Gardens by Design

This concise and highly informative volume, first published in Great Britain in 1990, explicates the steps required for transforming the ``room outside'' from a jumble of hopes and ideas to a well-decorated space that fills the needs and reflects the personality of the gardener and his or her family. Arranged step-by-step, illustrated with drawings, diagrams and photos, the book proceeds from the initial survey of the site through varied stages of planning to choosing plantings and such considerations as lighting, statuary, play areas, buildings and fences. Drawing often on his personal experience, Stevens discusses such design issues as where to use curves (away from the rectilinear lines of the house) and how to lay them out (not with a garden hose, but first with a compass on paper and then with stake and string in the ground). Included are some artistic considerations not always found in design guides, e.g., how to extend indoor colors outside or distract attention from an eyesore. While a few of the suggested cultivars (a Jasminum officiale, Russian vine, for instance) may be hard to find or marginally hardy in the U.S., many can be successfully planted here. (Jan.)