No comments about The small garden.

No comments about Guía Práctica para Manejo de Pastos en Campos de Golf.

2 comments about Everyday America: Cultural Landscape Studies after J. B. Jackson.

1. J. B. Jackson's legacy lives on in geographers, historic preservationists and others, and is alive and well. This book is a great introduction to Jackson's lifelong study of the American landscape, including the modern, vernacular everyday things that many scholars ignore or criticize.
   
   A variety of authors tell Jackson's story, and about how his influence has impacted their lives and careers. A must-read for cultural landscape students, historic preservationists, architectural historians, or anyone who appreciates a good road trip on the roads of the U.S... the ones travelled before the construction of the interstate highway system...



2. A collection of reflections on how to see, interpret, and appreciate the American cultural landscape. After reading this book the term "the middle of nowhere" will never leave your mouth or enter your thoughts. The front porch of the local house will be as interesting as Time's Square. Read this book and understand your ordinary environment. Not just for cultural geographers, but everyone with eyes or a heart for how we live and organize our spaces and places.

2 comments about Capital Drawings: Architectural Designs for Washington, D.C., from the Library of Congress.

1. I purchased this book based upon its title and cover imagery; I was disappointed in that many if not most of the images and drawings contained in the book are NOT located in Washington, DC, as the title would have you believe. It's ok to illustrate other images by the same architect or draftsman, but the book includes tens of dozens if not hundreds of illustration that are located thousands of miles away from Washington, DC, the city. A better title would have been "architectural drawings at the Library of Congress" and leave out the reference to the actual City of Washington, which is not well represented.



2. Washington DC is one of the few major cities in the world that was designed from the start to be a city. Built on ten square miles of land donated to the nation by Maryland and Virginia, the city was conceptually laid out by L'Enfant. The streets were designed to be wide, straight and long instead of the meandering cow paths of the older cities.
   
   Along with the general plan, the early presidents, Washington and Jefferson especially) recognized the expressive power of the capital's buildings and monuments. The major Government buildings and monuments: the White House, the Capital building, and the Washington monument have become recognized around the world.
   
   This beautiful book consists of drawings from the Library of Congress illustrating these and other buildings in Washington. Some of these are historican and reflect various plans submitted before the final design was chosen. Some are more recent, reflecting the fact that the originals were lost.
   
   This book illustrates the impact that the architecture of Washington has had on American architecture around the country.

1 comments about Private Gardens of the Fashion World.

1. Fashion designers take their inspiration from many sources, and this book shows how they find designs and ideas in their own private gardens. The pictures in this book were really what caught my eye, they are absolutely gorgeous. Lush foliage, bright and exotic flowers, country gardens, it is all in this book. I always find it interesting to see where designers are "coming from", and this book did a great job of showing how designers can take inspiration from what is around them, and also how their design ideas take hold not just in clothes, but in their own private world as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a unique look at fashion, and how fashion intertwines with real life and gardening.

No comments about Landscaping (Home Repair and Improvement (Updated Series)).

No comments about Southern Living Garden Guide Perennials (Southern Living Garden Guides).

5 comments about Natural Landscaping: Gardening With Nature To Create A Backyard Paradise (Rodale Garden Book).

1. This was my first gardening book, and I feel so very lucky, because the author's sensibility matches my own, and her emphasis on planting for wildlife makes her a kindred spirit. Here I first learned the definition of a meadow garden, a woodland garden, and even the names of birds and butterflies. I first became aware of Joe Pye Weed and Spicebush, Bee Balm, Milkweed and New England Aster.
   
   Reading this book is like having a wise and non-judgmental master gardener take you under her wing. Sally Roth's passion for the natural world shines from every page. She touches on a wide range of topics, such as: laying out a path; building a bluebird nest box; starting a meadow garden; planting a flowering fence; avoiding the "Elvis look"; monthly calendar for meadow care ; creating a streambed; how to saw through a limb; starting plants from seed; -- all techniques are clearly described and easily understood. There are charts such as "Best Shrubs for Woodland Gardens" and "Best Trees for Songbirds." The book is beautifully laid out, and the color pictures are pure inspiration, especially during the blizzardy days of winter.
   
   The negative comments from the previous reviewer seem overly severe and curmudgeonly. I haven't spotted an invasive species in the suggested plants lists yet, though the author does suggest some cultivated hybrids that I don't choose to use. Of course, there are many more technical, rigorous tomes out there that can and should be added to one's gardening library, (and a hard slog of a read they may be, too!)
   
   I highly recommend this book as a general introduction to natural gardening, one that will inspire curiosity, guide discovery, generate ideas and projects, and make the adventure loads of fun.



2. I speak on the subject of natural landscaping frequently - I've been doing this for years.
   I always search out useful references so audiences can go home and apply what we've discussed. I would not recommend this book. This book muddles the concept of "natural" and "native" to the point that an inexperienced gardener is likely to plant invasive, non-native plants and never realize they have created a disaster where they hoped to create environemental harmony in their yard. Awhile after the fact they may realize what has happened - I speak to disappointed homeowners often.

   Diekelman's book of the same title is much better, especially for folks in the Midwest.
   It is somewhat techincial, so may be a little dense for beginners, but at least it won't cause mistakes, disappointment and regret.




3. This book offers some basic ideas in landscpaing your property in order to maintain a natural look. It offers beautiful uses for wet areas instead of trying to correct it.



4. I originally bought this book ONLY because Ms. Roth is a local writer and I had enjoyed her newspaper columns and also went to a few lectures that featured her. As I have matured as a gardener I am very cautious about spending my garden dollars. I assumed that this book would be one of the "fluffy" books similar to my first garden book purchases. I was surprised at the depth of information and wealth of ideas. In talking to other gardeners or anyone else interested in nature, I always recommend this book as a must for their gardening library. I have probably reread the book 3 times since I purchased it and always pick up something new.



5. There are a number of books out on natural landscaping - a fast-growing field - but this is the first one I found which included useful information on the whole spectrum of related issues: style, philosophy, horticulture, and wildlife habitat and feeding. Chapters on woodland and prairie gardens are excellent. There are good lists of native plant nurseries; sound information on water features; and inspirational but not too idiosyncratic commentary by the author - just about everything someone needs to get started. And as someone who has already worked with this style for some time, I can also say it's useful for the experienced gardener. Besides, I like the author's style - she is a serious garden writer who can relate to those of us who don't go about designing in the traditional way with grids, etc. Highly recommended. The only reason I didn't give it four stars was that in a couple of cases, I had questions about the execution of certain plans which were not answered in the text or drawings. Still, that sort of detail can be gotten around given the clear principles outlined in the various projects. If you can just have one book on the subject, this would serve you well.

1 comments about Landscaping Illustrated (Gardening & Landscaping).

1. We bought a fixer-upper. There were a couple of anchor trees, but we did not know what to do. We consulted a couple of landscape architects, but they were giving us common, canned ideas. With this book, we were able to tell them what we wanted and then the architect we chose was able to give us a plan we loved! Thank you Sunset!

1 comments about Contemporary Public Space: Un-volumetric Architecture.

1. I bought this book for my girlfriend and she loves it. The book has very creative projects and excellent images.