BOOK LOVE

Since it's the week of love I thought I'd share some books that have impacted my love of design.  These are not all traditional garden books, but they have all inspired me in my love of landscape design. I always encourage you to look for inspiration within the gardening world, but also look outside on the fringe.  You never know what will spark that new idea.

IN AND OUT OF THE GARDEN by Sara Midda

My favorite book of all time.  This is such a special collection of illustrations and garden fables.  I'm still infatuated with it as much today as I was when I received it as a gift over 20 years ago. It taught me that we can communicate our ideas in so many beautiful ways.

THE ELEMENTS OF GARDEN DESIGN by Joe Eck

Back in the 1990s I visited an amazing garden in Vermont by Joe Eck and Wayne Winterowd .  I was a young designer grasping for formulas on how to create an amazing garden. This book began to break it down for me and I kept it a close resource for many years. It's simple and easy to read, plus it brings back memories of that wonderful visit to North Hill.

THE VICTORIAN GARDEN by Allison Kyle Leopold

I read this book many years ago when a local group asked me to present on Victorian gardens.  The amazing thing I learned was how much our society impacts landscape design....including such things as religion, technology, and politics.  This book sparked my love of garden history.

101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL by Matthew Frederick

Gardens are never mentioned in this book, but the author does an amazing job discussing how to create space...which directly relates back to landscape design. This book has a refreshingly simple way to look at design which has lured me through it's pages over and over again.

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