The Garden Planner

Garden Planner is one of my favorite books to consult when searching for ideas and inspiration. As a newer gardener (only been at it for three years), I have found the plan variations and tips in this book both useful and practical. Paired with a regional plant guide, I was able to create a lovely, perennial flower garden in my front yard last summer. I plan to use Garden Planner for inspiration again, when we landscape around our newly built deck.

I studied with Robin several years ago and he is not only a lovely man but a gifted teacher. I now work for one of the largest plantscapers on the east coast, in large part because of Robin's expert tutelage. (Thank you Robin!) Just about anyone that is interested in garden planning and design will benefit from this book. I heartily recommend it!

The Garden Planner is an excellent book and it is one that serves a definite purpose, i.e., how to get started with garden/landscape design. While there is much written on landscape design, there is not all that much on how to get started actually doing it. I am a member of the APLD, Association of Professional Landscape Designers. I taught landscape-gardening for a dozen years and I write garden books myself (Allergy-Free Gardening, Safe Sex in the Garden, Ten Speed Press) and I have a large collection of garden landscape books. Many of these books were presents and although interesting, many are not all that useful. But this one is highly useful. The author, Robin Williams (not the actor!) is an experienced designer and is skilled at explaining how to do it, how to get started, how to end up with something to be proud of. In garden/landscape design there are certain principles for success and they are all well covered here. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get started doing landscape design. I would also recommend it to people who are already designers as I think even they would be pleasantly surprised.