The Well-Planned Garden: A Practical Guide to Planning and Planting

This is my absolute favorite gardening book. The layouts are stunning, and in fact, I did so well with my project that people thought I hired a landscape architect. I did spend a lot of time researching my replacment plants (I wanted all non toxic for my toddler) and I resized the plot to a longer and more narrow strip. I had the challenge of making this shady spot on the north side give me color all season long. I went to the plant wholesaler, spent about 150 dollars and as I said, made a beautiful and impressive traditional looking flower bed with plants which bloomed all spring, summer and fall. The only problem I had was deer and skunk enjoying my non toxic buffet of goodies, but otherwise I and my friends were impressed. What I liked most about the book was the layout and plant guides. The layouts were very specific sizewise and showed the amount of plants you would need (I actually got away with less and they filled in). The colors and heights were laid out to show a nice proportionally balanced pallette. I think the proportion and color blending is what I liked most. Also, the texture of the plants, as well as the needs of the gardener were taken into consideration. If there were any complaint, it would be that in her diagrams I wish she could somehow always notate the height of the plant. The width is graphically shown, but you would have to look up the max height. Great book.

I found this book to be fairly comprehensive, but a bit wordy. A lot of words but not very decisive, i.e., many options are descirbed but no real directives on what qualifies as a good plan. The gardens in the photos are beautiful, but just not realistic for the suburban do-it-your-selfer.

This book discusses garden layout, giving tips on using existing features and adding new ones. It shows styles of brick walls, rates various wall materials (stone, brick, concrete, etc.) in terms of cost, ease of construction, and durability, and also rates fencing materials in the same terms. It discusses hedges, borders, and screening, shows paving options, and devotes a section to a vital (but often neglected) aspect of gardening -- the lawn. You can learn to highlight changes of level or add a fountain. There are tips for maintenance and larger projects throughout the four seasons, as well as pertinent growing information on featured plants. I especially like this part because it gives good tips on "planting partners" for each plant discussed. This book gives a great overview of the myriad of considerations when planning a garden, yet gives enough detail to make great decisions about the garden features and plants.