Gardening helps in the utilization of spaces to the best of its capabilities; however, planning gardens can be a very difficult and challenging activity or operation to engage in if you do not understand it well.
Making a garden design is very difficult – no doubt and it can take forever to do if you do not know what to do or the right step to take.
Giving a very good design to your garden is one of the things that we all want to achieve as gardeners; however, it takes a very good understanding of how to make proper layout, situate infrastructures, etc. to be able to give an awesome design to your garden.
If you are new to gardening and you just want to learn how to give a great design to your garden; this can be more strenuous as redesigning an already existing garden itself is a whole lot of work and this is more reason why you should get one of the best garden design books for your own use.
There are numerous books that have been written by renowned authors and agriculturists all over the world to shed more light on how garden designing can be done effectively and some of the most recommendable publications will be discussed in this article.
Garden design books are not new materials about gardening; they have been in existence for years (even decades) and most of them have been used by generations and they offer great and unique insights into what garden design entails.
Designing your garden will bring out the uniqueness of your garden and will also create an order and alignment of the various sections of the garden; they help to create simplicity and orderliness.
Even though there are thousands of garden design books that deal with creating the perfect and credible layout for your garden, we have taken it upon ourselves to focus more on some of the best garden design books that you can find out there – each of them is of high quality and essentiality.
Do you want to learn more about how to design gardens? Are you looking for the perfect way to create the right layout for your garden?
Are you ready to create a better and more productive garden for yourself? If the response to any of these questions is positive then this is the right place for you to be.
In this article, we will help you with the review of the top 5 garden design books that you can read to create the right garden design for yourself. Read further to learn more!
What are the things to look for in a Garden design book?
Before selecting the book of choice for your garden design, it is important that you know some of the things to look out for in a book for the best understanding.
There are specific features that play a critical and essential role in determining the quality of a garden design book so you must know them if you want the best book that will certainly meet your needs.
In this section of the article, we will take you through some of the things to look out for in a garden design book when making your selection. Below are the things to look out for in a garden design book:
Pictorial illustrations:
It is no doubt that people have a better understanding of details with pictures compared to texts and it is also the same for a garden design book.
Including a well-detailed pictorial illustration of what the garden design is meant to look like will make it very easy for people to understand what is to be done.
Since the garden design is more practical, giving proper pictorial illustration will increase the quality of the book.
Make sure to purchase a book that has a good illustration through pictures to be able to understand even without having to read too much.
Colorful pictures:
Even though this is not compulsory, it does have a very good impact on the quality of the book. A book that has pictures that are well colored will be more fascinating and compelling to read.
If you have a child that loves gardening, this kind of book will be a more catchy way to build their interest in gardening.
Material:
Even though all books are made out of paper, we should not rule out the durability of each paper that is used for making some essential parts of the book such as the hardcover.
The garden design book should have a very durable hardcover that can last for a very long time in storage; you don’t want to invest in a book that you cannot go back to. Ensure that the outer covering of the book i.e. the hardcover is strong and durable.
Summary of the book:
This is the important feature to look out for, this ranks number 1. This is because it is what the book is all about and you want to know if what is entailed in the book is of any use to you.
The book must have a concise summary of what is to be learned in the book after reading so you should make sure that the book has a well-outlined summary.
If there is a specific type of design that you would love to learn and you are looking for, you can always check out the book outline and summary to know if it is of any essence.
Cost:
The cost or price at which a book is being purchased also has a very good influence on the quality of the book. A book that costs less than $10 will definitely be of lesser quality compared to that which is more than $50.
Do not be greedy; invest in a good that is better unless you are sure that the small book has what you are looking for.
5 Best Garden Design Books – Top Product Reviews
#1. John Brookes Garden design:
If you are looking for the best garden design book to plan your own garden then this is the right book for you.
This book was written by John Brookes, an award-winning garden practitioner with 40 years’ experience in the year 2001 and it is filled with great insights into what a garden should look like.
This book deals with the planning, styling, and planting of gardens and it is the most popular garden design book all over the world. This book is the best choice for anyone who is very patient and has the willpower to learn.
What we like
- It provides design and styling solutions.
- It gives an insight into the things “ingredients” needed for a garden.
#2. Before & After Garden Makeovers:
This author of this book is Vicki Webster and this garden design book focuses more on helping to add more value to homes and spaces with the help of a well-designed garden around the home.
This book features a series of before and after images that help to create a lovely and attractive space around the home.
If you want to learn how you can conveniently arrange and organize space, plantings, and hardscapes around the home then this is the right book for you. Learn how to design gardens that add value and beauty.
What we like
- It provides lovely designs for the backyard and front.
- It highlights the entirety of a property.
#3. Gardens by Design:
This book was written by Noel Kingsbury in the year 2005. This book gives an insight into some of the important methods, tricks, and principles used for designing gardens by top garden design makers including John Brookes, Piet Oudolf, Nori and Sandra Pope, and lots more.
This book specifically focuses on how spaces can be managed for the best efficiency possible. With this book, you can be assured of a way to utilize your space very well.
What we like
- It provides insights into the way spaces can be used efficiently.
- It makes use of concepts from worthy authors.
#4. Designing Gardens by Arabella Lennox-Boyd:
This book was written in the year 2002; it features photos of different types of garden structures and a variety of plants and planting suggestions that can make your garden much beautiful and creative in nature.
This book is well illustrative and it shows some of the planting plans created by the author in her garden and with this, you will be able to create an interesting garden design and also make winter a blissful season.
What we like
- It is well-detailed and illustrative.
- It features suitable planting plans from summer through winter.
#5. The Garden Planner:
This book is the perfect guide if you want to work on gardens that have different sizes and shapes such as small, large, rectangular, square, narrow and deep, L-pie shaped, irregular shape, or shallow and wide; this book is your best guide – it focuses on how you can organize it very well.
The writer, Robin Williams, is an award-winning gardener who has great ideas on creativity and his book focuses on how you can partition spaces and use it judiciously.
What we liked
- It focuses on different shapes of gardens.
- It incorporates the use of spatial designs.
Conclusion
Gardening is much more interesting if you have a well-designed garden that incorporates different kinds of plants such as ornaments, herbs, etc. within it.
Having a good understanding of how to properly design gardens will make it easy for you to practice gardening much effectively as everything will be in order. Have a good garden designing experience!
On behalf of the author, thank you so much for taking the time to read this article !
