The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs
by C. Colston Burrell, Martin Knapp, Stacey Renee Peters, Tracy Disabato-Aust
List Price:
Our Price: $13.29
You Save: $26.66 (67%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.14 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: C. Colston Burrell, Martin Knapp, Stacey Renee Peters, Tracy Disabato-AustEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Illustrated
Published: 2003-01-02
ISBN: 0881925594
Number of pages: 460
Publisher: Timber Press
Book Reviews of The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs
Book Review: Average text -- for those who like yellow and red....
Summary: 3 Stars
Tracy DiSabato-Aust has put a lot of herself into her complex book, THE WELL-DESIGNED GARDEN. This topic (design not Tracy) certainly needs addressing. In lieu of hiring a garden designer which most new home owners cannot afford to do, new gardeners must rely on friends as well as multiple books and articles to address garden questions. Wouldn't it be nice to find a single source that covers everything-trees, shrubs, perennial identification and planting and growing specifics, as well as design issues? I doubt this book will satisfy that need. The gardening newcomer or even somewhat seasoned gardeners will probably find this book overwhelming in its detail while remaining unhelpful in addressing specific needs.
As the title suggests, DiSabato includes several garden design layouts, but these few designs are limited to a townhouse garden, a few 'house' patio/garden designs and the design for what appears to be large "estate", which makes her book little more than a sample portfolio of her own jobs which she probably had prepared for potential customers, and which she decided to transform into a `book'. This is not a well researched document that investigates assembles, and analyzes what a variety of garden designers have been or are doing. Rather than a menu of suggestions about designing, this book begs the question, What does she mean by"well-designed"? Does it mean done by Tracy? For example, if you seek information about building a small or an "intimate" garden, or dividing a larger area into many smaller gardens, you would do better to use Colston Burrell's INTIMATE GARDENS which includes a summary of examples pertaining to small garden areas (and is a good deal less expensive).
Preferring a minimalist approach where each and every plant is allowed to develop somewhat naturally into stunning combinations as well as preferring a palette formed along a blue-purple continuum (picture a relatively large area of Arabis punctuated with blue Scilla in the spring garden) I find DiSabato's penchant for overly busy concoctions-jumbles of hot-colored items each vying for attention- leaves me feeling unwell. DiSabato also appears to be a Funkia-fanatic (wedded to the Hosta Lily) and fond of other common plant forms with red, orange, mustard yellow and gold blooms. Her compositions are "enhanced" with twee garden ornaments-some of which would show well if they were not in competition with their various settings. Her best shots can be found in the section of the book where she discusses color and most of these are examples from other people's gardens.
This book is not worth the money you will pay to own it....
More The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs reviews:
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
Summary of The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs
The Well-Designed Mixed Garden is a design book with a difference. Written for gardeners who are passionate about plants of all kinds (hence the "mixed garden" of the title), it reflects decades of professional experience and artistic innovation. As with her bestselling book The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, master designer and plantswoman Tracy DiSabato-Aust provides not only inspiration but also scrupulously organized information on design and connoisseur plants ? all from original research dating back to her degree work in horticulture.Her new offering is a master class of design fundamentals, with an emphasis on often-neglected topics, such as site evaluation, color theory, and planning for maintenance. It is also a gallery of detailed design plans that show how ideas are put onto paper and then translated into three dimensions. Lessons learned in its first two parts are strengthened in an "Encyclopedia of Plant Combinations"; each entry notes the design considerations at play and provides tips on how to keep the combination looking its best. And the lifetime care needs and unique design characteristics of featured plants are summarized in the useful charts and lists that conclude the book. The result is a nearly foolproof guide to every aspect of designing superior gardens with superior plants. With more than 250 color photos and illustrations, this book is as much a feast for the eyes as it will be a trusted reference for the library shelf.
Tracy DiSabato-Aust's Well-Designed Mixed Garden provides sound direction for plant lovers looking to free their garden from the doldrums and fashion a rich tapestry of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vines, grasses, and bulbs. Encyclopedic in scope yet unfailingly attentive to essential details, The Well-Designed Mixed Garden effectively summarizes an array of basic garden design considerations and fundamentals. There are particularly useful chapters on color theory and on drawing up a plan, with precise instructions on what size plants to purchase and how to space them. As with her highly regarded Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques, DiSabato-Aust delves eagerly into plant maintenance, a topic too many garden writers overlook. Though many examples are from the author's own garden or other American Midwest locations, they're largely applicable to other plant hardiness zones. Of particular appeal are a nicely photographed section on attractive plant combinations and a series of handy appendixes for plant selection. Beginners may be overwhelmed by this book's wealth of information, but its comprehensiveness renders it all the more valuable for seasoned gardeners seeking greater practical know-how and a surer grasp of the art of gardening. --Jennifer Wyatt
Gardening & Horticulture Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Gardening & Horticulture Books
The City Gardenerby Matt James
Harper UK; Published: 2003-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $157.70
Pocket Gardening: A Guide to Gardening in Impossible Placesby Marjorie Harris
Harpercollins Canada; Published: 1998-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $42.71
Cactus: A Prickly Portrait of a Desert Eccentricby Linda Hinrichs, Nikolay Zurek, Marjorie Leet Ford
Collins Pub San Francisco; Published: 1995-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.69
Price in other shops:
Beth Chatto's Green Tapestry: Perennial Plants for Your Gardenby Beth Chatto
HarperCollins UK; Published: 1999-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $65.00
Ornamental Grasses (Collins Aura Garden Handbooks)by Alan Toogood
HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 1991-04-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.54
Bonsai (Collins Garden Guides)by Anne Swinton
Collins; Published: 1993-03-29; Paperback; Book
Medieval English Gardensby Teresa McLean
The Harvill Press; Paperback; Book
Vegetables (Cultivated Gardener)Collins Pub San Francisco; Published: 1997-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.80
Price in other shops:
Cabbages & Kings: the Origins of Fruit & Vegetablesby Jonathan Roberts
HarperCollins; Published: 2001; Hardcover; Book
The Book of Magnoliasby Neil G. Treseder, Marjorie Blamey
HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 1981-10-29; Hardcover; Book
Similar Books and other products
Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubsby Michael A. Dirr
Timber Press; Published: 2011-10-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $41.40
Price in other shops:
Covering Groundby Barbara W. Ellis
Storey Publishing, LLC; Published: 2007-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops:
Perennial Combinations: Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right from the Start (Rodale Garden Book)by C. Colston Burrell
Rodale Books; Published: 2008-02-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.34
Price in other shops:
Viburnums: Flowering Shrubs for Every Seasonby Michael A. Dirr
Timber Press; Published: 2007-09-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.00
Price in other shops:
The Nonstop Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide to Smart Plant Choices and Four-Season Designsby Stephanie Cohen, Jennifer Benner
Timber Press; Published: 2010-05-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.65
Price in other shops:
The Ever-Blooming Flower Garden: A Blueprint for Continuous Colorby Lee Schneller
Storey Publishing, LLC; Published: 2009-03-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops:
Perennial Combinations: Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right from the Startby C. Colston Burrell
Rodale Books; Published: 1999-01-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.94
Price in other shops:
Designer Plant Combinations: 105 Stunning Gardens Using Six Plants or Fewerby Scott Calhoun
Storey Publishing, LLC; Published: 2008-09-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.79
Price in other shops:
50 High-Impact, Low-Care Garden Plantsby Tracy DiSabato-Aust
Timber Press; Published: 2009-01-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.75
Price in other shops:
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniquesby Tracy DiSabato-Aust
Timber Press; Published: 2006-07-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.71
Price in other shops: