Tomorrow's Garden: Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening [Hardcover]

Stephen Orr (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 15, 2011

With a keen eye for aesthetics matched by a strong concern for the environment, garden expert
Stephen Orr has developed a sense of what a modern garden should be: small, visually pleasing, and
responsible. In Tomorrow’s Garden, he presents gardens in 14 American cities that have been scaled
back and simplified without sacrificing beauty or innovative design.

 

A devoted supporter of the organic gardening movement, Orr advises gardeners to think about their gardens as part of an interconnected whole with the surrounding environment—with an eye to water usage, local ecology, and preservation of resources. However, for those who are afraid that a sustainable garden means a lack of flora and fauna, Orr believes that a garden, first and foremost, should be a thing of beauty. He encourages flower lovers to plant flowers, and he showcases gardens filled with traditional and exotic plants that are designed with both visual appeal and the environment in mind.

 

With detailed case studies, stunning photographs, and an appendix of resources and information to
help gardeners achieve their ecological best, Tomorrow’s Garden will teach you the true definition of sustainability and show you how to create beauty without excess in the 21st century and beyond.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The perfect dream journal for winter has finally arrived. Orr gives garden owners their say and nurtures dreams, scattering how-tos and lists of plants among his more than 200 photographs.
--By Jan Gardner, February 27, 2011 Boston Globe

What makes it armchair-worthy: We might be drawn in by the images, but as we pore over the text, consider its lessons, we begin to reshape our own vision of how to plant our own gardens for tomorrow. --Barbara Mahany, Tribune Newspapers

[Orr] devoted a year away from his home bases to find gardens that not only reached a level of sustainability in plant choices, water usage and preservation of other resources, but that also looked delightful. --Debra Prinzing, Los Angeles Times

"But, wisely, [Orr] resists a didactic tone, concentrating instead on describing small plots whose modest beauties speak volumes. There are intriguing designs here for any gardener." --Dominique Browning, The New York Times

Given the forward-looking issues it addresses, the differing climates and conditions of the gardens featured, plus its sheer joie de vivre, this is a book of international stature... --Rob Cassy--Garden Illustrated

About the Author

STEPHEN ORR is the gardening editorial director for Martha Stewart Living magazine and formerly was a contributor to the New York Times and garden editor for Domino and House & Garden magazines. He lives and gardens in New York City and upstate New York. Follow Stephen on whatweretheskieslike.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (February 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605294683
• ISBN-13: 978-1605294681
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My lifelong interest in plants was born in the backyard of my childhood home in the otherwise sparse landscape of West Texas. Fortunately, my parents decided early on that our family should travel, far and often. For me, the highlights of those trips were the beautiful botanical gardens or historic estates my parents chose to visit. Those early horticultural inspirations must have influenced me greatly because after college I decided to move to New York City to become a garden editor and writer.
Today I am the Editorial Director for Gardening at Martha Stewart Living. Before that I was the Garden Editor at Domino and House & Garden magazines. I have also written extensively for The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and other publications. In addition to regularly appearing as a gardening expert on CBS's Early Show and NBC's Today Show, I also was a segment producer for the PBS television series Cultivating Life. In 2008, I edited the American version of the garden cookbook "In Season" by British author Sarah Raven for Rizzoli. I am proud to be involved with two non-profit gardening groups, Wave Hill in Bronx, NY and The Garden Conservancy.
I garden and live in New York City and the Catskills. Since I'm a self-taught gardener, I believe that everyone has a green thumb even if he or she does not quite know it yet.
My first book, "Tomorrow's Garden: Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening", was published by Rodale February 15, 2011.
Visit my blog at http://whatweretheskieslike.blogspot.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your average garden book! February 20, 2011

By GardenZest

Format:Hardcover

I've been waiting to see this book for months and I wasn't disappointed. First, it is beautiful to look at with engaging and often unusual photography (many of the urban gardens you wouldn't expect to see in a traditional garden book.) The gardens range from modern to more traditional but always with an eye out for sustainability. The author writes well and authoritatively on ideas like permeability, water usage, native plants but best of all the topic never strays far from how to make a garden beautiful. This is an excellent book for people who are looking for new ways to rejuvenate their backyards or start a new garden in a new property. Inspirational to gardeners both new and experienced. I loved the sections on street gardening and community gardens.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Mrs Magoo Gives A Review October 10, 2011

By LBC

Format:Hardcover

The photography is first rate and inspiring. An added plus is that many of the homes and gardens are in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live, so it was extra-cool to see what some folks in challenging areas (hilly, clay soil, bedrock, wind, fog, more wind) were able to accomplish.
But, the font. Oh my word. Or should I say, .. .. ..... That's right. Those little dots? That is the experience I had trying to read it. The nursery/bookstore where I bought this book had lighting so bright you could do microsurgery under it and that is exactly the type of illumination you will need before you can get past the first couple of lines. And a magnifying glass. Bring that too. I got the book home and wondered how the heck it could have shrunk during a short car ride. I can't read it and that kind of ruins it for me. I'm 53 and I can barely flail through it with reading glasses at a 200 strength.
It may be "tomorrow's garden" but if you are over 20 years of age you will need yesterday's eyes to read it.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational Gardening Book February 27, 2011

By Ocotillo3

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love this book - it is well-written and informative, and alongside the beautiful photographs it serves to inspire those just discovering their love of gardening (like myself) as well as more experienced gardeners who can appreciate the author's point of view and the timely topic of sustainability.