Amazon.com
Tracy DiSabato-Aust's Well-Designed Mixed Garden provides sound direction for plant lovers looking to free their garden from the doldrums and fashion a rich tapestry of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vines, grasses, and bulbs. Encyclopedic in scope yet unfailingly attentive to essential details, The Well-Designed Mixed Garden effectively summarizes an array of basic garden design considerations and fundamentals. There are particularly useful chapters on color theory and on drawing up a plan, with precise instructions on what size plants to purchase and how to space them. As with her highly regarded Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques, DiSabato-Aust delves eagerly into plant maintenance, a topic too many garden writers overlook. Though many examples are from the author's own garden or other American Midwest locations, they're largely applicable to other plant hardiness zones. Of particular appeal are a nicely photographed section on attractive plant combinations and a series of handy appendixes for plant selection. Beginners may be overwhelmed by this book's wealth of information, but its comprehensiveness renders it all the more valuable for seasoned gardeners seeking greater practical know-how and a surer grasp of the art of gardening. --Jennifer Wyatt
Book Description
The Well-Designed Mixed Garden is a design book with a difference. Written for gardeners who are passionate about plants of all kinds (hence the "mixed garden" of the title), it reflects decades of professional experience and artistic innovation. As with her bestselling book The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, master designer and plantswoman Tracy DiSabato-Aust provides not only inspiration but also scrupulously organized information on design and connoisseur plants — all from original research dating back to her degree work in horticulture.
Her new offering is a master class of design fundamentals, with an emphasis on often-neglected topics, such as site evaluation, color theory, and planning for maintenance. It is also a gallery of detailed design plans that show how ideas are put onto paper and then translated into three dimensions. Lessons learned in its first two parts are strengthened in an "Encyclopedia of Plant Combinations"; each entry notes the design considerations at play and provides tips on how to keep the combination looking its best. And the lifetime care needs and unique design characteristics of featured plants are summarized in the useful charts and lists that conclude the book. The result is a nearly foolproof guide to every aspect of designing superior gardens with superior plants. With more than 250 color photos and illustrations, this book is as much a feast for the eyes as it will be a trusted reference for the library shelf.
Customer Reviews:
A Flower Gardener's Companion.......2007-09-03
Comprehensive and very user friendly. A book every home flower gardner would want to have.
OK, but not as good as I thought it would be.......2007-05-16
I've heard other gardeners talk about Tracy's books and what an inspiration they are, so I bought "The Well-Designed Mixed Garden" expecting to learn some GREAT ideas for my gardens. It has some good information on principles of design and how to work with color, texture, and so on. But I was disappointed at how weak and uninspiring the section is on plant combinations. She calls it an "encyclopedia of plant combinations," and the section is full of photos of flowers and plants she thinks are winning combinations. The combinations mostly have no real visual appeal, the photos (in that section) are plain, and it's a wasted section of the book. I think there was only one of these combinations that actually looked beautiful. Most of these photos were from her own garden, and perhaps she let her personal affection for her own gardens cloud her judgment on what to include.
I like the rest of the book, however, and her examples of garden designs in other parts of the book have good photos and design layout drawings that are quite useful.
Useful no matter what your garden needs.......2007-05-13
This book is so helpful in figuring out how to mix flowers and plants in border-type gardens. It details color combinations and tells what flowers go well together. It provides pictures of various gardens in different season to provide an idea of how the landscape will look in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
Very good information and easy to understand.......2007-02-05
This is the first book I would recomend to anyone! Ms. Disabato-Aust compiles a vast amount of quality information in one book, and she explains abstract concepts in a way that regular people who aren't master gardeners can understand. She also includes insights from her vast experience; it's not a dry recitation seen in other sources. She explains when and why to break the generally-accepted guidelines.
I've been a hard-core gardener for about three years, and I've already gleaned some of the information from other sources. But I had to read a lot of different books and articles to get it, and it was often contradictory. The book not only ties it all together in a cohesive manner, but gives very detailed examples.
I particularly enjoyed the section on combinations, where Ms. Disabato-Aust explains why certain things work together in a converational tone. Far from being a preening dilletante, the author's manner is friendly and warm.
I only had two complaints, and they are possibly unique to me. As you might expect, the "example" gardens shown used Ms. Disabato-Aust's style of gardening. It's wonderful, but I have a different style, and would have appreciated seeing the gardening principles illustrated using different styles. Second, I garden in North Florida. A fair number of the plants that look so beautiful in her Ohio garden wouldn't make it in North Florida.
Destined to be a classic garden reference........2006-03-24
I'm a master gardener from Illinois,and have heard Tracy Disabato-Aust on a number of occasions. Her book The Well-Tended Perennial Garden has long been our bible for perennials. In this new book, she makes accessible for all gardeners the depth of her experience and research in incorporating many kinds of plants in a mixed border. The book is worth buying for the appendices alone: plants by design and maintenance characteristics as well as common/scientific name cross-references. A must-have garden reference book!
Book Description
This comprehensive guide addresses one of the most common problems for gardeners. Shade Gardening has over 250 color photographs of the 350 best trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, bulbs, ground covers, vines, ferns, and grasses for shaded areas. Articles cover the basics of growing plants in the shade as well as such subjects as city gardens, flowers, foliage plants, pests and diseases, and lawns.
Customer Reviews:
Gardening.......2005-08-25
Provides lots of interesting gardening information if you are planting only trees and shrubs. Book does not detail anything for vegetable gardeners. Title should be changed to include the word "Forestry" rather than the broad term 'gardening".
Very helpful handbook.......2005-02-07
This is a great reference for those gardening in shade. It is organized in a logical format and can be easily used. The photos are nice and the information helpful as plants are considered for a shade garden. While it may not be adequate for those gardening in the deep south, it is very well suited to zones 5,6, and 7.
A must have.......2002-06-22
This wonderful little book (thick, but only 4.27" wide) is an absolute necessity for anyone who wishes to do some gardening in a shady area. In fact, this book is really three books rolled into one. The first section looks at shade and shade gardening, it is straightforward and highly informative. The second section is entitled The Color Plates, and gives a long list of shade-loving plants, including a very nice color picture, and a highly informative description. The third section goes hand-in-hand with the second, and gives more in-depth information.
This book is really great, a must have for those of us who wish to do some gardening in a shady area. I highly recommend this book to all gardeners!
Great idea book with pictures of shade lovers.......2001-03-22
The Taylor's Guides are very reliable sources for gardening information and great pictures, and the Shade Gardening Guide is one of the best. Shade gardening is difficult for many reasons. There are not that many very showy flowers for seasons other than Spring, and there are many types of shade. The descriptions are very specific and helpful: light shade, dappled shade, "the more shade, the less moisture is needed," and so on. The soil and shade descriptions for each plant are excellent and detailed.
Although the plants are listed alphabetically for the cultural requirements, the pictures are listed by groups: trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, summer bulbs, ground covers, vines, grasses, and ferns. I would recommend that people using the book for plant selection read the "Encyclopedia of Plants" part as well as the brief but good descriptions with the color pictures.
Keep in mind too that the flowering times are primarily for New England (zone 5). Furthur South you may get earlier and more flowers. For example, Ceratostigma is listed as an Autumn bloomer, while in PA, it blooms from July through October. So you get more than the book suggests. Not bad. Anyone with shade should experiment with the plants in this book. As a gardening professional, I see so many great and underused plants listed and described in this book.
Not a good resource for Southern gardeners.......2000-09-09
Having recently purchased a condo in Houston with a north-facing porch, I eagerly awaited delivery of this book. However, I was quickly disappointed. This book should be titled "Shade Gardening in the North," since virtually all of the plants listed are for Zones 5 and lower...not much help for my Zone 9 garden. It did contain a couple of pages of information for shade gardening in the South (which they consider to be North Carolina!), but I was really looking for specific information on the types of shade plants I could plant here. This would have been a great book if I lived in Ohio, but not so good for us Texans.
Book Description
With their delicate foliage, seasonal color changes, and intricate pattern of branching, Japanese maples are among the most popular and suitable plants for bonsai design. In this long-awaited book, internationally renowned expert Peter Adams discusses both the specific horticultural needs of Japanese maples as bonsai subjects and illustrates proven techniques for creating and maintaining beautiful specimens. Although aimed at an audience that has some familiarity with bonsai techniques, the book deliberately shows a mix of bonsai at different stages in their training, so that less experienced enthusiasts can gain new ideas and inspiration from trees that are "works in progress." Much more than a mere "how-to" book, Bonsai with Japanese Maples is a forthright attempt to look at bonsai as art objects and to critique and assess them from an artist's perspective.
Customer Reviews:
Everything you ever wanted to know about Maples.......2007-05-14
Great detailed instructions on growing, training and styling bonsai maple trees. Excellent pictures and graphics. He covers several different techniques, some I had never seen discussed anywhere else. Good discussion of the general cultural conditions specific to maples. Suitable for any experience level.
Japanese Maples.......2007-03-29
This book is great. There's a lot of detail specific to trident and japanese maples. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with maples.
The perfect product for bonsai interested maple lovers.......2007-01-22
Bonsai with Japanese Maples by Peter Adams has all you will ever need to know about maples in bonsai. Excellent colour photos, techniques are explained in adequate depth and it is well worth the price, I paid shipping to Australia just for this product. The only issue of concern is that one should read a basic bonsai book for a few clarifications on wording, that is to say it is written for an intermediate-bonsai audience.
After all these years.......2007-01-05
I first saw this book as a bonsai student but it was already out of print. After years of searching, and seeing prices over $150, I am really happy to see it in re-print. It is the seminal Japanese maple book with many ideas that can be used for any deciduous tree. I strongly recommend it for anyone doing bonsai.
Book Description
Illustrated with more than 110 striking color photographs and packed with advice on every aspect of rhododendron growing, from soil preparation and landscape design to advanced propagating and hybridizing techniques, this is the most useful book on these spectacular flowering shrubs. Reiley has fully updated his practical, hands-on approach with more of the detailed information that gardeners need to choose and grow these luxuriant, beautifully blossoming plants.
Customer Reviews:
Great Text, Weak Photography.......2005-11-29
The text of this book is great for the rhody enthusiast and gardener. Very readable and informative. It is probably below that necessary for rhody breeders. Mr. Reiley should hire a professional photographer or locate photographs that are at the level of his writing. Only the rare author is able to take his/her own photographs. I can't believe that Timber Press actually printed some of the photos.
Excellent information.......2005-04-16
This is an great book on growing rhododendrons/etc overall. It has far more and better information on how to propogate (cuttings, layering, seeds, etc) than most other books, and the lists of "good-doers" are an excellent guide to someone starting out. Many Rhododendron books are to a large degree picture books - listing hybrids with pretty pictures. This book concentrates on the culturing, diseases, planting, propogation, hardiness, soil, how acidity affects nutrients, etc.
The strongest recommendation for me: My father, who's a 30+ year rhododendron and azalea collector, looked at the 12 or so books I'd picked up last year after getting bitten with the rhodie bug last year, and said this one was the one book he'd like to get a copy of for Christmas.
Tricks of the trade by an American Rododendron grower.......1999-07-25
Reiley is without doubt an eminent and successfull Rododendron grower. His whole approach to to subject shows that he knows what he is speaking about from life experience; he doesn't repeat without comment the commonplaces to be found in so many gardening manuals and he has the ability to present data in a context which is easy to understand. However, this book is rather for a professional gardener who wants to set up his own nursery for Rhododendra and Azaleas. This does not have to be a weakness of this book; Reiley presents his chapters about growing requirements, selection of varieties, use in the landscape, propagation, nursery growing and hybridisation in a very convincing but scientific way and view. His auditory seems to be preeminently US-American. For the USA he gives good overviews about the growth conditions in many states and recommends good varieties there. Readers from other countries will feel sorry that they get much less here. Thanks to its thoroughly research and convincing conclusions every reader will understand more about these plants and will take useful new information out of this book, but for the professional grower or landscaper -especially in the US- this could become the bible for his job!
Book Description
In association with Jackson & Perkins, Rose Companions is the first book devoted expressly to the exciting variety of plants that can be grown with roses in the garden. No longer must roses be considered appropriate only for the rose garden. Instead, today's roses offer an impressive array of characteristics that make them ideal plants for many landscape uses, including form, color, and fragrance. And the number of plants that make perfect partners for roses is astounding, including:
- Perennials
- Annuals
- Bulbs
- Shrubs
- Vines
Rose Companions will give gardeners of all levels the information they need to create a beautiful landscape, whether they already have an established garden and want to add roses and other plants to it, or if they are growing roses and want to enhance them with companion plants, or if they are starting from scratch and have always dreamed of a garden lush with flowers-including roses.
Customer Reviews:
A Must for the Rose Gardener's Library.......2005-12-09
The author's rose experience gives the knowledgeable rosarian broader understanding and the novice rich new territory to discover. Roses become assets for gardens rather than specimens separated from the whole. If I had this book when I first began my rose adventures it would have been a constant source of help and inspiration.
good guide to integrating roses.......2005-07-01
This is an excellent guide to integrating roses into a garden with other plants instead of keeping them in a separate location in a bare, mulched rose bed. Well written text and good pictures.
Shame on the publisher, though, for such poor copyediting! Next time pay a good copyeditor or proofreader and spare yourself the embarrassment of roses "baring their hips" (bearing, perhaps?) and "while your nose is ravaging the blooms" (really? RAVAGING?) and miscellaneous omitted words.
Book Description
This book together with The Xeriscape Flower Gardener create a handy, two-volume, comprehensive xeriscape guide for any region that relies on irrigation.
Waterwise landscaping is made easy with over 1,000 plants rated for water needs.
Be firesafe and waterwise...over 150 plants are rated for fire resistance.
Detailed studies show how to cut construction and maintenance costs.
Numerous photos show how to save amazing amounts of water while looking lush and colorful.
Do-it-yourself...over 200 detailed plant notes with color photos, plus waterwise worksheets make it easy to create waterwise designs and meet water budgets.
Customer Reviews:
Gardening in the great S'west.......2005-07-27
Waterwise and otherwise, this is a wise resource for sane gardening in our region. A great resource that I return to.
Good fire resistance advice.......2003-10-29
There is a good section on planting a fire-resistant landscape.
The book is geared to the Rocky Mountain area, but there is some information pertinent to Southern California (another planet, as far as most gardening books are concerned). I also found the 'plant substitution' guide to be very useful.
Waterwise landscaping.......2001-08-22
I received this book from a colleague of mine, and I had no clue what `xeriscape' even was. Living here, southwest, I knew I had to do something, and this book was the opened the door! I have just begun, but I am already confident and happy. As the review said, it the plant notes were wonderful, and the color photos were beyond that. The tips help. Looking at this, you would think it'd be terribly hard to do waterwise landscaping, I sure did, but give it a try! It's a terrific book, or at least it served me great.
Customer Reviews:
disappointing.......2004-02-03
This is the sort of regional gardening book that might have been marketed in 1965. The information is very basic, poorly explained, poorly illustrated, and dated. I doubt if the book was good for much when it was first published in the late 80's, but now with the revolution in Southern gardening carried on by the likes of J. C. Raulston, Tony Avent, William Welch and a host of others, the book seems stale and joyless.
Gardening in the South With Don Hastings : Trees, Shrubs and.......2001-09-04
I was very disappointed with this book. It carries almost no usable data, just vague language. It seems that Mr. Hastings used this book as a tax right off to travel to England and other countries for research. I do not care of the lush lawn of England, nor do I care of the beauty of an oasis in the Middle East. I especially do care to read phrases, as "there is no perfect grass for the South, just make do with what you have". I rated this book 2 stars due solely to the pictures. If you were looking for a book that offers real usable data, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.
The first book I turn to........1998-04-02
When I moved here several years ago I was new to the South and to gardening. My husband bought me this book and it has been my constant companion. It is the first book I turn to when I need a tree or shrub for an area, and Mr. Hastings is always the final determinant of whether the choice I made was a good one. I've landscaped two properties, and the book seems to grow with me as I need it.
Live down South? Got a yard? Better buy this book!.......1996-08-31
Don Hastings is a true plantsman of the South. Every gardener in the region knows the Hastings name due to the huge mail-order seed business the family owned for generations. And of course, down South family name is everything! Hastings shares the wealth in his Gardening in the South series. I've read many gardening books. The difference here is that, first, it is written for my part of the country. Others are often written with a Northeast focus that just doesn't apply to our heat and humidity. Second, Hastings is not shy about expressing a definitive opinion. If your new house has a silver maple, "Prune it at the ground with a chainsaw," Don advises. There are other writers you can read twice and still not be sure if they're for it or agin it. Live down South? Got a yard? Better buy this book
Average customer rating:
|
Gardening with Shrubs
Eric Sawford
Manufacturer: Guild of Master Craftsman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Landscape
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Shrubs
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mythology
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1861083068 |
Book Description
From selecting the right plants for your particular garden to utilizing their architectural qualities to best effect, this practical guide covers everything needed to grow, maintain, and propagate the versatile shrub. Eye-opening color photographs help show how to make the most of shrubs’ different forms, shapes, and hues. A fully-illustrated directory lists popular species from 70 genera.
Books:
- The Worm Book: The Complete Guide to Worms in Your Garden
- Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture
- Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring
- Wildlife Warrior: Steve Irwin: 1962 - 2006, a Man Who Changed the World
- Wiring 1-2-3 (Home Depot ... 1-2-3)
- Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year (Wise Woman Herbal Series, Book 1) (Wise Woman Herbal Series : No. 1)
- A Passion for Flowers
- A Passion for Flowers
- All New Square Foot Gardening
- American Horticultural Society Pruning & Training (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Beany Malone Series - 14 Book Set
- The Classic French Cinema, 1930-1960
- The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin
- The World Is Flat
- Brian Jones Straight From The Heart: The Rolling Stones Murder
- A Corpse in the Koryo
- PricewaterhouseCooper's Guide to the New Tax Rules 2003
- The Instant Economist
- How to Write Killer Fiction: The Funhouse of Mystery & the Roller Coaster of Suspense
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques
Perennial Combinations: Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right from the Start
Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques
Creating Beds and Borders: Creative Ideas from America's Best Gardeners (Fine Gardening Design Guides)
Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
