Hello. I’m back with another gardening book from the folks at Firefly Books. This one is another winner: Garden Design, a Book of Ideas by Heidi Howcroft and Marianne Majerus.
This is a soft cover book with over 600 photographs that is coffee-table sized. It covers just about anything you might want to know about garden design.
It’s divided into sections:
- Basics: Where is your garden?
- A Question of Style: Designs for all tastes/Looking to the past/Under the sun/The natural way
- The Components: Structure/Steps and ramps/Enclosures and Barriers/Shaping the garden
- Greenery and Flowers: In search of perfect planting/Degrees of shade/Ground Cover/Flower gardens/Vegetables by Design
- Furnishing the Garden: The enrichment of water/Garden furniture and accessories
- Difficult Plots and Tricks of the Trade: On the roof/Using pots and planters/Extreme gardening/Awkward spaces/Creating illusions.
A peek inside:
I have to say that this book is an incredible source for anyone planning a garden, whether small or large. It covers just about every possibility; gardening on a slope, gardening in an awkward space, what plants to choose – anything and everything. It’s very visual, loaded with photos that inspire.
Also included are what are called ‘case studies’ and there are 24 of them. These highlight those who have planted a kitchen garden, or a meadow or any one of a number of examples.
I’m thrilled this book is a part of my garden library. It’s the kind of book that I will refer to again and again. At over 300 pages long, it’s chock full of ideas and advice.
Happily, one of you will win a copy of Garden Design. Just leave a comment on this post and I’ll pick a winner on Friday evening.
Thank you to the generous people at Firefly Books for allowing me to have this giveaway.
Happy Tuesday.
Happy Tuesday to you also Claudia! I hope you have a wonderful time in NYC this week working on the show. Thanks for the wonderful book giveaway. It looks scrumptious!
After five years of the worst drought in California history, it’s wonderful to be able to work in the garden again. Thank you for the review and chance to win this book. It looks like it’s filled with ideas.
WOW.
It looks like a winner and I would imagine my mind will really have fun reading this, getting ideas
and implementing what I can!
Thank you for the sharing and we are so fortunate to give an honest to goodness review.
I am hoping my book comes soon…I have been going though a bout of loneliness and regret, one regret, that regret, on and on …based on being too hard on myself!
Reading is my take me away balm and it rarely fails me.
When I had an undiagnosed tumor removed in 2011 (for almost 10 yrs it was a thief, stealing my sharpness all during the time and NOT one Dr told me that my Ca was high during the yrs it was there.) Fortunately the removal of it worked, and it was benign, but still deadly….and i was too close to the bad part. But after surgery, the body creates a hardworking machine to help regain what one lost. I still type slower and make typos but I read and reading seems to make things better all the way around. This one looks like a keeper for those who grow ‘stuff we love.
Have a sweet day.
Katheryn
Claudia,
It is a lovely book! Thinking of you because I know these are hard days for you. Thank goodness books bring new worlds and a little escape from real life! Hugs!
I would love to win this book! Enjoy your time in NYC. And I hope time goes by quickly until you’reach with Don again.
Looks like that book is chock full of good ideas! Hope today will go well for you! Thanks for the chance Claudia! ;)
Such a lovely gardening book. My daughter has a sloped yard so this would offer some great solutions. Thank you for such wonderful giveaways. Be safe on your trip to the city. Hugs!
Looks like another great book Claudia! Have fun in NYC!!
That looks like a beautiful book! Hope you have a great week!
I have to echo the comment above re: the California drought. It has been two wet winters in a row and my garden is loving it! I spent all last weekend weeding and fertilizing the roses. This looks like a lovely book to add to my library :)
Lovely book. We just added on a porch and will be doing some landscaping around it. This book might have some inspiration! Fingers crossed.
The California drought in my area seems over, so I hope there is a decrease in the price of water! I was able to rake pine needles and do some trimming and pruning between rains. The book looks lovely, Claudia, but please don’t include me in the give away, as I’m trying to declutter. Safe travels to NYC. Hope work wi people you like will be a fun distraction.
Love the book. Need to do some updating/redesigning of my gardens. It would be perfect!
Have a safe visit to NYC.
Luanne
Hi, no matter how many gardening books I have there is always room for one more. Wishing for warmer temps and melting snows! xoxo
Lovely book give-away!
Gosh, what a gorgeous book and, as always, you make the book so tempting. I particularly liked the page about gardening on a slope. I have a slope. It’s more than a slope; it’s a hillside! It would be helpful for me to be able to read this book and the photos are just lovely. Thank you, Claudia – and I hope you’re doing okay today sans Don and with you being busy in The Big City.
We have a rainy day here today in SoCalif. What a wonderful thing for us to be still getting rain as late as March; so helpful for continuing drought in my particular section of the state. It makes for gardens like we haven’t seen in too many years here!
Thank you Claudia for this beautiful giveaway which would cheer me up and add color to my life. Since my RA diagnosis as well as 5 years of confronting serious health problems this is a treasure.
What a beautiful book! Gardening on slopes and ground covers are my favorite subjects <3
Would love the book!
Thanks so much for this lovely giveaway! I think we’re all ready for some fresh new ideas for our lawns and gardens. Have a good week in NYC! I can’t wait to go some day myself!
Thanks for the chance to win book. We had a warm late winter and now a cold early spring. Ugh. Can’t wait to get outside and dig in dirt. 😊
What a lovely book! Thank you for the chance to win it. Take care and hope you have a good week in NYC.
I’d be tickled to win such a helpful gardening book . My heart fluttered while taking a peek at the pages you shared with us . Beautiful photos !
Thank you for this opportunity to win this lovely book.
Marilyn
This book looks fantastic! Thanks Claudia.
Looks like a great book. I love gardening and cannot wait for the snow to melt. It smelled like spring today with the warmer weather.
Good luck in the city this week.
How pretty this book looks!…I would love to read it!
Hi Claudia, I would love to win this book! We moved to our home seven years ago this month. The landscaping was non-existent. I’ve slowly (frugally) added plants, bushes, and a few areas. My five year goal is to have an English Garden (it always seems like an additional five years!). But like so many of us, we are on a tight budget. I poured over this season’s Burpee catalog! I believe this book would help with my design. I have some of my own ideas, but am not sure how to tie certain areas together.
I’m glad you’re keeping busy in the city, but I’m sure you’ll be happy to get back to your sanctuary.
The book looks lovely. I would love it. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, C.–thinking of you, hope you’re enjoying the run thrus and tying up the loose ends! Thanks for the opportunity!
I am so wanting a garden this spring/summer. Though when I have the time I have no energy. But if I had this book it would inspire me, you think? Have a lovely stay in NYC. I love your traveling posts as I will probably never travel that far north and east.
Since we moved here to our little cottage last year we have needed gardening ideas for a small space. I would love to win this book!
Thank you, Claudia and take care,
Lily
Hi Claudia, please enter me in the book giveaway, thanks! Jen
Hi, Claudia! Recently found your blog and I’m enjoying it so much! I hope your time in the city keeps you from missing your beloved too much. My sloped and neglected back yard would love for me to have the inspiration of a new book! Thanks and take care.
Sherry in Little Rock
After years of drought in California, the rains came, and with that came a crop of weeds like I have nevef seen! It is great to be able to get out and work in the garden again, and once I clear out the weeds, I will sow wildflower seeds. Then I will sit back with a glass of iced tea, and read a good book.
Oh Claudia, I’m a knitter not a gardener but my husband LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to garden. I may be prejudiced but he does a fantastic job with very poor, rocky soil to work with. I would love to win this book for him. Thanks so much (and hoping the time that Don is away goes fast).
I would love to have this book for ideas. We have been talking about re-doing our yard, possibly to one that doesn’t require as much water, but we are open to other suggestions. This looks like a beautiful book.
Claudia,
What a lovely book for those of us who are itching to get our hands in the dirt. How nice of you to introduce us to a beautiful book and give us a chance to win it!
Happy Spring!
Susan