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The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty from Brandywine Cottage
Brandywine Cottage is David Culp's beloved two-acre Pennsylvania garden where he mastered the design technique of layering and interplanting many different species in the same area so that as one plant passes its peak, another takes over. The result is a nonstop parade of color that begins with a tapestry of heirloom daffodils and hellebores in spring and ends with a jewel-like blend of Asian wildflowers at the onset of winter.
The Layered Garden shows you how to recreate Culp's majestic display. It starts with a basic lesson in layering; how to choose the correct plants by understanding how they grow and change throughout the seasons, how to design a layered garden, and how to maintain it. To illustrate how layering works, Culp takes you on a personal tour through each part of his celebrated garden: the woodland garden, the perennial border, the kitchen garden, the shrubbery, and the walled garden. The book culminates with a chapter dedicated to signature plants for all four seasons.
As practical as it is inspiring, The Layered Garden will provide you with expert information gleaned from decades of hard work and close observation. If you thought that a four-season garden was beyond your reach, this book will show you how to achieve that elusive, tantalizing goal.
The Layered Garden shows you how to recreate Culp's majestic display. It starts with a basic lesson in layering; how to choose the correct plants by understanding how they grow and change throughout the seasons, how to design a layered garden, and how to maintain it. To illustrate how layering works, Culp takes you on a personal tour through each part of his celebrated garden: the woodland garden, the perennial border, the kitchen garden, the shrubbery, and the walled garden. The book culminates with a chapter dedicated to signature plants for all four seasons.
As practical as it is inspiring, The Layered Garden will provide you with expert information gleaned from decades of hard work and close observation. If you thought that a four-season garden was beyond your reach, this book will show you how to achieve that elusive, tantalizing goal.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2012
244 people are currently reading
639 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
July 9, 2013
Um, I... I don't know how to say this, but Culp's garden is almost too unstructured for me. Those of you who have walked through my garden, stop laughing already.
The photos are stellar, and seeing how his borders change from month to month is a real high point of the book. I only wish he'd set a mark to photograph from, so that the perspective was exactly the same in each shot. Which is persnickety, but still what I would prefer.
His plant selection is brilliant and eclectic and I was feverishly taking notes the whole time I was reading. His writing style is a touch breathless, but his essential love and reverence for his subject matter shines through.
Highly recommended for those of us who try to keep a garden and find ourselves kept by same.
The photos are stellar, and seeing how his borders change from month to month is a real high point of the book. I only wish he'd set a mark to photograph from, so that the perspective was exactly the same in each shot. Which is persnickety, but still what I would prefer.
His plant selection is brilliant and eclectic and I was feverishly taking notes the whole time I was reading. His writing style is a touch breathless, but his essential love and reverence for his subject matter shines through.
Highly recommended for those of us who try to keep a garden and find ourselves kept by same.
July 5, 2021
I honestly don't get all the 4 and 5 star reviews. Maybe it's because I purchased the kindle edition rather than the book, but this has to be the most difficult gardening book to read. Here are some of my issues:
1) Over 90% of the time, the author uses the latin names rather than the everyday common name. Really? When was the last time you went to a garden center and asked for a leucanthemum maximum? Or did you perhaps say - "Do you happen to have any shasta daisies?" Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the latin name, but please add the common name. Don't make the reader have to look it up.
2) Simply put, this is a gardening diary not a book on "year-round lessons" on design. It's all about the author's journey. There is very little guidance for the reader. I was hoping for tips on how to structure a garden, lessons learned, popular flowers that work, flowers to avoid at all costs, etc.
3) The author likes to name drop. Of course, Gertrude Jekyll is his favorite. In fact, anyone who has ever planted a shasta daisy (excuse me, leucanthemum maximum) knows about Gertrude Jekyll.
4) Finally, the kindle edition is not worth buying. The pictures are fuzzy.
I know I am being overly critical, but I am disappointed in the book and angry that I missed the cut-off for a return.
I recommend a pass on this one. Spare your coin. There are several really good bloggers out there who can teach you a lot about gardening and design. There are also a few quality magazines - my personal favorites are "Garden Gate" and "Fine Gardening". I find their articles very helpful, flowers and gardens are beautifully illustrated, and they are filled with helpful advice, and tips.
Ok, rant over...
1) Over 90% of the time, the author uses the latin names rather than the everyday common name. Really? When was the last time you went to a garden center and asked for a leucanthemum maximum? Or did you perhaps say - "Do you happen to have any shasta daisies?" Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the latin name, but please add the common name. Don't make the reader have to look it up.
2) Simply put, this is a gardening diary not a book on "year-round lessons" on design. It's all about the author's journey. There is very little guidance for the reader. I was hoping for tips on how to structure a garden, lessons learned, popular flowers that work, flowers to avoid at all costs, etc.
3) The author likes to name drop. Of course, Gertrude Jekyll is his favorite. In fact, anyone who has ever planted a shasta daisy (excuse me, leucanthemum maximum) knows about Gertrude Jekyll.
4) Finally, the kindle edition is not worth buying. The pictures are fuzzy.
I know I am being overly critical, but I am disappointed in the book and angry that I missed the cut-off for a return.
I recommend a pass on this one. Spare your coin. There are several really good bloggers out there who can teach you a lot about gardening and design. There are also a few quality magazines - my personal favorites are "Garden Gate" and "Fine Gardening". I find their articles very helpful, flowers and gardens are beautifully illustrated, and they are filled with helpful advice, and tips.
Ok, rant over...
February 23, 2018
Gorgeous garden! Gorgeous photographs. The text was a little chatty for my taste in a gardening book where I am looking for information. Despite the sub-title that says "design lessons", this reads more like a memoir than a gardening book. It was easy to read but I learned very little to help me in the garden. Information where given is very generalized with no specifics to indicate if these plants could survive in other locales. While there is no doubt that Culp knows about landscape design and gardening, his gardening style is seriously overwhelming. Where does this man find the time to create and maintain that garden? And where does he get all the money to buy all the unique plants that he does? I really felt like Culp was bragging about everything. While there is some good stuff in this book, I found the whole overwhelming and would recommend many books over this one.
December 27, 2013
A long-time writer and lecturer about gardening, David Culp, along with his partner, Michael Alderfer, has spent some twenty years creating their two-acre garden at Brandywine College in Downington, Pennsylvania. In this book, Culp shares the lessons he has learned from that experience.
The Brandywine garden is a layered garden, which simply means that it is a garden with plantings that are planned in order to provide a succession of eye-catching combinations (layers) of interest and beauty from earliest spring right into winter. It is a true four-season garden.
The way that Culp and his partner achieved a four-season garden in Pennsylvania is not necessarily the way that I would achieve it in Southeast Texas. The plants will be different with very little overlap because our climates and our soils are different, but the principles embraced by Culp and recommended by him have application regardless of the area in which one gardens.
The design technique of layering involves the interplanting of many different species in the same area so that as one plant passes its peak, another takes over, with the result that one can have a nonstop parade of color throughout the year. It is a technique of succession planting so that an area is never lacking in color and interest.
The basis of this method is, of course, knowing how to choose the correct plants for your area by understanding how they grow and change throughout the seasons. Then, one must have some idea of how to design a layered garden and know how and be willing to maintain it.
To illustrate these basics, Culp takes the reader on a personal tour through the several parts of his celebrated garden. We get to see the woodland garden, the perennial border, the kitchen garden, the shrubbery, and the walled garden and witness how they change throughout the year.
The final chapter of the book explores the signature plants used in the garden for all four seasons. Many of these signature plants will not be appropriate for other hotter or drier areas of the country. Peonies and hellebores, for example, will not find a home in my garden. Still, there are some plants that we have in common, like roses, members of the lilium family, asters, etc., and the practical advice and ideas behind the plantings are applicable anywhere. Applying them should make it possible to have a four-season garden in any climate.
Finally, I was glad to see a listing at the end of the book of some of Culp's own favorite garden books. They are works by many of his gardening heroes and heroines who are mentioned throughout the book. They represent a veritable encyclopedic range of knowledge about the art and science of gardening, and the list includes several books that I would very much like to add to my own bookshelves.
The Brandywine garden is a layered garden, which simply means that it is a garden with plantings that are planned in order to provide a succession of eye-catching combinations (layers) of interest and beauty from earliest spring right into winter. It is a true four-season garden.
The way that Culp and his partner achieved a four-season garden in Pennsylvania is not necessarily the way that I would achieve it in Southeast Texas. The plants will be different with very little overlap because our climates and our soils are different, but the principles embraced by Culp and recommended by him have application regardless of the area in which one gardens.
The design technique of layering involves the interplanting of many different species in the same area so that as one plant passes its peak, another takes over, with the result that one can have a nonstop parade of color throughout the year. It is a technique of succession planting so that an area is never lacking in color and interest.
The basis of this method is, of course, knowing how to choose the correct plants for your area by understanding how they grow and change throughout the seasons. Then, one must have some idea of how to design a layered garden and know how and be willing to maintain it.
To illustrate these basics, Culp takes the reader on a personal tour through the several parts of his celebrated garden. We get to see the woodland garden, the perennial border, the kitchen garden, the shrubbery, and the walled garden and witness how they change throughout the year.
The final chapter of the book explores the signature plants used in the garden for all four seasons. Many of these signature plants will not be appropriate for other hotter or drier areas of the country. Peonies and hellebores, for example, will not find a home in my garden. Still, there are some plants that we have in common, like roses, members of the lilium family, asters, etc., and the practical advice and ideas behind the plantings are applicable anywhere. Applying them should make it possible to have a four-season garden in any climate.
Finally, I was glad to see a listing at the end of the book of some of Culp's own favorite garden books. They are works by many of his gardening heroes and heroines who are mentioned throughout the book. They represent a veritable encyclopedic range of knowledge about the art and science of gardening, and the list includes several books that I would very much like to add to my own bookshelves.
October 5, 2020
A generous three stars.
Reviews and the jacket copy for this book promise a text that is as practical as it is inspiring, teaching readers how to design and maintain a layered garden, a technique that refers in this case not only to underplanting, but also to ensuring a four-season display. I found, however, that the book was very scant on details as to where to start, how to choose plants that would give variety in terms of shape, structure and texture and how to hide the fade of one with the bloom of another.
The photos also left me wanting. In one section there are about a dozen images of snowdrops, all looking remarkably similar, all at close range. We don't see much of how they're actually used in the garden. A better mix of images would have been more helpful. At one point, Culp writes about his rose garden, noting that he has placed several white poles around the garden, not only as a visual cue, but as support for roses, clematis and other climbers. However, the photos do not seem to show this; it's hard for me to visualize roses climbing a single pole, and I guess I'll just have to imagine it on my own.
David spends quite a lot of time talking about the site as it began, and their work to dig out and weed out, as well as work in and rehabilitate. He speaks often about placing plants so they will look as though they have self-seeded, without ever explaining the elements that go into pulling off that trick. I would have loved even one section about: I started with plant X as an anchor, next planted Y as a complement and then planted Z to add a layer and seasonal interest, with an accompanying photo showing these plants and their placement.
Ultimately, what I took away from this book is that I should give hellebores a try, work in some dogwood and create beds that are deep, with most of the tall plants at the back, but a few mixed in in front and in the middle, so long as they're lacy rather than solid. I should also consider leaving space for annuals, and be willing to dig out what's gone off to replace it with something new. (This seems an expensive way to garden, to be honest.)
I wish I had read this with a lighter heart, more willing to just read about the making of Brandywine, but I felt disappointed that so little was shared about the design principles that helped make this garden, and utterly let down by the copywriter's promise of practicality.
Reviews and the jacket copy for this book promise a text that is as practical as it is inspiring, teaching readers how to design and maintain a layered garden, a technique that refers in this case not only to underplanting, but also to ensuring a four-season display. I found, however, that the book was very scant on details as to where to start, how to choose plants that would give variety in terms of shape, structure and texture and how to hide the fade of one with the bloom of another.
The photos also left me wanting. In one section there are about a dozen images of snowdrops, all looking remarkably similar, all at close range. We don't see much of how they're actually used in the garden. A better mix of images would have been more helpful. At one point, Culp writes about his rose garden, noting that he has placed several white poles around the garden, not only as a visual cue, but as support for roses, clematis and other climbers. However, the photos do not seem to show this; it's hard for me to visualize roses climbing a single pole, and I guess I'll just have to imagine it on my own.
David spends quite a lot of time talking about the site as it began, and their work to dig out and weed out, as well as work in and rehabilitate. He speaks often about placing plants so they will look as though they have self-seeded, without ever explaining the elements that go into pulling off that trick. I would have loved even one section about: I started with plant X as an anchor, next planted Y as a complement and then planted Z to add a layer and seasonal interest, with an accompanying photo showing these plants and their placement.
Ultimately, what I took away from this book is that I should give hellebores a try, work in some dogwood and create beds that are deep, with most of the tall plants at the back, but a few mixed in in front and in the middle, so long as they're lacy rather than solid. I should also consider leaving space for annuals, and be willing to dig out what's gone off to replace it with something new. (This seems an expensive way to garden, to be honest.)
I wish I had read this with a lighter heart, more willing to just read about the making of Brandywine, but I felt disappointed that so little was shared about the design principles that helped make this garden, and utterly let down by the copywriter's promise of practicality.
May 17, 2017
This book has powerfully influenced the way I will garden from now on. It is a classic in my mind. If you are a medium to advanced gardener...read it! There are some drool worthy photos from their fabulous garden with detailed chapters on the planting choices they made. I borrowed my copy from the library but will buy it as a reference. On my top ten gardening books list now.
January 25, 2020
I read this as part of the King County Library System 10 to Try 2020 Challenge: Read a Book That Teaches You a New Skill.
November 25, 2012
Since I don't read much nonfiction, I'm picky about those I do read. This is one of the best gardening books I've seen--and yes, I did read it, too! The author writes in a conversational style and his opinions about how his own garden should be are refreshing, since he often veers from conventional wisdom. Although I seldom buy books, this might be one I'd like to own.
June 12, 2017
Gardeners muse
I bought this book a while ago but it was not until I was stuck on the couch suffering from a summer cold that I cracked it open. I couldn't put it down. The tone of voice was pitch perfect. Plenty of Latin nomenclature to stretch my knowledge but also fluffy commentary to make you feel like you're walking the path with the writer. Well done.
I bought this book a while ago but it was not until I was stuck on the couch suffering from a summer cold that I cracked it open. I couldn't put it down. The tone of voice was pitch perfect. Plenty of Latin nomenclature to stretch my knowledge but also fluffy commentary to make you feel like you're walking the path with the writer. Well done.
May 10, 2020
Zone 6 Bible
Passionate and curious, this is the best gardening book for zone 6 I've had. David Culp is a master of the four seasons decorative garden.
Passionate and curious, this is the best gardening book for zone 6 I've had. David Culp is a master of the four seasons decorative garden.
September 30, 2021
This book was beautiful and inspiring.
September 4, 2021
This is such a really wonderful gardening book! It is a wealth of information about plants, how to make them thrive, how to combine them, but also how to take a bare landscape and transform it to your dream garden. The photographs by Rob Cardillo are breathtaking, too. I read every single word of this book and I would buy it for myself except that it is geared toward Eastern U.S. gardening with that climate and rain patterns. Being in the Western U.S. I need to focus more on drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant plants and not get lured into designing with things that will most likely suffer from thirst and die here. But, regardless, it was an absolutely enchanting book with many applicable concepts and ideas no matter where you garden. David Culp's lifelong passion for gardening matches mine, but even more so and it is an inspiration.
April 2, 2021
My current favorite garden book! It might be because I too am in zone 6 or because I am currently working on my own woodland garden, but I just love everything about this book. Another review called this a garden memoir (not exactly as a compliment), but that's one of the things I love about it. The author's intimate approach and love of his garden really drew me in and kept me reading.
This is not a step-by-step how-to manual, though a lot of practical advice is given. This is about a philosophy of planting so that there's year-round interest. It's about listening to your garden. It's about paying homage to a living art form. Plus the pictures are simply stunning!
I originally borrowed this book from my library, but loved it so much I bought my own copy!
This is not a step-by-step how-to manual, though a lot of practical advice is given. This is about a philosophy of planting so that there's year-round interest. It's about listening to your garden. It's about paying homage to a living art form. Plus the pictures are simply stunning!
I originally borrowed this book from my library, but loved it so much I bought my own copy!
April 5, 2021
As a novice gardener, it’s not easy for a gardening book (or website, for that matter) to keep my attention for a long time. David J. Culp’s planting style is surprising, eclectic and interesting, the photographs in this book are impeccable, and the writing is engaging as it intermingles thoughts on life as they reflect thoughts on gardening. I appreciated all of the times in which a plant being native was pointed out, as this is a focus of mine as I develop my garden.
Culp’s wild yet architectural, collected yet cohesive gardens are impeccable works of art that inspire me to pick up a spade rather than a paintbrush.
Culp’s wild yet architectural, collected yet cohesive gardens are impeccable works of art that inspire me to pick up a spade rather than a paintbrush.
February 2, 2022
It's always interesting to read about a home garden that has been worked on for a long period of time. In this case 25 years in Pennsylvania. The work, vision, sweat, evolution. Appreciate the author and his partner have used very little chemical. The symphony created with a layered garden - focus & interest changing seasonally throughout the garden and within individual beds. Would be fun to visit sometime after reading the background.
February 17, 2022
If nothing else - the photographs.
Beautifully photographed, easy to read and enjoy book on layered gardening. Explains how this beautiful garden is laid out, tips on how to do it, and discusses species used. I loved the focus on four weather gardening. Took lots of notes on plant pairings.
Totally want to see this place in real life, it is open for tours!
Beautifully photographed, easy to read and enjoy book on layered gardening. Explains how this beautiful garden is laid out, tips on how to do it, and discusses species used. I loved the focus on four weather gardening. Took lots of notes on plant pairings.
Totally want to see this place in real life, it is open for tours!
May 17, 2023
This is a great second book for those that enjoyed "A Year at Brandywine Cottage: Six Seasons of Beauty, Bounty, and Blooms". I'm absolutely enthralled with this deeper dive into the garden and right from the start the pictures are stunning. I was most looking forward to seeing the Brandywine hellebores and snowdrops, the images in this book did not disappoint.
August 17, 2023
Was helpful because this author is in the same zone as me (6). If you were in a vastly different zone it prob wouldn’t be so helpful. The gardener is incredible but specializes in very unique cultivars you may not find at the typical nursery. If you’re not a collector, you may just enjoy the pictures but not learn a ton.
March 3, 2019
Gorgeous photos, practical information, and straightforward writing. Lots of aspirational ideas and concepts. Love that plants are selected for beauty and drought tolerance but doesn't look like xeriscaping. Excellent for new gardeners looking to up their knowledge and general gardening game.
May 1, 2019
3.5 stars
It's a bit stream of consciousness at times, but Culp's personality and love of gardening give it charm. Recommended for gardeners (or aspiring ones), but more as inspiration not as a practical guide. I appreciated Culp's list of favorite book
gardening books at the back!
Note: Be prepared to be jealous of Culp's budget and acres! It does make the book hard to relate to at times....
It's a bit stream of consciousness at times, but Culp's personality and love of gardening give it charm. Recommended for gardeners (or aspiring ones), but more as inspiration not as a practical guide. I appreciated Culp's list of favorite book
gardening books at the back!
Note: Be prepared to be jealous of Culp's budget and acres! It does make the book hard to relate to at times....
June 29, 2020
This is a book about gardens that can be read over and over again - gaining new ideas and appreciations along the way. Many thanks to my niece who piqued my interest with this book! I am sure it will be a classic on my shelf.
July 19, 2021
As a new gardener, this book could have been overwhelming, but I found Culp’s way of writing as so accessible that this book felt nothing but inspiring and informative. I can’t wait to keep building my garden based on what I learned!
February 4, 2023
More is more
A great addition to your garden library. Info for new and experienced gardeners and tons of photos and growing tips to spur your creativity and help build confidence with new plants.
A great addition to your garden library. Info for new and experienced gardeners and tons of photos and growing tips to spur your creativity and help build confidence with new plants.
August 8, 2023
This book is about listing plants and had very little information about designing a garden. The author just list the name of plants and gives you basic info on what they do. I was bored by the book and I wound up skimming through this ebook.
March 30, 2024
Lovely snippets of plant categories and lovely passionate writing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and perusing the beautiful photography and learning about so many varieties of flowers and plants. Nice collection and inspires me to do more gardening and add more flowers!
June 15, 2025
I liked this book a lot. I wish the author would not just use the scientific names of plants. Occasionally he would also mention the common name, but generally he would not. So I would think I know the plant, but not be sure. Lots of beautiful photos.
July 20, 2018
While it was not entirely what I was expecting, this book was a big I spirational read! More of an "ideas" book than a practical guide. Lots of wonderful pictures of individual cultivars but also of his beds during various seasons, helping to showcase the layered concept as well as informal garden design in general. Reading almost like a novel, there many romantic descriptions of the development and realization of his ideas as a gardener, but also specific recommendations of plant combinations that work design- and climate-wise. He gives a few how-to's, but the book is generally a source of color, variety, texture, timing, and placement inspiration for a beautiful year-round property based on his baby, the Brandywine Cottage.
August 29, 2017
Great book for the Delaware Valley Gardener
November 1, 2017
So much inspiration for a gardener!
January 24, 2018
Always enjoy a garden book with pics and good advice.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews