Gardens in Detail by Emma Reuss
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
The subtitle of this book is 100 Contemporary Designs.
Do you ever wish you had an expert who could help you analyze the elements of a successful garden? Well, in this book, Emma Reuss is that person.
Emma quickly defines the seven principals that make gardens go from meh to wow:
- Location: the spirit of a place
- Unity: using themes to unite components
- Simplicity: a fixed amount of complexity - a limited palette - to keep small spaces interesting and large places manageable
- Balance: garden elements should have the same visual weight
- Proportion: the scale of elements
- Rhythm & Repetition: re-introducing elements to promote even more unity
- Focal points: to enhance views and encourage people to move through the garden
Each of the gardens featured in the book is reviewed over four pages, which offer photos, general information, a brief essay, highlighted elements, and a bulleted list of successful design elements.
If you're the kind of gardener who draws Inspiration from garden images or garden tours, this book is for you. More than anything, Emma's book is an idea book - a banquet of successfully designed gardens and unique garden elements to inspire you to dream bigger dreams than emperors - as the saying goes about the plans of gardeners.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.