Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens

Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens
Average customer rating:

Very Inspiring

Small spaces beautiful gardens

readable and helpful

A great ideas for small gardens

Esthetically engaging and pleasureable

Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens
Keith Davitt
Manufacturer: Quarry Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1564969738

Amazon.com

Keith Davitt's Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens celebrates the possibilities for awkward, undersized garden parcels, demonstrating convincingly that no space is too small to make a big impact. Lacking dimensionality, most small gardens can be taken in visually with one glance. Davitt offers solutions for creating a sense of spaciousness and surprise, even in the most cramped, unlikely location.

A landscape designer, builder, photographer, and writer, Davitt draws on 16 projects from his own portfolio. "Before" and "after" photographs help illustrate both the process and principles of reconfiguring an outdoor space. Who could imagine, for example, that as ugly a duckling as a narrow, shaft-like urban lot surrounded on three sides by cinderblocks, painted brick, and metal piping could be transformed into an enchanting series of multi-leveled wood decks, enlivened with container plantings?

Davitt's ideas are all the more convincing because he has photographed the gardens between peak bloom periods. Although spaces are lush with plant life, the book's emphasis is more on design than plant selection. Offering neither budget remedies nor step-by-step technical advice, Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens is, itself, a beautiful book to pore over for inspiration. --Jennifer Wyatt

Book Description

If you love gardens but don't think you have enough outdoor space to cultivate one, this book is for you. Written by a 20-year veteran of landscape design, this imaginative guide features 18 hardworking profiles of gorgeous small garden paradises. Through step-by step instructions, before-and-after photos, and detailed plans, landscape architect Keith Davitt offers ingenious tips and techniques for creating the illusion of space through terracing, enlarging through dividing, adding texture and color, and more.

Keith Davitt has been designing, building, photographing, and writing about gardens across the U.S. and abroad for 20 years. He recently won the Herald Award for Excellence in Garden Communication, and his gardens and articles have appeared in numerous gardening magazines. He is also the author of the forthcoming Beyond the Lawn. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews:

Very Inspiring.......2007-05-28

The author's non-traditional approach to garden design produces exceptional results. Before and after photos beautifully portray his amazing transformations. The author clearly describes the challenges he faced with each garden project, provides an illustration of his solution and then takes you step by step through the transformation process discussing the elements of design he used and how he applied them. I've read several books on landscape design and this is the first one that has truly helped me apply the principles and elements of design to my own garden spaces. My husband and I recently bought a new construction home and we are both excited to begin the transformation of our blank slate yard into a wonderful suburban retreat.

Small spaces beautiful gardens.......2007-05-07

Standard spaces I might see set up at a garden show. Nothing spectacular.

readable and helpful.......2006-04-29

esp for urban small gardens - he makes you think you can do it!

A great ideas for small gardens.......2002-08-29

I found this book to be especially helpful in visualizing small gardens. I wish that he had included some of the plant names used and sample gardening diagrams, but overall it's a great book for ideas.

Esthetically engaging and pleasureable.......2002-08-05

The simplicity with which Keith Davitt has been able to convey complicated design concepts is extraordinary. He has combined this with exquisite illustrations and "before and after" photography. This book will inspire you with the confidence to transform even the most mundane of spaces into a visual and livable joy. It's also a must on our coffee table!

Average customer rating:

Japanese Gardening in Small Spaces
Japanese garden
AUTHENTIC AND INSPIRATIONAL
Great Ideas... Too Complex
An Excellent Manual

Japanese Gardening in Small Spaces
Isao Yoshikawa
Manufacturer: Japan Publications Trading
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0870409778

Book Description

A practical guide to planning and constructing a Japanese garden. Step-by-step instructions explain every facet, from displaying plants and rocks to mastering drainage and lighting, to creating bamboo fences and hedges.

Customer Reviews:

Japanese Gardening in Small Spaces.......2007-05-14

This is an excellent book for anyone planning to build their own garden. The instructions for creating the various elements of the garden made it look easy, and the descriptions given for items that become a part of the garden I found quite interesting. I would have liked even more finished garden pictures as I was only looking for inspiration. But, even with out as many pictures as I would have like, the book was helpful and my garden is now complete, giving me the tranquility I was looking for.

Japanese garden.......2006-12-19

You will find inside a lot of inspiration on how to make things work. Exceptional "do it yourself" recommendations. Its a real guidebook for japanese gardening lovers.

AUTHENTIC AND INSPIRATIONAL.......2005-10-07

I picked up about ten books on Japanese gardening at the library and this book was by far the most inspirational. The author gives definitions for technical terms and also shows step by step illustrations to recreate various photographs within the book. He also shows how to make a bamboo fence which I thought was really neat and I am actually going to give it a try. This is the only book I decided to purchase out of the lot from the library and I plan on giving a few copies as gifts.

Great Ideas... Too Complex.......2004-06-09

As much as I liked the pictures and the possibilities of the gardens, there's no chance that the average person could even attempt some of the Japanese style gardens. The designs are beautiful but you really do need a LOT of room to do any of these designs. The idea of a calming, tranquil space to sit would be wonderful but not on my budget.

An Excellent Manual.......2001-10-10

Sorry, my english is no good. I'm a chilean landscaper and I bought this book about 2 month ago and it can help me in many ways for my job. Have a lot of details of how to do fences and other triks with good photos.

Landscapes for Small Spaces: Japanese Courtyard Gardens

Average customer rating:

Landscapes for Small Spaces: Japanese Courtyard Gardens
Katsuhiko Mizuno
Manufacturer: Kodansha International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The New Zen Garden: Designing Quiet Spaces
Creating Your Own Japanese Garden
Japanese Gardening in Small Spaces
Styles and Motifs Japanese Gardens
The Modern Japanese Garden

ASIN: 4770028741

Book Description

Enjoy it for its sheer beauty or use it for inspiration while creating your own small landscape garden.

Japanese gardening is the art of arranging plants, rocks, lanterns, and basins in an open or, as here, an enclosed space. According to the aesthetic principles long prevailing in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, even two rocks arranged in a tiny, enclosed space can be considered a garden. This
type of garden is called a tsuboniwa, and Kyoto has long being considered its birthplace and home. So it is not surprising that photographer Katsuhiko Mizuno, wishing to capture the best of such small gardens, should turn to Kyoto and its palaces, temples, shrines, and town houses.

The highlight of the book is the 100 photographs of these tsuboniwa-snow overlying sand patterns; coloring maple leaves; flowering cherry trees; lanterns, basins, fences; gardens featuring wisteria, azalea, hydrangea, Indian lilac, camellia, and daphne. Each photo is accompanied by an insightful
caption pointing out the outstanding characteristics of the garden in question.

An appendix gives Mizuno's instructions for creating a tsuboniwa, based on his personal experience. His account of the underlying concepts, design, choice of plants, and practical procedures will prove a invaluable reference for all garden creators, from amateur to professional.

Gardening in Small Spaces: Creative Ideas from America's Best Gardeners (Fine Gardening Design Guides)

Average customer rating:

Gardening in Small Spaces
Disappointing
Great Ideas
Great little compendium of approaches to small space

Gardening in Small Spaces: Creative Ideas from America's Best Gardeners (Fine Gardening Design Guides)

Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens
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The City Gardener's Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Small Space Gardening
Beyond the Lawn: Unique Outdoor Spaces for Modern Living
Gardening in Containers: Creative Ideas from America's Best Gardeners

ASIN: 1561585807
Release Date: 2002-12-01

Book Description

The eighth title in the Fine Gardening Design series illustrates innumerable techniques to make a little garden space go a long way. It shows how to create a garden that feels much larger than it is, and demonstrates how small gardens can create privacy. A look at sample gardens reveals some of the tips and tricks of gardening in small spaces, such as using diagonal lines and breaking areas into individual sections. Sound advice on pruning and selecting appropriate plants helps readers transform a small lot into a place of beauty and comfort. Featuring designs from some of America's best-known landscape artists with over 100 color photos and illustrations, Gardening in Small Spaces is a great guide to creating a garden paradise with limited space.

Customer Reviews:

Gardening in Small Spaces.......2006-08-31

This book goes beyond eye candy for the gardener. There are plans, and good ideas, like combining different paving materials. I would have liked a little more on front yards and entry areas.

Disappointing.......2006-04-19

This book was long on promises...short on delivery!

I was very dissapointed...I have many Taunton books...similar in nature & was very impressed by some of their other gardening books.

What bothered me most about this book was 'most'..not all...but most of the designers seemed wrapped up in their own fascination with their own victories accomplished in their own yards.

It would seem to me that it would be obvious if a designer is approached to write a contribution for this kind of book...in this particular format...that it would be absolutely essential to convey principles, ideas & workable solutions that anybody could utilize in their 'small space'.

I expected the chosen designers to be much more attuned to the reader rather than coming across so enthralled with the great jobs they'd done in their own yards...& the plants they used etc. There was far too much information involving useless details...such as..."we built the fence ourselvles" type thing.

Much more constructive information was sorely missing from this book. As the reader I quickly tired of reading the same comment over & over from each contributor..."divide your small space up into various rooms". There was such an opportunity here for each of these obviously talented designers to really display their wares...

The same advice about dividing small garden spaces into rooms...was repeated often...with little additonal detail of color, style or scale.

As a designer myself...I found this book to be much more bones...than meat. Don't recommend it!

Great Ideas.......2005-03-06

This book is a collaborative effort which allows room for different tastes. Lots of help and ideas to create an intimate courtyard garden. There are plenty of photos to get your imagination going.
I like that most of the gardens can be adapted to my sub-tropic zone, nothing is cut in stone, except the pathways.

Great little compendium of approaches to small space.......2003-03-16

The terrific thing about this book is that in less than 150 pages it exposes readers to no less than 18 different approaches to creating a garden in small space. The editors never set forth a precise metric of "small space", but these seem to range from the smaller suburban lots to the truly postage stamp sizes many of us grapple with.

Since this is a Taunton publication, there are large color photos and lots of them. There are also plenty of drawings to help readers make sense of elements in various gardens.

Most of the gardeners work in temperate zones and so there is some limit to the planting ideas for a zone 5 plugger like me. Even so, the design ideas and, especially, the hardscaping open up interesting possibilities, albeit ones to explore with different materials.

The sections on design strategies and creating privacy provide a great framework before looking at the "compelling garden spaces" being made on tiny, unpromising lots. Here's a book of information as well as inspiration. I recommend it highly.

Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces: A Layering System for Big Results in Small Gardens and Containers (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)
Average customer rating:

...

The book I've been searching for . . .

vague and climate-specific

Good for First Time Gardeners

somewhat misleading

Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces: A Layering System for Big Results in Small Gardens and Containers (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)
Patricia Lanza
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Container Gardening | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Book Description

Now you can create the garden of your dreams, no matter how limited your growing space is. Pat Lanza's proven lasagna gardening method produces amazing results in pots and small plots. Even in beds just 4 inches wide, you can grow bountiful, beautiful gardens with no digging, no weeding-- no kidding!

Customer Reviews:

..........2004-02-02

This book has received a lot of mixed reviews, so I just wanted to say: I liked it.

It's true that it's not perfect. I find that few gardening books are universally ideal. This one is oriented towards sunny locations, and it has the flaw that many small-space gardening books have--the small-space seems to get bigger and bigger until it seems like we're talking about a fair-sized garden. Also, there are tons of personal details, really to excess. And one hears a great deal about the writer's current garden/shop/restaurant, much more than is interesting. Another reviewer suggested that perhaps it'd be more interesting if there were pictures of this place, and I agree, that might be a good idea.

Nevertheless, there were some great tips in here. Lanza takes the approach that you can be very ambitious even if you have a small garden, and that suits me very well. So she points out, for example, that climbing plants and vines are a great way to use every bit of space for spectacular effect. She also has lots of little suggestions; I found especially useful the idea of storing tools etc in tupperware/sweater boxes, tucked away. Also, her description of layering compost etc in the containers was useful to me.

It's true that little in this book is original, but then, originality is not usually the strength of gardening books. Somebody somewhere almost always knows the same techniques. It's a matter of presenting things in such a way that they are helpful to the reader.

I guess I would recommend trying to get this book from the library first--as I would with most gardening books. It has some great qualities, but it's not perfect, and it's worth making sure that it's useful to you personally before buying it.

The book I've been searching for . . ........2003-06-30

Finally, a gardening book that doesn't assume you have acres of land and a barn full of expensive equipment--or that you have the money to go out and buy them.

For three years I've been limited to a small balcony, after having lived my life with a large garden. Instead of going through gardening withdrawals, I decided to fill some containers with soil and see what I could grow. I've learned a lot through trial and error, but I've also been on the lookout for a good gardening book that could give me some encouragement and some fresh ideas. "Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces" is that book.

I found Patricia Lanza's book to be extremely practical and down-to-earth. Even if you don't use her "lasagna" method to create your garden, you can still benefit from her advice about maximizing any small space you have to work with. The basic idea is if you don't have room to grow out, then grow up! And she's not just talking about flowers. She shows how easy it is to grow satisfying crops of just about any vegetable or fruit in tiny plots of land and containers. And she shows how to do it without spending any money. This book is peppered with ideas about how to use things we might consider to be trash as decorative containers, plant supports, and garden tools.

I was especially impressed with the section on pests and disease. Not only does she explain organic remedies for pest and disease problems, she spends time describing simple, natural ways to prevent pests and diseases from even becoming a problem, including a list of plants that attract beneficial insects (so you don't have to spend money to buy eggs or larvae from a catalog).

Perhaps what I am most grateful for in this book is its fearlessness. If the only space you have is a few containers on a balcony, Patricia Lanza doesn't tell you to buy some nice impatiens from the nursery--she tells you to grow an apple tree! If you've been discouraged by the typical container gardening book--you know, the kind that tells you to go out and buy a ridiculously expensive decorative pot and fill it with flashy annuals from the nursery--then give this book a try. Hopefully it will give you the courage to grow a satisfying garden--flowers, vegetables, and even fruits--with whatever space you have to work with, even just a few pots on a balcony, like I have.

vague and climate-specific.......2003-06-24

Allow me to be blunt. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Pat Lanza gardens in upstate New York. If you don't live in a similar climate, half the book (plant recommendations) isn't going to apply to you. If you want info on in situ composting (which is what she does-- it's not her own original idea, and it's not her grandmother's either), look for books by Ruth Stout (whose books on this topic have been in print since the 1950s) or pursue info on the InterBay Mulch method from Seattle.

There are no pictures of her garden in this book, despite the fact that she spends tons of time describing what her gardens are like and how she created them. I can't remember gaining any really helpful info on pests, composting decomposition, small garden planning, or landscaping techniques, either.

Doesn't sound very helpful, does it?

Good for First Time Gardeners.......2003-06-02

Lasagna refers to planting directly in layered compost. I have to think that there's a reason that gardeners don't already do this, like heat production or rate of decomposition. The value in this book are the tips for gardening in small spaces including dwarf varieties. But don't infer that this means patio gardening, as most approaches require some kind of trellis. In general, it is a good book for getting started with gardening.

somewhat misleading.......2003-01-22

while I find this book useful it really is more about small gardens and not so great if you are mainly interested in container gardening.Still searching for that ultimate indoor outdoor potted garden book..........

The Edible Container Garden: Growing Fresh Food in Small Spaces

Average customer rating:

Everything but the plants
Great Reference Book
Not enough practical information
Great for folks with limited space
Planting in tight places.....

The Edible Container Garden: Growing Fresh Food in Small Spaces
Michael Guerra , and Gaia books
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Growing Herbs in Containers: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-179 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-179)
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ASIN: 0684854619

Amazon.com

It wouldn't matter whether or not a single strawberry or tomato raised in the pots pictured in this book ever made it to the table--they are beautiful ornamental plantings, worth growing just for their looks. But author and British permaculture expert Michael Guerra promises fresh-tasting, pesticide-free produce, and the chance to grow a luscious array of fruits and vegetables not available at the supermarket, all in small raised beds, pots, or window boxes. Whether you garden on the balcony of a condominium, the deck of a houseboat, or just choose to pack your garden with ornamentals rather than edibles, this book brings hope that you can easily harvest homegrown food, including herbs and edible flowers.

"Gardening is like learning to cook," writes Guerra. "Start with the basics and with practice your menu will increase." He starts out with clear instructions about the basics of raised bed construction, soil enrichment, and maintenance of edibles. The most useful and unique parts of the book are the chapters entitled "What Shall I Grow?" that suggest the best varieties of salad greens, berries, peas, and peppers, as well as a great many more, for smaller gardens. Enlivened by color photographs and featuring detailed lists to aid in plant choices, this is a fine introduction to urban food gardening on even the smallest property. --Valerie Easton

Book Description

No space is too small to grow delicious and healthy food.

Enjoying tasty and fresh produce no longer requires a trip to the local farm stand or gourmet grocery. With The Edible Container Garden as your guide, everything from salad greens and savory herbs to luscious fruits and vegetables can be as close as your patio, balcony, or rooftop.

The Edible Container Garden explains how to plant, grow, and harvest vegetables, edible flowers, fruits, and herbs, even when time and space are limited. Discussing the wide variety of planting options, from simple window boxes and raised garden beds to trellises and other vertical structures, The Edible Container Garden shows you how to

Decide what kinds of plants you want to grow and which soil to use to keep them healthy and vibrant
Select the right containers and tools to design a beautiful and fertile garden
Discover which seasons are best for certain plants so you can design a practical and productive growing space
Feed, tie, prune, and clip your plants to fit almost anywhere, whether they're in containers, over arches, or even along footpaths

Illustrated with beautiful color photographs and packed with helpful and creative tips, The Edible Container Garden provides all the information you'll need to transform your outdoor space into a bountiful paradise.

Customer Reviews:

Everything but the plants.......2007-07-23

"The Edible Container Garden" is a fine book if you have a little mechanical/design savoir faire. It illustrates several ways of constructing raised beds and other garden structures, and contains an especially helpful diagram of the author's own garden in his London rowhouse. The book also contains detailed discussions of composting and lists of plants appropriate for container gardening.

However, it has less detail on specific plants and basic gardening skills like pruning and fertilizing. And the construction sections assume a certain level of knowledge that many readers may lack.

It's a good idea book, but should be supplemented with another that gives more detailed instruction on the business of actually growing plants.

Great Reference Book.......2007-03-25

I was amazed when I got this book and read it. It was just full of so much informationa dn beautiful pictures. I am new to gardening so I found it to be extremly helpful fo me in that area. This is a keeper! I highly recommend it.

Not enough practical information.......2004-04-29

As a beginning gardener, I was looking for a book that would spell out, in a simple, organized fashion, exactly what I needed to do to start a vegetable garden on my rooftop patio. So, I went on Amazon and purchased this book, as well as "McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: A Container Garden of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers". Having read both, I would strongly recommend "Bountiful Container" over "Edible Container". "Edible Container" may seem more appealing because it is full of color photographs, but "Bountiful Container" is far more practical and a true reference book. "Edible Container" is largely anecdotal and may inspire you, but is frustrating if you're looking to have basic questions answered such as "what dirt should I use", "how often should I water", "what varieties should I plant and when", "should I use fertilizer", etc. "Bountiful Container" is so well-organized and clearly and concisely written that you can literally read it cover to cover (I did) and then you will find yourself coming back to it time and time again as your garden begins to grow. Swearing by the "Bountiful Container", I now how a flourishing garden full of lettuce, beans, squash, tomatoes, and strawberries.

Great for folks with limited space.......2003-07-16

Wonderful insight, information, and photographs to help a beginning gardener with limited space start to paint her thumb green. Recycling suggestions and the use of the principles of perm culture principles in are included for those environmentally-concerned growers, and who among us isn't? At the end of this book are photos of the author's own urban lot, every inch burgeoning with plants to eat and those just for the sake of beauty.
This book deals more with space and soil, however, rather than the actual plants themselves. But for what it offers, it's great.

Planting in tight places............2003-04-13

Michael Guerra's EDIBLE CONTAINER GARDEN - "Growing Fresh Food in Small Spaces" is filled with unique insights and original photographs. Although I don't own a spread exactly like the gorgeous places shown on several pages in this book, I am moving in that direction, so the composition of the beautiful and practical gardens of others is of interest to me. Each garden depicted in this book can be decomposed into elements that can be transported to almost any location and arranged in almost any way.

A fact of life in an urban area is compacted soil. The typical urban homesteader is unlikely to own a rototiller that can be used to plow the yard and create a friendly habitat for a few fennel plants (although these tools are becoming smaller every day). Guerra's photographs and text describe projects that finesse hard surfaces. I especially like the partitioned timber container filled with many herbs standing above a graveled path. He also shows a raised bed with a most interesting set of joined corners using eyelet screws. The hardest surface of all to "farm" is a rooftop, but several photos show just what can be done with containers on top of a building. The corn and beans growing at the edge of one roof with a street full of cars below make me wonder how any insects could ever find and destroy this produce.

Guerra suggests gardeners can recycle materials and employ permaculture principles in urban settings. One permaculture trick involves stacking and arranging plants in a canopied effect. Guerra includes a number of photos showing various structures one might build to grow plants vertically thereby maximizing the use of space while conserving water. At the back of his book he includes photos of his own urban lot where he uses every square inch above and below to grow food-bearing as well as flowering plants.

Guerra's book is a great place to start if you've been thinking about creating your own little Victory Garden and wondered what might be possible. You will need more information than this book provides, since he does not include much about plants so check out KITCHEN GARDENS IN CONTAINERS by Antony Atha.

The No-Garden Gardener : Creating Gardens on patios, balconies, terraces, and in other small spaces
Average customer rating:

Container gardeners beware.

Black thumbs be gone!

The No-Garden Gardener : Creating Gardens on patios, balconies, terraces, and in other small spaces
Jane Courtier
Manufacturer: Readers Digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Container Gardening | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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The Complete Container Garden

ASIN: 076210127X

Book Description

Here's a beautifully illustrated volume making it possible for apartment or condo dwellers, or those with only a small plot of land, a deck, pathway, or even a rooftop to create a garden in a small space. A creative and practical sourcebook of innovative ideas and simple techniques for transforming a limited space into a gardening oasis.

Customer Reviews:

Container gardeners beware........2003-03-02

Several things turned me off about the book. First, it's seems very British for some reason. Second, it goes in to pages and pages and pages of assessing your situation, whether you are a blind gardener, "the importance of design", then gets into water gardens and water features, and raised beds. Suffice it to say that it didn't seem very geared toward the apartment owner with a 7x10 foot balcony!

It's not there isn't useful information in this book, but it's about plants in general, though. This is not totally geared toward the container gardener. I guess that's said in the subtitle: Creating gardens on patios, balconies, terraces, AND IN OTHER SMALL SPACES. About 85 pages into the book, about types of hanging baskets, window boxes and other containers. Then it gets into container design where you choose compatible plant partnerships. But even here there's a little trouble, because the illustrations show plants that are NOT IN CONTAINERS but in a garden setting. From there you get into soils, how to propagate the plants, how to control pests (suggests picking off caterpillars will do...ewwww!),

I needed more from this book. I needed a book on containers and tha plants that grow well in them. One that talked about a wide variety of plants, especially those that grow well in my zone. I could care less about the parts of a plant and stuff I had in biology. In the very back, where it talks about "lack of space makes this plant list no more than a suggestion." Well, if they hadn't filled it with [stuff] what was off-topic, there may well have been room to discuss more plants. The main problem with this book, in my opinion, is that it lacks focus.

Bottom line, I guess it depends on what you need out of this book. This book works well as a general plant care reference book, but if you need a book specifically on the special needs of plants in containers, I'd try another book. One that was more helpful to me, and one which I consider my own personal bible as far as container plants goes, is called Container Plants for Patios, Balconies, and Window Boxes by Halina Heitz, published by Barron's. I have plumbagos, and while there's no mention of them in the No-Garden Gardener, you'll find useful references to them there.

Black thumbs be gone!.......2000-04-25

This is probably not a book for more experienced gardeners... but luckily I'm not. The writing on the design aspect of the non-garden seems common sense (and it is), but the book is a real treasure for the beginning gardener and those of us who just have two left thumbs. This is because it includes basic guides on such diverse topics as: plant biology, planting (from rock gardens to hanging plants), caring for the plant, propagation and pest control. Guides to planting and plant maintenance include diagrams and step-by-step instruction for easy use. The book's best feature though is its lovely photography; the photos are intended to inspire the reader with ideas about the design of their no-garden garden.

The City Gardener's Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Small Space Gardening

Average customer rating:

This City Gardener gives it a green thumbs up...
Do not recommend as First book of this series
How to find or buy the best plants for a city environment

The City Gardener's Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Small Space Gardening
Linda Yang
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens
Gardening in Small Spaces : Creative Ideas from America's Best Gardeners (Fine Gardening Design Guides)
Urban Gardens: Plans and Planting Designs
Landscaping Small Spaces
Sky Gardens: Rooftops, Balconies, and Terraces

ASIN: 1580174493

Book Description

The City Gardener's Handbook is the definitive guide to gardening in small spaces - whether on a balcony, in a container, or in a small yard - covering planting, design, and maintenance.

The problems and challenges facing gardeners in cities, suburban condos, or apartment complexes are unique, and Linda Yang has personally experienced every small-space gardening situation she writes about. Yang offers a wealth of practical advice on planning a garden that will be attractive all year long; selecting wind-, heat-, moisture-, or drought-tolerant species; and coping with pollutants, insects, and more. Charts and lists supply information on the best city plants for flowers, foliage, and fragrance, as well as ground covers, small weeping trees and dwarf shrubs, soil mixes for containers, and practical mulches. The updated mail-order source list is an essential tool for gardeners who find it difficult to locate plants and supplies. The City Gardener's Handbook is an invaluable resource for any gardener facing the challenge of growing plants where space is limited, whether in the dooryard of a suburban townhouse or on a mid-city rooftop.

Customer Reviews:

This City Gardener gives it a green thumbs up..........2006-04-25

I live in the city and I love to get my hands dirty. Too many books focus on abstract design concepts and forget about the most practical aspect of gardening - the plants. Linda Yang does an excellent job of discussing basic design and also recommending plants that do well in urban conditions (as well as explaining details such as how large certain plants will grow, whether they need constant watering, amount of sun desired).

I've owned the book for more than a year now and have dog-eared several pages for reference. I find the seasonal tips invaluable.

My only real complaint is that there was a bit too much emphasis on rooftop gardening.

Do not recommend as First book of this series.......2002-06-17

Did not meet the expectation as indicated in the title. Do not recommend it as first collection of this series. You need to be rather professional to enjoy ths book.

How to find or buy the best plants for a city environment.......2002-05-07

The City Gardener's Handbook: The Definitive Guide To Small-Space Gardening by gardening columnist and expert Linda Yang is a true garden-lover's guide to raising one's choice of plants in an urban or other limited-size environment. Intended for gardeners of all experience and skill levels from neophyte to expert, The City Gardener's Handbook addresses how to find or buy the best plants for a city environment, managing one's garden through the four seasons, dealing with plant parasites and pests, and much more. Gorgeous insert sections with color plates of flourishing city gardens highlight the straightforward text and useful black-and-white diagrams. The City Gardener's Handbook will prove an invaluable addition to any personal, professional, or community library gardening reference collection.

Average customer rating:

Small Space Gardens
David Stevens
Manufacturer: Collins Design
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens
Patio: Garden Design & Inspiration
Beyond the Lawn: Unique Outdoor Spaces for Modern Living
Small Garden
Small Urban Gardens (Evergreen)

ASIN: 0061127779
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Book Description

A small garden can be beautiful, low maintenance, sheltered, intimate and fun. Good design, both inside and outside the home, is timeless and is based on sound principles. Small Space Gardens takes you easily through the entire planning sequence, providing a progressive and exciting organizational sequence that will meld interior, exterior, and borrowed landscape into an elegant, practical, and integrated whole.

The first chapter demonstrates how to analyze your space -- what you have in your garden already, what to keep and what to introduce, from furniture and lighting to walls and paths. This will help you to decide what you want from your space -- whether an eating area or play zone, vegetables and herbs or a built-in barbecue. The second chapter moves on to the planning of your garden and how to maximize the space through the use of dividers, paths, walls, and raised areas, as well as making the most of vertical space. The third chapter explains why the choice of materials is crucial in a small garden, and guides you through the options. The final chapter on planting strategy helps you to formulate a considered plan to create color, texture, and atmosphere.

Practical, informative, and featuring case studies that reinforce all aspects of the text, Small Space Gardens demystifies garden design to help you create a garden that feels spacious and appealing. It is essential reading for anyone with even a square foot of outside space.

Green Places in Small Spaces: A Practical Guide to Designing and Planting a Small-Space Garden

Average customer rating:

For Beginners Only
A must buy
A No-Bull Garden Book
Gardening, Not Design
This is the most entertaining gardening book ever written.

Green Places in Small Spaces: A Practical Guide to Designing and Planting a Small-Space Garden
Kerwin Fischer
Manufacturer: The Taunton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

For Beginners Only.......2001-06-02

This is a great book for the beginning gardener, but does not provide much information or inspiration for anyone who already knows the basics.

A must buy.......2001-03-30

Green Places in Small Places fills a void left by so many other gardening books. You've got a small place. It may be sunny, it may be dark. It may have soil it may have cement. It may even have people walking over it.But Kerwin Fischer will tell you how to make it a "green place." Green, pink, even blue.

Often using examples of a garden he voluntarily cared for in Manhattan, Mr.Fischer takes you from evaluating your space (chapter 1) through how to tend for your small green place through the seasons (Chapters 8-17).

The book is a welcome change from the many books that are often too "flowery" and abstract to help you get started. But the book does a good job of avoiding technical language (although it does provide a useful explanation of technical terms.)

Highly recommended.

A No-Bull Garden Book.......2001-03-13

This good is a clear step-by-step blueprint for creating a garden virtually anywhere. The author has a dry, ascerbic wit and is a great debunker of misconceptions about plants, as well as a bit of a plant historian. It's a really good read, as well as a really good manual.

Gardening, Not Design.......2001-01-25

Although a good book on planting a small garden this book is not, as I thought by its title, a book on designing small gardens. There are only two fairly complete gardens shown amidst the many beautiful pictures of plants. The book deals almost exclusivly with the planting and growing of flowers, primarily perennials, bulbs,has a chapter on houseplants and treats the subject of soil amendments, fertilizers and such. If you need to know what plants to use in your small garden, this book will help.

This is the most entertaining gardening book ever written........1999-09-15

This book makes me believe I can do anything in the garden. It's rare to pick up a "how-to" book that draws you in and and sounds personal. Green Places in Small Spaces is the antithesis of text book-type writing. This book is great, especially for a first time gardener, and one that doesn't have a lot of time or money to spend on gardening.

I liked the fact that the author spoke to me in the first person, gave good, solid advice backed up with anecdotes, and took me through the seasons. This author is also quite opinionated - - and it made the book a good read. This is the most useful and entertaining gardening book ever written, filled with great advice.

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