Garden Design

April 1, 2009
Young (deputy editor, "The Garden", Royal Horticulture Soc.), with several contributors, has put together a work that takes readers through all phases of designing a garden, seeking to aid them "not only with the nuts and bolts of garden making, but also the focus and vision." The "How To Design" section introduces topics from using shape and color to establishing mood, evaluating sun/shade and heat, and understanding soil and managing slopes. The second section looks at garden styles, including Cottage, Family, Modernist, Urban, and Sustainable, among others. The elements and layout of each type of garden are discussed and richly photographed. The book's third section turns to the construction of garden elements such as paths, decks, fences, and more. Young ends the work with an encyclopedic, 74-page "Plant and Materials Guide," complete with color photos. While this well-illustrated work covers much ground, it isn't overwhelming or intimidating but practical and extremely useful. Recommended for horticulture collections in public and academic libraries.Lisa A. Ennis, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib.

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