Christmas Garden Books I

My top choice in garden books this year, Gardens by Design,(Timber Press, $34.95) is the latest from British author Noel Kingsbury.   A designer himself, Kingsbury interviewed leading landscape architects and designers from around the world about the way they work.  Americans Isabelle Greene, Steve Martino, Julie Moir Messervy and James van Sweden are represented here, as well as others from Britain, Belgium, Canada, and elsewhere.  From Moir Messervy, you'll learn how to deal with open spaces and how to plan paths for a "garden journey." She believes a journey through a garden needs four ingredients: "a departure point, a destination point, a linking path and events along the way."  The text is accompanied by photos that beautifully illustrate her points. James Van Sweden explains the mystery of linking house and garden, while Briton George Carter describes how to create illusions in the garden, what Kingsbury calls "playgrounds for the senses."

(click on image to purchase) 

Kingsbury has divided the book into three major sections:  planning, furnishing, and planting the garden.  The first section is devoted to major design elements, including garden types and styles, the design process itself, how to work with space and the natural garden environment.  Part two focuses on topics such as light, slopes, and levels, water, play areas, and even sustainable design.  Photos of stunning contemporary work by New Zealander Ted Smyth stand out, because Smyth does not use water plants. "Water is about what's not there," he says.

In part three of the book, Kingsbury features designers best known for their in depth knowledge of plants and how to use them.  Piet Oudolf of the Netherlands demonstrates how to use plant shapes -- spires, buttons, plumes and umbels -- to provide structure to the garden, and Briton Paul Williams describes how to successfully plant beautiful containers.

This is a book that anyone can learn from, whether you're an armchair gardener or a seasoned professional. It's a terrific reference and now has a prominent place on my own bookshelf.