What do you think?
Rate this book
Gardening in a Small Space
In this beautifully illustrated book you will find:
How to see and create new possibilities in small areas
What style of garden would suit your taste and space
Inspiring small gardens to give you fresh ideas
How to plant for year-round effect
With more than 500 color photographs and illustrations this invaluable guide will help you create an enchanting haven in the smallest space.
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1999
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
April 12, 2016
Gardening in a Small Space is aimed at a very specific readership; those who love gardening but only have a pocket-sized garden. It is an oversize paperback; a very attractive photograph-heavy book, containing over 550 photographs and illustrations. To get the most out of this book, the reader needs to be conversant with gardening, or at the very least not to be a total beginner. It deals with different types of small garden, and tries to include one to suit every taste. There are chapters on cottage gardens, kitchen gardens and small city gardens, plus those with a specialist focus such as a plant lover's garden, a green garden, or a gravel garden; or an enclosed court, a concealed garden - or even a garden of pots. There are many more, all showing photographs of specific examples, with readable text and an additional descriptive explanation underneath each photograph.
There are chapters concentrating on all types of different plants; trees, shrubs and bulbs, including many photographs. Often there are hints and comments about adjacent plants, which is very useful since the author does not shy away from including unusual varieties, and recommending when and where they would be suitable. The author has taken pains to search out the best examples of compact gardens which make excellent use of limited space. These gardens which feature are quite beautiful award-winning gardens, generally showing evidence of dense planting. They come across as restful spaces, very much on informal lines.
There is a final useful section on planting for a small garden; suggesting different varieties of plants and even which trees are most suitable. The interest of the author clearly lies with the plants themselves; the horticultural aspects of creating a beautiful English garden. Different levels and paths, steps, patios and paved areas, suggestion of water features, seats, containers and so on are all included, but there is nothing about how to actually construct these. The photography of trees, shrubs and plants is excellent. In this way it serves as both a coffee-table book to dip into, and a working manual.
"This book aims to show the reader how even a small space can be made into a garden of refuge and charm ... this invaluable guide will help you create an enchanting haven in the smallest space."
It achieves its aim, providing the reader has a similar level of interest in the subject, but is definitely not a book for a "quick fix" makeover. If however you are a gardening enthusiast, you will find this book a delight. It is a plantman's dream book, providing dozens of fresh ideas and inspiration.
There are chapters concentrating on all types of different plants; trees, shrubs and bulbs, including many photographs. Often there are hints and comments about adjacent plants, which is very useful since the author does not shy away from including unusual varieties, and recommending when and where they would be suitable. The author has taken pains to search out the best examples of compact gardens which make excellent use of limited space. These gardens which feature are quite beautiful award-winning gardens, generally showing evidence of dense planting. They come across as restful spaces, very much on informal lines.
There is a final useful section on planting for a small garden; suggesting different varieties of plants and even which trees are most suitable. The interest of the author clearly lies with the plants themselves; the horticultural aspects of creating a beautiful English garden. Different levels and paths, steps, patios and paved areas, suggestion of water features, seats, containers and so on are all included, but there is nothing about how to actually construct these. The photography of trees, shrubs and plants is excellent. In this way it serves as both a coffee-table book to dip into, and a working manual.
"This book aims to show the reader how even a small space can be made into a garden of refuge and charm ... this invaluable guide will help you create an enchanting haven in the smallest space."
It achieves its aim, providing the reader has a similar level of interest in the subject, but is definitely not a book for a "quick fix" makeover. If however you are a gardening enthusiast, you will find this book a delight. It is a plantman's dream book, providing dozens of fresh ideas and inspiration.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review