1 comments about The Vine Garden: A Life-Changing Summer in the Gardens, Vineyards, and Chateaux of the Heart of France.

1. Take my review with a grain of salt because I know very little about gardening and less about wine.
   
   Mr. Dingwall-Main designed gardens for estates in England. Apparently, he found designing English gardens suffocating and decided to transplant his career and family to the Provence area of France. I believe his first book, THE LUBERON GARDENS, tells the story of that move.
   
   This book begins about seven years later when his life, gardening, and marriage are getting stale and/or complicated. A close friend and neighbor encourages Mr. Dingwall-Main to explore the vinyards and the hopefully, accompanying gardens throughout France and a couple in South Africa. It is suggested that he acquire sample bottles of wine on his trips for he and his friend to sample together later. This book is about those travels.
   
   Mr. Dingwall-Main's writing style is a little stiff and self-centered, with just enough feeling and humor coming through to hold my interest. There's a little too much wine and not enough gardens to suit me, but wine lovers would disagree. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if there had been a little more written about his dissolving marriage and the problems he was obviously having in getting his new bachelor pad ready for habitation. I felt no more for this man than I would feel for a robot. Perhaps, if I had read his earlier book I would have felt more sympathy for him. I would recommend that anyone interested in this book read the other one first.

No comments about Dumbarton Oaks.

1 comments about Greenways for America (Creating the North American Landscape).

1. This is a great work by Mr. Little. I have learned something each time I have read it (3 or 4)! He does an excellent job of dealing with technical subjects in a very readable narrative manner.

   His way of telling the story of the history of modern trails and greenways is inspirational in that it makes you want to go out and really do something in your community. He chronicles several projects with very different origins that all have been successful.

   If you are remotely interested in greenways and trails and how projects come together I highly recommend this book.

2 comments about The Prairie Spirit in Landscape Gardening (American Society of Landscape Architects Centennial Reprints series).

1. A great re-print of one of the best documents about the landscape design aspect of the Prairie School. Vernon's introduction contains well-researched information about this important aspect of a significant American regional design expression.



2. The Prairie Spirit In Landscape Gardening is a reprint of a classic treatise first published in 1915, about a uniquely American style of landscape design - the "prairie style." Black-and-white photographs of designs for Chicago's Graceland Cemetery and Midwestern landscapes by Walter Burley Griffin and Warren H. Manning complement an informative text that has stood the test of time as a hallmark of American landscape gardening cultural trends. An extensive introduction to the new edition rounds out this remarkable and enduring work, The Prairie Spirit In Landscape Gardening is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library landscaping and gardening supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

No comments about Urban Open Space: Designing For User Needs (Landscape Architecture Foundation Land and Community Design Case Study Series).

No comments about Simple Stonescaping: Gardens, Walls, Paths & Waterfalls.

5 comments about Tropical Paradise.

1. Got this for my wife. She was amazed it was available through Amazon. Man, the stuff you can find here !



2. I brought this book because I was thinking of retiring to the Philippines.
   That plan is now on hold, however I found very few ideas that were useful in building my dream home.
   "A Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander et al was really much more useful. It enabled me to see what I wanted to do in a wider context.
   A very good idea in the Philippines!



3. I love this book for its beauty. Whenever I open the book, it transports me to places far away from here. I imagine that I'm actually walking past and gazing at all the wonderful architecture, design and artifacts featured within the book.

   I loved the book so much that I decided to actually visit and stay at a couple of the hotels photographed. I went to visit the Novotel Benoa at Bali and the Sheraton Sengiggi Beach Resort at Lombok. Whilst on Lombok, I also visited the Novotel at Kuta Beach.

   All three experiences were out of this world; infact, the photographs in the book did not do the properties the justice they so deserved.

   This is my own personal holiday brochure and I'm already looking forward to my next destination ......




4. Like some other books on tropical living, this one features some amazing pictures. However, it also boasts floor plans and drawings which really add to the book. Good value too.



5. For the past 5 years I have been aficionado of Asian style; architecture, arts and crafts, landscape design and travel/lifestyle. Whenever a new book becomes available I purchase it and my love for this particular part of the world is enhanced. Tropical Asian Style, Bali Style, Thai Style, The Tropical Garden, Tropical Garden Plants have all in their own way contributed to presenting Asia as one of the more beautiful sports on earth. However, the standards set by the aforementioned books have been surpassed by Tropical Paradise. Beautifully photographed, spectacularly designed, Tropical Paradise delivers. A veritable feast for the eyes, this book is truly a must have if you appreciate tropical landscaping and vernacular architecture. Two thumbs up! Way Up!

1 comments about Creeping Bentgrass Management: Summer Stresses, Weeds and Selected Maladies.

1. This is the most comprehensive book dealing with creeping bentgrass management. The author covers all aspects of bentgrass management from disease identification, management and control to the control of annual bluegrass with various growth regulators and chemicals. Unlike other books, however, this one talks about common problems that arise that are mistaken for disease issues and lead to the application of wasted chemicals. If you are a golf course superintendent or a turf student there are two books that you must have; The Turf Compendium and this one. You will not be disappointed.

   The Turf Guy

5 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Landscaping Illustrated (The Complete Idiot's Guide).

1. Did not tell me what I needed to know to pick plants for my yard. I found most of what I needed in Sunset's Western Garden Book (I'm in the western US).



2. This book is very informative and gives alot of ideas and information on how to landscape smaller areas.



3. This book is not at all what was expected for the price - all the pictures are black and white except for a very few color pages in the very center, which makes it almost impossible to help the reader identify plants, trees, shrubs, etc. All the black & white pictures blend so trying to distinguish what the publisher wanted the reader to focus on is extremely difficult. Might as well publish the book with only words and brief hand drawn illustrations. The reader still remains an "idiot" needing a guide to landscaping.



4. Landscaping is a science as well as an art, but it doesn't mean you have to leave everything to the pros. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Landscaping" by Joel M. Lerner gives you the essentials so that even if you decide to let professional landscapers dig up, rearrange, and decorate your yard, you can make sure they do exactly what you envisioned. With Lerner's tips and detailed information, you can get a handle on the science and art of your own personal outdoors.

   What I appreciate most about Lerner's Guide to Landscaping is the abundance of photos, sketches, and graphics. The layman's language text is well illustrated, leaving very little room for confusion or misinterpretation. And I especially enjoy the headings word play, like "The Plat Thickens," "Rocks Rule!" "Turf's Up!" and "Bean There, Vine That."

   Aside from the photos that graphically explain the text, the sidebars and tipboxes are strategically located to answer questions you may have about the topic. For example, the "Green Thumb Guides" offer fundamental information and details spiked with Lerner's personal preferences and suggestions. The "Poison Ivy" box gives warnings and expert cautions about things that are often overlooked or taken for granted. The "Roots and Stems" sidebar includes definitions and explanations of technical landscaping terms. There are also tipboxes on "Planting Ideas" and "Suggested Tools." And most important, at the end of each chapter is a "The Least You Need to Know" section - in-a-nutshell bullet-lists of basics for beginners and reminders for experts.

   "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Landscaping" appeals to the amateur landscaper because it breaks down complex concepts into simplified schemes. I've always struggled with where to start in planning a decent garden. Lerner organized the whole process into chunks of manageable tasks, and through his book, I now know that I should enlist Mother Nature, study the terrain, and draw my dream garden in detail.

   "The constructed environment makes half the aesthetic impact," Lerner said. "The rest happens with the plants and the change of seasons. This book is written to make sure your plantings meet the basic principles of design, offer 12-month interest, appeal to the senses, provide shade, give shelter, attract wildlife, and discourage unwanted visitors, among the numerous other valuable attributes plants provide."

   Lerner's book will help you understand the basic principles of landscaping, spark your creativity with its countless site plans and layout ideas, and equip you with the know-how to create a stunning garden and an outdoor home you can be proud of all year round. - Ruby Bayan (www.OurSimpleJoys.com)




5. Life is a garden, and it is clear that Lerner digs it. His book has turned me from an all thumbs gardener into a green thumb, confident landscape designer. I wish I could display before and after pictures of my property. Thanks Mr. Lerner for the best tutorial I have found on the topic of landscape design.

No comments about Sunset Garden & Patio Living Spaces.