spot and turning it into a riot of color and a haven for life of all kinds.

   The plant selections are typical of someone who gardens in Canada, but that does not diminish the how to information the book provides.

   Plus, Mr. Westcott-Gratton definitely leans to the organic and that is dear to our hearts.




3. I do like this book and I'll probably refer to it often but I'm not quite as enthusiastic about it as the other reviewers. The history was very interesting but because there was so much of it, there wasn't as much coverage of suitable plants as other books. On the plus side of that, the author also didn't go into "information overload" and provide umteen-zillion varieties of every possible rose that could be planted. He did discuss some rarely used plants that I definitely want in my garden and he knows how to grow them, too, which is a plus. He also included some recipes for some of the unusual vegetables. And the pictures are wonderful.



4. The titled of this book should be "Creating a Cottage Garden in North America unless you live in the south. If you live in the south, this book is usless to you." If it were titled that, I would have saved my money. What a disappointment. The are few pictures and the narrative is really boring. If you live in zones 3-4, you may find some vage (very vague) interest in this book but there are so many better books out there. I bought the book based on the recommendations on Amazon. I hope you save your money or review this book at the book store before spending your hard earned money on it.



5. I found this book enjoyable and worth the purchase. It doesn't go into enough detail to rate 5 stars but overall I thought it was a nice book

5 comments about Residential Landscape Architecture: Design Process for the Private Residence.

1. This book is great, but you might like to know that a 4th addition of this book is now available. Type in - "Residential Landscape Architecture: Design Process for the Private Residence (4th Edition)" and check it out.



2. I am a student at Kansas State University in Landscape Design, and this book is wonderful for getting ideas, symbols, and disign techniques. My professors own this book, and constantly approve and recommend this book for sudents. Although it is titled for a private resident, professional landscapers use this book also. This is one book you should add to your library.



3. I am in love with this book! It is clear, concise, well-written, and has wonderful graphics. I am a landscape architecture student at UCD and this book has taught me more than any of my teachers combined! Highly recommend.



4. If you want to learn how to do landscape architecture, this is the textbook for you. Don't let the word "textbook" turn you off with thoughts of back when you were in school wishing you were elsewhere. While it is not full of plant lists nor pretty photographs of inspiring gardens; it will, however, teach you how to create your own inspiring gardens. The multitude of graphics will help you to even better understand the well-written text, which is not in the least dull. I doubt there is a better book on the market for the purpose stated in its title. I highly recommend it and am using the principles gleaned from this book to design my own garden. How well I'll do is yet to be determined. But it has given me the skills (I hope) and courage to try. If I fail, at least I know what to look for in a professional.



5. I bought this book for my Landscape Design class going toward my Horticulture degree. I looked through this book many times when I was stuck and unsure on what was supposed to be done. It's a wonderful book for beginners even if you are just designing your own home garden. Even if you aren't going to be a landscape architect it's a wonderful book to read through and learn the principles of design and what goes into to making a great design.