The Four-Season Landscape: Easy-Care Plants and Plans for Year-Round Color

This is an excellent book for dedicated homeowners and gardeners wanting to create an excellent landscape design that is attractive all year instead of the peak Spring and early Summer periods. When the book arrived, I was concerned as I could see it was "older" and at first, I was disappointed. My fault as I should have looked at the copyright date. However, after digging in, all I can say is Eureka! I have about 1 1/2 aces in the middle of 18 acres to landscape and did not know where to start. This provides the information on how to build those "garden bones" that many other books tell you is necessary for a great landscape/garden. Ms. Roth provides helpful and creative ideas on how to start building those bones with a pyramid concept; i.e., evergreen tall trees first, then tall deciduous, then understory, followed by shrubs and all the way down to the bulbs. She provides great plans, plants and ideas for all four seasons. In addition, there are color photos for gardens that shine in each of the four seasons, which is so overlooked in many gardening books today. There are also lists such as best crabapples, Japanese maples, flowering shrubs, showy berries for winter interest, etc. Ms. Roth does not stick with the popular and safe choices and I was pleased to see recommendations for plants that offer great potential and are seldom used in today's landscapes. This is a great book for anyone wanting to learn more about landscape design (in a fun way as Ms. Roth has a delicious sense of humor) that encompasses all four seasons and for building a plan from the ground up. For those that just enjoy trees and shrubs, this book is a great reference because of the lists that are provided and the encyclopedia of over 300 of the best evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs and herbaceous plants for four season landscapes. The plants in the encyclopedia only contain those that offer at least two seasons of interest.

This book is arranged seasonally; each season has its own chapter. Within each of these chapters are various charts suggesting trees, shrubs, perennials, etc. that offer interesting features during that season. Some of the chapters break it down further: for instance, the "Spring" chapter has different charts for early spring, mid-spring and late spring.Near the beginning of the book is a wonderful section on how to put together a "planting pyramid" for four-season interest. (Hint: You don't start with annuals or even perennials, as so many beginning gardeners do.) Additional design principles and suggestions are found after the "season" chapters.Finally, the book closes with a limited "encyclopedia" of four-season plants which includes some suggested cultivars, cultural details for the plants, what seasons the plant holds particular interest, etc. This section is divided into deciduous trees, evergreen trees, deciduous shrubs, evergreen shrubs, perennials, etc. In all, even if you don't have time to read all of the text, which is a pleasure in and of itself...this author is a good writer...there is still a wealth of helpful information to be found in this book.

This book has a great approach to landscaping your property. Susan Roth shows how to make the most of your space by creating mixed borders--mixing trees, shrubs, perennials ans bulbs for year-round color and beauty. The idea is to start with a garden's "bones," to create the necessary structure that will make all seasons beautiful. Her plant selection is very good--only plants that provide more than one season make her list. For example a shrub that flowers in the summer, has good fall color, and interesting branches or berries in winter. I have many garden books, but I like Roth's approach and already the view from my kitchen window makes me feel good just to look at it.

A favorite book to which I return again and again. Excellent photos. Also, Susan really did her homework and her lists of recommended plants are superb -- she's picked the best, which makes your choices as a gardener that much easier. Very inspirational and helpful -- a flower garden that looks gorgeous in June is attainable, but a landscape that looks good year-round, or has something happening all the time, is much harder. This book is very helpful in attaining that goal. Also, check out Susan Roth's "The Weekend Garden Guide," another very good title.