Christmas Book TItles 08 - 1 (GardenDesignOnline)

Some of my favorite design titles published earlier this year

Stylish Sheds
As far as I'm concerned, every designer ought to have a copy of this book. Not only is it inspiring, it's filled with terrific ideas for turning even a small garden shed into something special. A shed can be a writer's hideaway; a garden retreat; an actual shed for storing tools, containers and the like; even a guest-house. You'll find all the answers in this book, which includes terrific photos and design tips.

Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations by Debra Prinzing (Clarkson Potter, 2008).

My full review of the book is here.

The Authentic Garden
Author Claire Sawyers is Director of the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, one of the small gems of the garden world.

In this well thought-out book, The Authentic Garden: Five Principles for Cultivating A Sense of Place (Timber Press, 2008), Sawyers lays out the major design principles for creating an authentic American garden -- a garden that is consistent with the landscape, the culture and the history of each unique region within the United States. Why put a Japanese garden in your back yard when you can make a unique American statement that will fit your state and your neighborhood.

My earlier review is here.

Great Gardens of the Berkshires
This book would delight anyone who lives in the New England, or anyone who even occasionally ventures there for vacations.

In Great Gardens of the Berkshires (Down East Books, 2008), Author Virginia Small gives you all the details about the inspiration behind each garden that she profiles.

Terrific photos by Rich Pomerantz complete the picture.

My complete review is here.

(Click on text links to purchase books).