How to Design a Garden: Create and Maintain Your Dream Garden

by Pollyanna Wilkinson

Design the garden of your dreams with the expertise of award-winning garden designer Pollyanna Wilkinson.

How to Design A Garden shows you how to untap your garden’s potential and customize the design to suit you and your whether that be an extension of your living space for parties and al fresco dining or a calming oasis to relax in.

Equipped with all you need to know about light, focal points, hardscaping, and planting, you’ll have the skills to create a mood board, design layout, choose paving, furniture, and plant combinations. Polly expertly guides you to understand how the elements in your garden will work together as one – and she is not shy to share her opinions on certain design dos and don'ts!

Once you’ve designed your garden, month-by-month growing guides help you to nurture it, so you can enjoy your dream space for years to come.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2025

Reviews

[Frederike · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Design a Garden does set you thinking, but the book could have done with a greater variety in pictures accompanying the text which was a lot of common sense penned down

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This landscape and gardening architect book is a real find for both beginner and seasoned gardeners. It's packed with practical tips that are super easy to follow. The author really nailed it by breaking down complicated ideas into simple, actionable advice.
One of the best things about this book is how approachable it is. The writing is clear and to the point, making it a pleasure to read. Even if you already know a bit about gardening, you'll love how the book organizes everything in a way that's easy to understand. Some of the stuff I kind of knew before, but seeing it all laid out neatly was a game-changer.
I've always struggled with figuring out the right balance of greenery and hard surfaces in my garden. This book gave me a number of practical ideas that made a big difference. The explanations and tips were exactly what I needed to move forward with confidence.
Overall, reading this book was an absolute joy. Whether you want to create a peaceful garden retreat or just add some green to your space, this book is a must-have. It sparks creativity and gives you the tools to make your garden dreams come true. Highly recommended for anyone who loves landscape and gardening.

[Jonathon Reeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. As an experienced gardener it gave me new ideas for my garden that needs refreshing. It is also a very readable and easy to follow guide for anyone starting out on their gardening journey. Something to refer to again whenever you are thinking of changing, starting or just maintaining your garden. The section on “what is your garden for?” Is particularly helpful as it reminds you that a garden will probably need to change with time.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This looked like a good book but I can't imagine why I picked it up now. My headspace is doing back to school, not gardening. I got about halfway through and will pick it up again when I am ready to think about gardening.

[R.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously presented, accessibly (and humorously) written, and dead useful. This was a library borrow for me and I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself!

[growingwithbeccalynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great design read!

I bought this on kindle first but immediately got a hard copy to make notes in it. Pollyanna truly simplified designing for me!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book was okay. I didn't particularly enjoy the stress on certain design elements; they seemed to be portrayed as rules as opposed to personal preferences. I also think that this book would have benefitted from more garden styles being shown. However, I think that if you're right about to start gardening, this would be a really helpful resource. It just wasn't for me.