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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great little compendium of approaches to small space, March 15, 2003
This review is from: Gardening in Small Spaces (Fine Gardening Design Guides) (Paperback)
The terrific thing about this book is that in less than 150 pages it exposes readers to no less than 18 different approaches to creating a garden in small space. The editors never set forth a precise metric of "small space", but these seem to range from the smaller suburban lots to the truly postage stamp sizes many of us grapple with. Since this is a Taunton publication, there are large color photos and lots of them. There are also plenty of drawings to help readers make sense of elements in various gardens. Most of the gardeners work in temperate zones and so there is some limit to the planting ideas for a zone 5 plugger like me. Even so, the design ideas and, especially, the hardscaping open up interesting possibilities, albeit ones to explore with different materials. The sections on design strategies and creating privacy provide a great framework before looking at the "compelling garden spaces" being made on tiny, unpromising lots. Here's a book of information as well as inspiration. I recommend it highly.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Ideas, March 5, 2005
This review is from: Gardening in Small Spaces (Fine Gardening Design Guides) (Paperback)
This book is a collaborative effort which allows room for different tastes. Lots of help and ideas to create an intimate courtyard garden. There are plenty of photos to get your imagination going.
I like that most of the gardens can be adapted to my sub-tropic zone, nothing is cut in stone, except the pathways.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing, April 18, 2006
This review is from: Gardening in Small Spaces (Fine Gardening Design Guides) (Paperback)
This book was long on promises...short on delivery!
I was very dissapointed...I have many Taunton books...similar in nature & was very impressed by some of their other gardening books.
What bothered me most about this book was 'most'..not all...but most of the designers seemed wrapped up in their own fascination with their own victories accomplished in their own yards.
It would seem to me that it would be obvious if a designer is approached to write a contribution for this kind of book...in this particular format...that it would be absolutely essential to convey principles, ideas & workable solutions that anybody could utilize in their 'small space'.
I expected the chosen designers to be much more attuned to the reader rather than coming across so enthralled with the great jobs they'd done in their own yards...& the plants they used etc. There was far too much information involving useless details...such as..."we built the fence ourselvles" type thing.
Much more constructive information was sorely missing from this book. As the reader I quickly tired of reading the same comment over & over from each contributor..."divide your small space up into various rooms". There was such an opportunity here for each of these obviously talented designers to really display their wares...
The same advice about dividing small garden spaces into rooms...was repeated often...with little additonal detail of color, style or scale.
As a designer myself...I found this book to be much more bones...than meat. Don't recommend it!
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