Beds and Borders: Vol. 4

The latest installment in the Garden Project Workbooks series features the same stylish, practical format as its predecessors (Containers, etc.). A concealed spiral binding allows the book to lie flat, giving gardeners the option of using it on-site, while gatefold pages reveal the specifics behind each lushly photographed project. Bird (Flowering Trees and Shrubs) tackles a quartet of classic garden border elements here: traditional borders (mixed, herbaceous, etc.); those that are shaped (round, corner, parterre); special borders (waterside, Mediterranean, etc.); and walk-through borders. Packed with solid information, the book includes construction tips on everything from trellises to bark paths, necessary tools for each project and detailed planting schemes which generously feature alternate plant lists for nearly every design (suitable choices for a white as well as a pink single-color bed, for instance). Additionally, there's a section on basic gardening techniques and a list of mail-order nurseries and garden suppliers located in the U.S. and Canada. This handsome and useful title successfully executes a winning concept. (May)