A Garden Gallery: The Plants, Art, and Hardscape of Little and Lewis

I am a gardening nut and read garden books regularly. I've never read a book that describes the feeling of creating a garden space more eloquently and beautifully. I came away with dozens of ideas for my own small garden and realized why so many areas in my garden just don't "feel" right to me. I've never been so emotionally caught up in a gardening book before. This book is wonderfully written and the photographs are spectacular. It leaves you wanting more.... I'll be visiting Seattle this summer to tour the gardens! Thanks to David and George for sharing your special place with me!

I'm saddened to say that I've never had the opportunity to visit George Little and David Lewis's celebrated garden on Bainbridge Island, Washington, but at least now I have the next best thing - this beautiful book. The Little/Lewis garden is a lush Eden filled with tropical foliage and blooms and decorated with the concrete objects that the two have created. Cannas, bananas, colocasia, water lilies, grasses and vines are beautifully displayed among the unique columns, vases, vividly painted walls and water features that the owners have created. Each chapter covers a different element of their garden ("Bones of the Garden," "Brave Plantings," "Elemental Water," "Art and Sculpture," "Time and Rhythm") and they each take turns sharing their thoughts and ideas that will surely inspire the reader. Even more inspring are the outstanding photographs by Barbara Denk. Although this is not a technical "how-to" book, there are sidebars that tell how to make simple water features (including a jardiniere fountain), materials for building walls, and lists of the author's favorite plants. The is one of the most beautiful garden books I've ever seen and I would recommend it highly.

A visit to the intriguing garden/art gallery of George Little and David Lewis on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, is an unforgettable experience. Here is a beautiful book that gives insight into the collaborative partnership of these two talented artist/gardeners. Illustrated with gorgeous photography showing many of their original works in garden settings, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read for gardeners who will appreciate a truly unique example of creative inspiration and artistic vision.

Little and Lewis's new book , " A Garden Gallery:The Plants, Art and Hardscape of Little and Lewis " transports a bedazzled reader into their wildly eclectic awe inspiring outdoor garden gallery wonderland . Together they share their stories of horticultural conquests and defeats , the evolution of their vibrant art & garden and invite the reader to get lost in their sculptural eudaemonia. And then there are the photographs.... beautiful, sharp crisp garden photography that captures the euphoric spirit of their rapturous planting schemes and sculpture work. Every great garden starts from inspiration and passion. This book reveals such unrestrained freedom of artistic expression that it is sure to inspire gardeners and sculptors alike to pick up their own trowels and craft a garden gallery of their own.

First, you hope the photos in the book are as good as the one on the cover; they are. Then, after flipping through the pages to see everything as fast as possible, settle in and read. David and George started out to write in one voice. As David tells it, "We realized we were in trouble right after the word "The" and decided to write in two voices." The two voices make the book unique in the contrast of their personalities, each of which exhibits a delightful sense of humor while incorporating solid information about the plants and hardscape of this incredible garden. David is practical, George is spiritual; David nails down, George tosses; David keeps the check register, George fills it. Kudos to Barbara Denk for her years of beautiful photographs; and don't miss the delightful forward by NPR's Doyenne of Dirt, Ketzel Levine. This is one of the best books I've ever read about building and editing a beautiful garden.