No comments about Professional Landscape Management.

1 comments about Gardens of the Wine Country.

1. What an amazing glimpse into the world of Napa Valley Gardening. The author has brilliantly selected a wide variety of gardens, from the traditional Victorian gardens we expect, to the new age ideas of more modern gardeners.Molly says in the introduction that she fell in love with all of the gardens over and over...you can tell. Adding personality to the gardens, by telling us that each garden has the fingerprint of its owner...makes them really come to life...they seem much more like personal playgrounds than showpieces.A lovely book, perfect for anyone's spring/summer coffee table.

2 comments about Gardens in China.

1. Peter Valder has now established himself as one of the world's major horticultural writers with his "Gardens in China" the new companion volume to his wonderful, award winning, "Garden Plants of China". This book looks at over 200 gardens that the author has visited over a period of twenty years. It is a richly descriptive work both historically and geographically and is extremely readable, to the point that it is almost impossible to put down. The photography once again is simply stunning. Besides the famous classical gardens of Suzhou Valder gives a fascinating overview of temple courtyards , parks, cemeteries, botanical gardens and arboreta(many established since the cultural revolution) in every corner of this vast country. If you are contemplating a visit to China there could be no better preparation than reading Valder's "Gardens in China". If you are not going to China then travel there vicariously via this magnificent book. A must for every serious garden lovers bookshelf.



2. Peter Valder first became interested in GARDENS IN CHINA, from learning about famous planthunters in the 19th and early 20th centuries. His first trip, in 1980, was only as one of a small group visiting cultivars of camellia reticulata in Kunming and a famous plant collecting site, at Emei Shan. He went back to China 14 years later, on a photograph trip of wisterias.

   At that point he realized three important things. First, he had a basically correct understanding of Chinese gardens, from the famous willow-pattern porcelain. The Thomas Turner design, from 1779, showed the Chinese garden as it tended to be, with water; trellis work; rocks; fancifully-shaped plants, such as the weeping willow; and buildings.

   What the author went on to learn was that what was in Chinese gardens was based on specific Chinese beliefs. Two main sources for these beliefs were Daoism and Buddhism. Daoists believed in people and world as one, particularly through nature. But nature didn't have to look like nature. The Chinese didn't have the Native American respect for keeping the landscape and nature as close to how they were naturally. The Chinese in fact had no problem changing watercourses, making hills and lakes, and putting in buildings, as focal points, memorials and scenic viewpoints.

   The ancient Chinese believed immortal beings flew about on the backs of cranes. These immortals supposedly lived on the islands of Fangzhang, Penglai and Yingzhou, in the eastern sea off the coast of Shandong. So islands were made in lakes, in the hopes of getting immortals to land there.

   Likewise, Xiwangmu, Queen Mother of the West, supposedly lived in the Kunlun mountains. Whoever ate peaches from her beautiful orchards there lived forever. So Chinese gardens often had fake mountains.

   Mountains were also among the places where the immortals lived. They were important in Daoism and Buddhism too. Daoists worshipped five mountains, as standing at the corners and center of the Chinese world. Buddhists worshipped heavenly and sacred peaks, which they called, respectively, Mounts Sumeru and Potalaka.

   These fake mountains often had caves in them. This was because a beloved Chinese scholar, Tao Yuanming, was famous for telling a story about a fisherman who walked through a cave, into a utopian world. Caves could also be homes for the immortals. So caves became common in Chinese gardens.

   Likewise, plants and trees were often chosen for definite reasons. One was because of what they called to mind from Chinese art, everyday life, and literature. So Chinese horse chestnut, ginkgo, juniper, pine, and thuja became traditional garden trees. Bamboo, chrysanthemum, cymbidium, marvel of peru, pine, plum, and yucca became traditional garden plants. Citrus, figs, large-flowered gardenias, and jasminum sambac became traditional potted plants.

   Second, how the Chinese traditionally designed their gardens ended up, later, as common parts of Western gardening. They actually had among our earliest rock, topiary and water gardens. A brownish-yellow limestone, known as huangshi, was especially popular. Its veining called to mind the brushwork of classical Chinese paintings. The Chinese often put, among living bamboos, such unusual garden stones as fossilized tree trunks, stalactites, stalagmites, and standing pieces of fossilized wood. They often trained such vines as wisteria to grow around and over the hardened wood.

   The Chinese started up training plant growth, known as topiary, much earlier than Western gardeners. They trained shrubs to grow, over a wire framework, into the shapes of birds, bridges, dolphins, dragons, fans, fishes, flower baskets, houses and square-sailed boats. They even shaped human figures, with added-on china or wooden feet, hands and heads.

   In their water gardens, the Chinese often went in for what's known as landboats. Landboats, as well as Chinese dwarfed trees, were part of what later came to be known in English as potted scenery. For landboats were actually very small, but complete and detailed, landscapes left floating in garden pools.

   Thirdly, Western gardening actually returned the favor. So there were long-lasting influences on Chinese gardening, especially from the United States. Chinese gardeners took up such American plants as African marigolds; cymbidium, most often as orchids; 4 o'clocks; ipomoea quamoclit; red salvias; and yucca gloriosa. In addition, devout Buddhists took to magnolia grandiflora. Its flowers were so like those of their sacred lotus.

   Any reader who has followed Peter Valder's photography and writing career won't be let down. The organization is attention-keeping, the photography gorgeous, the writing clear. His book fits perfectly in between the earlier THE CHINESE GARDEN by Joseph Cho Wang and the most recent THE CHINESE GARDEN by Maggie Keswick.

3 comments about Modernismo: Architecture and Design in Spain.

1. I've always been interested in Gaudi, but was not aware of the variety and breadth of work done by other Catalonian architects around the same time. I don't know why this work is not better known, but should be studied by all who are interested in the arts--sculptors, painters, designers, musicians, and of course architects.

   While it is hard not to just look at the pictures, the text is interesting (although at times dense). But I found that if I didn't get too mired down most of the essays were worthwhile, especially the one that related to art and painting. As a former art history student I was surprised by how impressed I was with many of the paintings in the book--from artists I hadn't heard of.

   All in all this is a very high quality book and would be a great gift for anyone you know with an interest in art, architecture, modernism, or Spanish culture. Highly recommended.




2. unbelievably beautiful! the impact of the Art Nouveau movement known in spain as Modernismo, had great bearing on the look of barcelona as a modernizing city in the early 20th century. the book is also a sharp tour guide of some of the great architectural works of a city that is brimming with incredible examples of the decorative arts. if youve been/youre going to barcelona or love nouveau/deco design-this is a must have!



3. For those (like me) who thought that Gaudi was the penultimate Spanish architect (I placed Calatrava a close second), this book is an eye-opener. The work here is amazing and hopefully will lead to more being written about these somewhat unsung heroes, especially Lluis Doménech i Montaner.

No comments about California Gardens of the Arts & Cr Period.

2 comments about Pinehurst ~ Home of American Golf.

1. For those that love the The Sandhills of North Carolina, this is a must have for any golf history buff's library! It is an exhaustive and thorough history of the Sandhills region. It has tons of pictures (many of them full-color) and diagrams. It is full of all types of surprising details - so I would advise you to actually read it rather than make it just a coffee-table book. This is huge, heavy book and worth the price once you get it in hand.



2. Golf Architect Richard Mandell's seminal work, Pinehurst ~ Home of American Golf (The Evolution of a Legend) recently won the prestigious International Network of Golf Book of the Year Award. "Richard created a beautiful book full of incredible information and photographs about one of golf's most historical places," declared Mike Jamison, Executive Director of ING. "This is a must read for those whose eyes mist when they think of Sandhills golf." What makes this accomplishment even more impressive is that Mr. Mandell started his own publishing company, T. Eliot Press, in order to properly tell the story. "The publishers I spoke to about this book never really gave it the respect that a complete history of Pinehurst should have," points out Mandell. "A grand vision for this book had to match the grand subject matter. We're talking about Pinehurst."
   The International Network of Golf is an eighteen-year old non-profit, media-based networking organization whose mission is to enhance and promote communication and education in golf. For fifteen years, the International Network of Golf has strove to annually recognize the best in media. ING winners and outstanding achievers are determined by an independent panel of three judges in each category. Each judge uses a point system with several criteria overseen by a voluntary category chairperson.
   Mr. Mandell's book was a finalist for both Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award and the USGA's Herbert Warren Wind Book Award as well. "I never imagined the critical success of the book when I started it back in 2003," says Mandell. "For my first effort in the publishing arena, I'm very proud and thankful that I could contribute to the world of golf by preserving a history that could easily have been lost."
   Described as "A nice stroll through history" by one of the judges, Pinehurst ~ Home of American Golf (The Evolution of a Legend), is a detailed account of the evolution of the playing fields of Sandhills golf and how it affected golf in America. "To me, the history of the area from an architecture and development standpoint is the real story and an education for anyone who loves the history of golf" says Mandell.

2 comments about The Superintendent's Guide to Controlling Putting Green Speed.

1. Putting is where the game is won and/or lost. This is a fabulous book; well worth the price.



2. I am so glad there is finally a book out there that can extend your game using the knowledge of the importance of the green....Great book Ill carry it with me when I play....

1 comments about A History of the Gardens of Versailles (Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture).

1. So much for buying sight unseen without any reviews to guide me. This is a textbook. The only color photo of the gardens in the cover. With such a grand subject, the lack of photos is a disservice to the reader and the grounds. The only visuals are a few small quarter and half page drawings that deplict various stages of the gardens during their development. The history of the gardens is hard to follow for anyone who has not visited the site. Without visual reference, it is impossible to appreciate what was done in the field. The only clear part was the political history. If you are looking for a better understanding of WHY the gardens were built, this will suffice. But if you want to come away with an understanding of HOW they were done and see the end result you will have to look elsewhere.

1 comments about Xeriscape Color Guide: 100 Water-Wise Plants for Gardens and Landscapes.

1. If you live in an arid area, remember that "there is only a certain amount of water in the world and they aren't making any more of it." An acre of grass takes 27,000 gallons of water a week to keep green. It's hard for some to give up that patch of green grass that America equates with leisure time and suburban living.
   Having lived in Central Australia, I advocate for full desert landscaping using native plants along with exotics from dry countries.
   Xeriscaping (water-wise planting) doesn't mean a yard that is a barren moonscape. Think of colorful crape myrtles, bougainvilleas, firebushes, palms, yuccas, and many more interesting plants. Artfully placed, they provide a green view and offset the gravel that replaces grass in a water saving landscape. Mulch everything to insulate the soil and keep moisture in the ground.

1 comments about Consider the Leaf: Foliage in Garden Design.

1. The leaf itself is not only worthy of consideration, it should be the determining factor, says this author. A plant doesn't earn its keep unless it has an interesting leaf that contributes to the esthetics of the garden. This is a different way of looking at garden planning, as most people choose plants based on their flower.
   
   I used the book this spring when I redesigned my front herb and flower gardens, a task which was prompted by tree growth that had turned a formerly sunny garden into a shade garden. I learned that by "considering the leaf," I could have my flowers early in the season while the tree leaves were unfurling. Peonies, daylilies, ferns and hostas, arranged with respect to their leaf shape, gave me foliage and flowers throughout the summer. Furthermore, when arranged by leaf shape and color, I found I had an attractive display even when there were no blooms going on.
   
   I found that design using this principle resulted in more color than what I would have otherwise. There are several sections of color plates to illustrate the different approaches and I am excited about using some of these ideas next year.