An expert shares practical, easily achieved principles for making beautiful gardens. What style to give a garden and how best to lay it out are perennial puzzles for creators of gardens. Gardener/designer Robert Mallet shows how the basic elements of design—line, scale, distance, shape, color, and other sensory associations—can open the viewer’s outlook toward broad perspectives or, conversely, can lock us up in a cage. Reviewing all these elements, Mallet explains what really works, offering a range of practical ideas that can be adapted to visually enlarge space and liberate the mind. He illustrates his ideas in 160 beautiful photographs and the skillful drawings of architect Yves Poinsot. Mallet was for over twenty years in charge of Le Bois des Moutiers, a park created by his grandfather in Normandy, one of the most beautiful gardens in France, where he was able to put his ideas to the test within the context of a masterpiece of scenic design.

Elements of Garden Design does what few gardening books do--it addresses the process of conceiving a whole garden, as opposed to a single element like color or a particular class of plant. Joe Eck explores the idea of a garden, and offers a practical approach to translating concepts such as "intention" and "harmony" into the solid forms of hedges and terraces, paths and rooms. Novice and experienced professional alike will find both food for thought and down-on-the-ground advice on such matters as creating child- and pet-friendly designs.

The Reverend Howard Finster (1916Ð2001) was called the Òbackwoods William BlakeÓ and the ÒAndy Warhol of the South,Ó and he is considered the godfather of contemporary American folk and visionary art. This book is the first interpretive analysis of the intertwined artistic and religious significance of FinsterÕs work within the context of the American Òoutsider artÓ tradition. Finster began preaching as a teenager in the South in the 1930s. But it was not until he received a revelation from God at the age of sixty that he began to make sacred art. A modern-day Noah who saw his art as a religious crusade to save the world before it was too late, Finster worked around the clock, often subsisting on a diet of peanut butter and instant coffee. He spent the last years of his life feverishly creating his environmental artwork called Paradise Garden and what would ultimately number almost fifty thousand works of Òbad and nasty art.Ó This was visionary work that obsessively combined images and text and featured apocalyptic biblical imagery, flying saucers from outer space, and popular cultural icons such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Henry Ford, Mona Lisa, and George Washington. In the 1980s and 90s, he developed cult celebrity status, and he appeared in the Venice Biennale and on the Tonight Show. His work graced the album covers of bands such as R.E.M. and Talking Heads. This book explores the life and religious-artistic significance of Finster and his work from the personal perspective of religion scholar Norman Girardot, friend to Finster and his family during the later years of the artistÕs life. Ê

"Gardeners step into the world of imagination as soon as they begin to garden. They cannot plant a dry seed without awareness of the flame of life inside it, or prune a bare branch without sensing clustered blossoms and leaves." In the literature of gardening there are many how-to books and nearly an equal number of philosophical essays. Here is a book that is both. Carol Williams elucidates with elegant simplicity the basic processes of gardening and the handling of plants. She also eloquently demonstrates how in bringing a garden to life, the gardener, too, comes to life. Not just the finished garden, but gardening itself, is revealed as a source of delight and a profound awakening to nature. With its engaging mixture of step-by-step instruction, essay, story, and poetry, Bringing a Garden to Life addresses both the compelling mysteries and the down-to-earth practicalities of everyday gardening: discovering a place and envisioning your garden the alchemy of making fertile soil the wonders and challenges of starting with seeds weeding--or not the flowering year fresh greens for dinner gardening with and around trees tools--hoes, books, and philosophy and much more From mapping a garden and planting a lettuce seed, to feeding old perennial borders and pruning fruit trees, this book tells not just how but why, and vividly evokes the interest and pleasure of doing the job. Gardening beginners will be encouraged to take their first steps, while expert gardeners will find new sources of joy in their gardens. The author shares the practical wisdom of her own rich gardening experience and invokes the golden tradition of poets and philosophersthroughout history who have turned to their gardens to read the book of nature. With special sections on annuals, perennials, bulbs, vegetable and herb gardening, pruning, composting, transplanting, and much more, Bringing a Garden to Life is an illuminating vision, not just of growing things, but of being in the world; not just of planting, but of being renewed.

“Delve into this beautiful book. You’ll come away sharing his passion for the beauty that gardens bring into our lives.” —Sigourney Weaver, environmentalist, actor, trustee of New York Botanical Garden How does an individual garden relate to the larger landscape? How does it connect to the natural and cultural environment? Does it evoke a sense of place? In Spirit of Place, Bill Noble—a lifelong gardener, and the former director of preservation for the Garden Conservancy—helps gardeners answer these questions by sharing how they influenced the creation of his garden in Vermont. Throughout, Noble reveals that a garden is never created in a vacuum but is rather the outcome of an individual’s personal vision combined with historical and cultural forces. Sumptuously illustrated, this thoughtful look at the process of garden-making shares insights gleaned over a long career that will inspire you to create a garden rich in context, personal vision, and spirit.

‘The most romantic, creative person in garden design I know.’ Piet Oudolf ‘Jinny's genius is to marry a beautiful vision to an extraordinary empathy with the landscape into which that vision will fit, resulting in a pastoral harmony second to none’ Victoria, Lady Getty Prolific designer Jinny Blom embraces a wide variety of styles, from large garden spaces to formal walled gardensand contemporary installations. What defines her work is her skill with plants and her ability to create a garden that responds to the history of the site and the wider landscape. The gardens Jinny creates are as different as their owners and their locations. In this book, Jinny shares her insight into the creative process she has developed while designing more than 250 gardens around the world. The Thoughtful Gardener contains modern takes on traditional forms, and is split into six sections: seeing, understanding, structuring, harmonising, rooting, and liberating. All of Jinny's gardens share a commitment to beautiful craftsmanship and considered planting. Structure and detail are important, and receive close attention. The styles vary considerably – logical, calm, beautiful, romantic, naturalistic, formal, sometimes spare – but the principles remain firm. Jinny designs for the long term, with consideration for the environment; these gardens are built to last. Reflecting Jinny‘s highly individual character, there is plenty of wit and quirkiness alongside the expert knowledge, and it will appeal to the widest audience of garden lovers. Thoughtful and beautiful, yet practical and informative, this book marries artistry with functionality.

What Makes a Garden is a thoughtful gardening book by Jinny Blom, one of the world’s leading garden designers.

Gardening and creativity expert Fran Sorin’s Digging Deep does for gardeners what Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones has done for millions of writers and artists: it shows how to approach your passion with an eye towards freeing your spirit and living a creative and joyful life. If you’re yearning to get out of the rut you’re in and cultivate more meaning and connection in your life, you’ll find the encouragement and tools to make it happen in Digging Deep. Overflowing with tips, exercises, and resources, Fran Sorin’s empowering guide offers much-needed inspiration in today’s technology-obsessed and often nature-deprived culture. This new edition features a foreword by Larry Dossey and a new introduction, where Sorin encourages us to discover the magic that takes place every day—in the garden and in life—as we engage in a playful type of creating.In her acclaimed classic, Sorin, who is the CBS radio news gardening correspondent and has also been regularly featured on NBC’s Weekend Today Show,, shows you how to apply her Seven Stages of Creative Awakening to unearth and connect with your own creative essence in every area of your life. “Digging Deep teaches the art of living creatively—from envisioning and creating the garden of your dreams to cultivating and embodying more imagination, passion, and play in your daily life.” —Andrew Weil, M.D., #1 New York Times best-selling author of Spontaneous Happiness“Captivating and enchanting!...A must-read for anyone who wishes to find themselves in the garden—and for everyone who didn’t know they could.”—Amy Stewart, New York Times best-selling author of The Drunken Botanist “Full of inspiring stories, creative exercises, and practical gardening tips, Digging Deep will help you bloom along with your garden.” —Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Happy for No Reason“Whether you’re a beginner or a lifetime gardener, you’ll find much to celebrate.” —USA Weekend Magazine“A familiar face on television and voice on radio, the longtime broadcaster and popular motivational speaker approaches gardening like yoga. Digging Deep rejuvenates the mind and spirit as well as exercises muscles.”—The Sacramento Bee

Examines the principles on which garden designers work and shows how to apply these concepts to the home garden

For decades, gardeners have approached vegetable gardening the same way: planting in square or rectangular beds or in straight rows, keeping vegetables separate from flowers, and definitely not mixing perennial plants with annual ones. According to these old rules, every insect must be killed, the garden must be tidy, and nothing should ever be allowed to go to seed. It’s time to break the rules! Today’s gardeners are re-envisioning the vegetable garden as a creative, playful space where the beds may be circles or spirals, beneficial insects are invited to the party, flowers for cutting grow right next to annual vegetables (which might be chosen for their curb appeal as much as their flavor), and a bit of “untidiness” simply creates a garden that more closely mimics the natural world. With The Creative Vegetable Gardener, lifestyle editor and master gardener Kelly Smith Trimble encourages readers to widen their focus, be playful, and imagine a vegetable garden that reflects their own unique aesthetic and offers a meditative sanctuary as well as a source of fresh, homegrown food. From seed selection to garden layout and regenerative gardening practices, gardeners of all levels will find Smith Trimble's liberating advice a pathway to making the garden a place of nourishment for the soul and creative spirit, while also feeding the body. This publication conforms to the EPUB Accessibility specification at WCAG 2.0 Level AA.