Product Description

Elements of Garden Design does what few gardening books do--it addresses the process of conceiving a whole garden, as opposed to a single element like color or a particular class of plant. Joe Eck explores the idea of a garden, and offers a practical approach to translating concepts such as "intention" and "harmony" into the solid forms of hedges and terraces, paths and rooms. Novice and experienced professional alike will find both food for thought and down-on-the-ground advice on such matters as creating child- and pet-friendly designs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #357526 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-01
• Released on: 2005-01-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Amazon.com Review
"The great problem with rules," writes Joe Eck, "is that once they are laid down people tend to obey them." In this slender book of essays about gardening, Eck's goal is less to provide diagrams and formulas about how to build a garden than to share with the more experienced gardener his philosophy of why garden in the first place and what it is that can make a garden so pleasing to the eye and the soul.

From Publishers Weekly
Written for serious gardeners at any level of expertise, these thoughtful essays transcend the how-to genre and speak rather to the fine art of gardening as Eck defends his "argument" that "what defines a garden is less what is grown in it than how what grows is arranged." Drawn from a series of articles Eck wrote in the early 1990s for Horticulture magazine, the book is divided into two sections, "Theory" and "Practice," covering such principles as "Scale," "Structure" and "Symmetry," along with more concrete topics, e.g., "Lawns and Ground Covers," "Water in the Garden" and "Utility Areas." In the chapter entitled "Repose," for instance, Eck explores ways to achieve this quality in a garden, whether through a balance of mown grass against a border, the repetition of elements or the creation of a secluded corner. Eck, who coauthored A Year at North Hill with Wayne Winterrowd, writes a formal, elegant prose illuminated by wisdom gleaned from years of experience and sparked with flashes of dry wit. Inviting serious study as well as browsing, this volume deserves a spot on any dedicated gardener's shelf.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This volume consists of articles reprinted from Horticulture magazine. Eck, a landscape designer, discusses the basic garden design concepts that people might consider when planning a garden. He also includes chapters on garden elements such as foundation plantings, water features, greenhouses, sculpture, and the like. The book works well as an introduction to design concepts for gardeners who want to take a thoughtful approach in creating a garden that will reflect their individual taste. The lack of an index is a problem, however, for quick location of information. For comprehensive gardening collections or where there is an extensive demand for garden design materials.?Dale Luchsinger, Athens Area Technical Inst., Ga.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A classic on garden design basics
Of the hundred garden and gardening books I own, I always go back to this one (I have the 1995 ed.). It is fundamental and funny, a refreshing breath of (un)common sense when designing a garden, or trying to figure out what's lacking in your own garden, or understanding what it is that gives such satisfaction in other people's gardens. The few drawings convey exactly what the author is trying to say.

Great book on Garden Design
First published years ago as a series of article in Horticulture Magazine, this is a beautifully written work of both garden design theory and practice. The book title may sound like a rip off of Struck and White's "Elements of Style" but don't let that turn you off. This is a great book to be read as a novice and to return to years later.

Fantastic
I love the short chapters, fashioned from the Horticulture Magazine series that was the original purpose of the writings: you can easily read one and set it aside until you have time to pick it back up. The very heart of the artistic side of landscape design is presented in a very well-written & meaningful way. I purchased it as recommended reading for a Landscape Design class, and find it invaluable to go back and read certain sections over and over.