Stone in the Garden: Inspiring Designs and Practical Projects (Hardcover)

by Gordon Hayward (Author) "STONE WALLS ARE BUILT IN TWO BASIC FORMS: FREESTANDING and retaining..." (more)
Key Phrases: granite fenceposts, existing bedrock, finely crushed gravel, Dan Snow, New York, New Hampshire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Horticulture magazine contributor and author of several landscaping books (e.g., Garden Paths: Inspiring Designs and Practical Projects), Hayward offers a detailed look at the many ways stone can be used in a garden. The book's first half focuses on the philosophical and design considerations of stone forms as varied as walls, paths, terraces, and even benches. The second half is more practical, covering topics such as estimating the amount of stone needed for a wall, the methods of cutting and laying stone, and building pools and fountains. Novice gardeners will appreciate the many color photographs, the helpful sidebars (such as how to tell a good wall from a bad wall), and the appendix of supply sources. When the topic is walls, Hayward demonstrates a preference for the dry-laid technique, so gardeners who want to tackle working with concrete will need to turn to Mike Lawrence's Step-by-Step Outdoor Stonework: Over Twenty Easy-To-Build Projects for Your Patio and Garden (Storey, 1995) instead. Recommended for public libraries. John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In life, getting caught between a rock and a hard place is not an enviable position. In a garden, especially Hayward's, it's the best place to be. Hayward's enthusiasm for using stone in the garden is infectious, and he speaks of its merits and values in terms that are at once poetic and refreshingly forthright. Presenting more than 200 color photographs and detailed illustrations to entertain and educate, Hayward urges readers to consider stone for both its decorative and practical applications. Beginning chapters discuss the various ways stone enhances garden design; later ones give precise instructions for the do-it-yourself crowd, and Hayward even shares his sources for the best stone suppliers. A nationally acclaimed lecturer and garden designer, Hayward gives honest opinions on such critical matters as the proper way to install stone walls, or how to tell a good wall from a bad one. Whether it's benches or boulders, walls or walkways, stone is hard, but Hayward makes it look easy. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393047792
• ISBN-13: 978-0393047790
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #119,419 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for stone projects, November 28, 2002

By	Matthew Spady "800rsd" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Of the half-dozen books I bought to help me with a stone project (old fallen-down stone walls recycled into a new retaining wall) this is the one I look at over and over. The first part of the book, under the heading Inspiring Uses for Stone, is exactly that: a group of beautiful pictures that can set your imagination running. The second part, Working with Stone in the Garden, brings you back to earth with the how-to of stonework. (The second half also includes a nice selection of full-color photos to keep your inspiration going.)

Like John Vivian's Building Stone Walls and Kevin Gardner's The Granite Kiss, Hayward's Stone in the Garden has clear and concise instructions. And, like David Reed's Stonescaping, he includes extras like stone under foot, pools and fountains, and stone sculpture. In addition, he includes some interesting (and helpful) extras such as plant selection for stone-walls or near stone pools and descriptions with photographs of the many kinds of stone availble in the US. (This is something that did not appear in any of the other stone how-to books I bought.)

As with Reed's Stonescaping, Stone in the Garden is just too pretty to take to the garden when you're working on your project. No matter how careful you are, when you're in the midst of digging or lifting stone, it's too easy to smear mud on your instructions. The easy solution is to photocopy the necessary pages to take to the project site for reference.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No stone unturned....., October 3, 2001

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

My parents used stone in a variety of ways in their gardens. My father laid out walkways and patios using blue flagstone and built an outdoor grill (chimney and all) of field stones he collected on his travels through the mountains where we lived. He lined the ravine behind our house where the grill was situated with stones, including a series of stone steps down into the ravine. The banks of the ravine became a rock garden loaded with all sorts of bulbs, ground covers, ferns and low shubs, and small trees overhung with larger trees above.

I had not thought about my father's handiwork in many years, not until I bought STONE IN THE GARDEN by Gordon Hayward. Hayward's book is absolutely lovely, and even if you never build a thing using stone you will enjoy all the wonderful photographs he has included in his book showing stonework he found in the gardens of folks like Frederick McGourty, Tasha Tudor, and a host of other garden writers and enthusiasts. He has captured shots of gardens from Japan to England, France to Canada, and New England to the American Southwest.

Stones frequently form the basis of the "bones" of the garden -- structures that every good gardener incorporates. While fences and arbors and other structures can be made of wood, stone also fills a niche and is frequently a more appealing, practical, and long-lasting material. Hayward's book includes numerous ideas for using stone. Chapters cover garden walls and retaining walls, walkways, ponds, streams, outdoor areas with stone benches designed for contemplation, rock gardens, rock sculpture, and many other features.

A third of Hayward's book covers a series of step-by-step procedures for constructing walkways, walls, ponds and pools, and other useful structures. One of my favorite constucts is the stile which consists of a stone composition built into a wall that allows one to walk over the wall and thus eliminate the need for a gate. Most gardeners are sure to pick up a few good ideas they will want to try.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So many fantastic ideas and photos!, July 31, 2002

By	"billandcori" (Westford, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Twice now, I have gone to the bookstore to find a book on a specific topic. Both times I found a book by Hayward to be the book I had been looking for. This time I was looking for using Stone features in my landscaping. Since I had such a great use for his book on paths I picked up his book right away. I could not put it down and was up all night browsing the book from cover to cover. The photos are very useful and inspiring. His descriptions of how-tos, dos and don'ts were especially helpful. I have to give this author a lot of credit for helping us to improve our landscaping to look professional. I had a contractor ask me if I would lay stone for his wife's pond a few days ago - thank you Mr. Hayward!