The Perfect Garden: The Best Plants for the Best Design - Hardcover

The latest trend in garden design is to use key plants to achieve shape, volume, and drama. The best plants for the best design have a strong, architectural shape; they may also have striking foliage or add color accents. In The Perfect Garden, Sunniva Harte looks at the role of these key plants, exploring the variety of ways one can use them to bring structure, cohesion, and style to any kind of garden: cottage, coastal, wild, or dry; Japanese, jungle, or woodland. Harte offers expert advice on creating horizontal and vertical designs, enhancing or disguising various features, achieving unity and form, and using texture and color to maximum effect. There are also chapters on sculpting and shaping with plants ‹ including topiary, green rooms, parterres, and espaliers ‹ as well as on statuary and wood and metal architectural elements. An essential volume, complete with a directory of key plants and horticultural details, a reference section, and 130 glorious color photos of gardens around the world. Sunniva Harte¹s previous books include The Perfect Country Garden and Zen Gardening.

What does it take to create the perfect garden? Hard work, a green thumb, and a thorough understanding of basic design principles are cited by novice and accomplished gardeners alike, and Harte concurs, providing expert advice on such elemental issues as style, texture, color, and form and supporting her suggestions with inspiring color photography of sumptuous gardens from around the world. Using the proper plants in the proper place is the cornerstone of her philosophy, and she extols the virtue of what she calls "designer plants," those key plants that provide architectural structure and visual coherence to an overall garden design. Once the basics have been mastered, Harte provides instruction on how to overcome common garden challenges, from screening unsightly areas to placing sculptural objects. A directory of distinctive perennials, trees and shrubs that have strong architectural properties, and a resource listing of useful addresses help bring perfection within every gardener's reach. Carol Haggas
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