How to Plant a Garden: Design Tricks, Ideas, and Planting Schemes for Year-Round Interest

British garden designer James (The Urban Gardener) has produced a garden bible as deliciously seductive as it is clearly informative. James begins with macro-essentials—climate, soil, and orientation—before considering the plants that are already in-ground. Next he asks, “Who’s [the garden] for?” He strongly suggests that readers take the time to think about what they like and need from plants individually and the garden in general, and provides key considerations to do so. Topics include garden themes and concentrations, weeds and other “plants with a purpose,” and clumps and blocks and drifts for putting the garden together. James discusses scent and texture as well as safety (with children in mind). In the last section he offers ready-made designs as malleable models. The layout of the content is busy, with multiple design elements (lists, charts, bubbles, and borders) and tiny fonts embedded among glorious pictures. Color photos. (Apr.)