Ann Lovejoy's Organic Garden Design School: A Guide to Creating Your Own Beautiful, Easy-Care Garden

Some people wander into this book expecting it to be all about organic gardening techniques, but the title should be their first clue--it's about design. However, it is design that integrates organic technique. Ann has a gift for teaching, and for creating clear explanations. I've referenced her book in many garden talks. Yes, she gardens in the Pacific Northwest, but I this is not a book only for Northwest gardeners.

While this book is primarily for gardeners residing in the Pacific Northwest, there are many ideas that transplant to any geographic location. The design principles are universal. The book is very well organized, beautifully illustrated and provides specific information regarding real world situations so that it avoids generic gardening platitudes more typically found in gardening books. This inspiring book is a must for every serious home gardener; I promise that you'll be glad you have it in your library.

I have enjoyed using this book as a good reference for my growing garden. Lovejoy's style is clear, she provides some worksheets in the back of the book, which I found helpful. I also noted her 'voice' in the book is not haughty or stuffy - she is friendly, and clear, which as an avid reader of garden books, I found refreshing. Her ideas are both simple and logical. I love this book.

Create a beautiful and easy organic garden with the aid of Organic Garden Design School, a design-oriented book which covers topics ranging from linking cultivation efforts to the natural environment offered to using colors and textures in the garden. Using space wisely, choosing native plants, and creating a garden mood are all covered in an excellent guide for all gardening levels.

The author teaches garden design classes near Seattle, Washington and shares her outlines here. She is a strong advocate of naturalistic gardening and encourages gardeners to seek out the native plants growing in their particular area and use them to their greatest advantage in an entirely organic way. She begins by discussing the principles of design with the "five senses of the garden" (welcome, enclosure, entry, flow, and place) and continues with other design principles such as "green architecture" (elements of the garden such as plants and structures), creating natural backdrops, "sandwich gardening" (intermingling plants in the same location), and using combinations and vignettes. Other informative sections focus on paths and walkways, layering plants to scale, and problem-solving. Helpful charts list specific plants for certain situations. The last third of the book focuses on maintenance and offers clearcut advice and instructions on mulching, composting, etc. Included at the end of the volume is a 34-page workbook for readers to list plant choices, set goals, and create their own garden plan.