The Intuitive Gardener: Finding Creative Freedom in the Garden

Marilyn is my kind of gardener. No longer will I feel guilty about my style of casual gardening. I now know that I'm an intuitive gardener. Moreover, her book gives me courage to try new plants and new arrangements. As she points out, you can always change things. The style of writing and the excellent photographs, all from Raff's own garden, make this book reader friendly. I can't wait for her next book on roses.

If you have an opportunity to see this author in action, snap it up. Otherwise, just buy the book. Buy the book, in fact, whether you can meet the author or not. Here's why. When we learned more than two years ago that we would be moving to Colorado, I snapped up every book in sight on Colorado gardening. For me, they were long on detail but short on vision. I simply could not divine how to get started, other than having to unlearn every thing I had known about growing things in the temperate climates. Buh-bye, broadleaf evergreens! So long, lotsa roses! Hello... to what?Right now Colorado is in serious drought; watering, if allowed at all, is extremely restricted. Some areas forbid new plantings. Marilyn Raff responds to this challenge with gusto. Parts of her garden have had limited watering for years "because I do not like to haul the hose that far." She has a long list of plants that like dry conditions and another list of plants who, with extravagant water, become weedy. Ration their water, decrease the trouble they cause, and increase your pleasure in the garden.None of this should be construed as saying that this book is short on details. It is not. But in addition to the details, you'll find the author's own interesting ideas about combinations and various areas of a garden, as well as plentiful affirmation for getting to know your own plot, however large or small. Ms. Raff advocates gardening by wandering around: getting to know your unique space and its possibilities. Her attitudes encourage experimentation and acceptance of the occasional inevitable failures. It's all part of informing your intuition, of finding creative freedom.The author's breezy but informative style and the plentiful color photographs make this book a treat. I find myself returning to it again and again both as a reference and as inspiration.

The Intuitive Gardener: Finding Creative Freedom In The Garden by gardening expert Marilyn Raff is an impressively "user friendly" guide to imagining and creating the garden of one's dreams. Raff accessibly teaches the reader how to follow intuition rather than be captive to overused and stale rules. Individual chapters cover creative raising of roses, grasses, plants for shady sites, and a great more. Vibrant color photographs add a visual appeal to the extensive text. The Intuitive Gardener is a welcome and invaluable addition to any personal reading list or professional gardening reference collection.