Product Description

"The Essential Garden Design Workbook" guides the reader through every stage of planning a garden - how to survey a site, how to choose landscaping materials, and how to develop planting schemes. This fully revised and updated second edition features new eco-design techniques and installations and includes advice on how to harvest rainwater, how to design a green roof, tips on sustainable planting, and a guide to composting. Tailor-made for hands-on gardeners, the workbook approach is accessible, practical, and can be used to create a garden from scratch and to redesign an existing garden. Gardeners will find easy ways to measure large spaces, estimate the height of a tree, and find the right proportions for a deck. They'll also find tips on space, light, and colour. It includes hundreds of easy-to-follow line drawings and diagrams.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11417 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
Rosemary Alexander, one of the pioneering figures in the world of garden design, has devoted a lifetime to her profession, running an established garden design business as well as the English Gardening School, where she directs the Garden-Design Diploma Course and takes a keen interest in the progress of the school's Distance Learning students. She takes pride in her students - five of them were awarded medals at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2002 - and credits her many years of teaching and her personal experiences in creating gardens as her inspiration for writing. Rosemary has worked on gardens throughout the world, and was tenant of the National Trust property, Stoneacre, in Kent, where she created a romantic Old World garden. According to Rosemary, "As more people realize that working with nature to create a garden can be a therapeutic antidote to our stressful lives, garden design will become even more popular ... " Rosemary's passion for plants and gardening began in her early twenties when she created her first garden in Scotland. It was at this time that she trained as a landscape designer. Rosemary enjoys having friends at her home where they can experience her well-tended gardens, her home cooking, and take long walks. She also loves discussing plants with anyone, traveling, and reading a good book.

Customer Reviews

The Essential Garden Design Workbook
After ploughing through endless variations on this theme it's good to find something that's user friendly and totally practical. The best feature is that the book follows the design process in a logical manner identifying principles and showing you how to apply them in a practical way; it also shows you what works in design terms and what doesn't plus some tricks to achieve more professional results with plan presentations. Another thing of interest is the quirky graphic style of illustration used to highlight non- plan points. Extremely useful throughout.

A good and very practical garden design book
This book covers all phases of garden design, from original research, obtaining the owner's requirements, site survey sketch, checklist and inventory, to conceptual diagrams, presentation plans, theme plan, preliminary garden layout plan and final planting plans.

It discusses space, light, proportion and scale, colour plates, ground plane, vertical plane, overhead plane, materials, texture, principles of planting design, planting styles, practical considerations, seasonal effects, and rendering techniques for various plans. It also has a plant list and plant hardiness zones at the end. This is one of few books that actually discuss the design aspect of gardens / landscaping. Very practical!

Gang Chen, Author of "LEED AP Exam Guide" & "Planting Design Illustrated." LEED AP, AIA

The Essential Garden Design Workbook
This is a book which I know intimately,especially the first edition which formed the basis of The English Gardening Schools Distance Learning course, in Garden Design.It is without doubt one of the best books of it's type, and ranks along side the Doyen of Garden Design Books John Brooks,frankly I cannot pay the Author,Rosemary Alexander any higher compliment, if you are a Student, or newly qualified Designer then this is a book which will be referred to on more than one occaison,and it's style and quirky line drawings only add to your entertainment& education ,buy it you will not be dissappointed.