The Garden Maker’s Manual     Review by Beverley Knight

Richard Sneesby, Rosemary Alexander

At first glance this is a book full of information and illustrations to help in the process of garden design.  There is a chapter for each of the garden ‘elements’ – for example paths, steps, walls, timber decks  – and each chapter is divided into three sections beginning with design considerations and options, followed by the practicalities and how to achieve the required look, and ending with a photographic directory of various styles to illustrate the chapter. 

The Practicality sections contain basic information on how to construct some of the elements for the gardens and advice on what materials to use.  I found the Water section particularly informative as this is one area of design where it is easy to make the wrong decision.  The diagrams and sketches throughout the book are clear and well annotated and there is plenty of useful information in the text about materials and construction methods.  Be aware though that there are errors in the Steps and ramps section when calculating riser heights.

Finally there is a chapter on materials and a list of sources which makes this book a useful manual. This is all on the positive side but I must admit to being a little unsure as to who this book is aimed at.  It professes to be for both homeowners and professionals but falls between the two.  For the garden design professional it is too simplistic.  There is not enough technical data for it to be a useful construction manual and on the design side many of the photographs are taken from other publications and are not particularly inspiring or of good quality.

I concluded that this is in fact a text book for aspiring garden designers and as such is quite useful.  As a professional designer I would use it to show clients different options for their gardens.

Architecture in the Garden     Review by Beverley Knight

James van Sweden

For James van Sweden, a landscape architect with 30 years experience who has worked extensively in The United States, the most important part in designing a garden is to create a sound architectural framework or give it ‘good bones’ on which it can evolve.   His book is intended for the garden maker and is a sharing of his experiences and knowledge. He describes situations and sometimes the problems he has faced and how he has overcome them to create gardens which are in his words ‘both functional and beautiful’.

It is not however just a book about theories and ideas it is also eminently practical with detailed schematic drawings that can be used to build many of the garden elements described in the book.  He describes in Part One exactly how his style evolved and the thought process that result in the creation of a garden design.  The section on Garden Studies has descriptions of many gardens he has created for clients ranging from rural estates to small town gardens and each study includes the reasoning behind the design, plans and diagrams and photographs of the final garden. 

Many of the principles he describes such as ‘Pulling the Architecture of the house into the Garden’ and ‘Borrowing the Landscape’ are now common practice but when he began in the 1980’s the ‘New American’ garden was quite revolutionary.  You will either love or hate his style – if you like herringbone brick paving, lots of limestone paving, and a very structured classic look then this is the book for you.  There are even large areas of crazy paving in his gardens which I personally would not recommend using – but it is a very American style and as such maybe a little unadventurous by modern standards.

The Gallery of Architectural Features is an excellent source of visual images and range from traditional to modern from other designers and countries.  I would have liked the photographs to be annotated as it is nice to know who designed them or where they are. 

Do not expect much in the way of plant information as plants definitely take a back seat for this designer, but I recommend this book as a pleasant read and an excellent source of inspiration for garden structure and construction.

Designing Water Gardens     Review by Beverley Knight

Anthony Archer Wills

From the moment you pick up this book you will be inspired by the stunning photographs and illustrations.  The introduction discusses how water shapes our environment and its continuously changing patterns and moods.   Water as portrayed in art and literature is given a brief but interesting mention and the introduction ends with a section on how water has been used in gardens from ancient times to the present day beautifully illustrated by pictures of gardens from around the world.

Keeping to the theme of the ‘cycle of nature’ Mr Archer Wills has divided the book into four sections – the Source, the Course, the Outlet and the Destination.  This rather neatly enables him to describe a variety of water features relating them in each case to their natural equivalent and putting them into context in a garden setting.

For example, in the Source section we are taken from a description of a waterfall or a geyser and led to its manmade equivalent with information as to how to achieve specific water effects such as bubbling fountains, naturalistic springs or more formal fountains.  Each chapter ends with a section on incorporating the feature into the overall design illustrated by annotated photographs and suggestions on building, lighting and planting.  The ‘blueprints’ at the end of each chapter are very useful diagrams showing the construction detailing of a variety of water features.

The message is that a water feature does not stand alone in the garden.  It has an effect on many things – it adds sound, reflections, light, colour, and sets the mood of the garden. This book covers a lot of ground under headings such as ‘design uses’, ‘sound effects’, ‘planting’, ‘using reflections’ and’ linking the house and garden’ to name but a few.  I was particularly pleased to see a large section on wildlife ponds and naturalist planting in the chapter on Destination.

The book works on many levels – not only is it one which you will enjoy looking through it is also a good source book for those contemplating adding a water feature to their garden but unsure how to get the best, and it has practical uses for the designer and contractor as well.  Use it as a source of inspiration for not only water features but the hard landscaping and planting elements around them.

Reader’s Digest Nature Lover’s Library     Review by Sally Turner

Field Guide To The Trees & Shrubs Of Britain

Field Guide To The Wild Flowers Of Britain

The Reader’s Digest Nature Lover’s series is a great set of books.  For anyone interested in British flora then these two books are a must.  Each species is represented both by a photograph and by detailed colour drawings.  In the case of the Wild flowers book the plants are shown growing with other species with which they would normally be associated. 

The text in both books includes; common and scientific names, detailed identification notes, information on the plants known origins, habitat and any folk traditions or herbal attributes associated with the plant.

RHS Plants for Places     Review by Sally Turner

Dorling Kindersley

Ever been stuck for a plant to go in a specific spot?  Well this little book is a real gem at sorting out those awkward places.  It’s not packed with endless possibilities for each location but does give a good dozen or so plants of various sizes for just about every situation you can think of from dry shade to wildlife gardens. 

Each plant has a colour photo, a description of the plant and growing requirements plus some suitable alternatives.  It’s compact size make it easy to handle as well, you don’t need to find a surface to rest it on whilst searching through the pages.  All-in-all, a very handy little book that you will find yourself reaching for time and again.

Are you a book publisher with a new title to interest designers and gardeners? 

If you would like to submit a book for review on this website, please contact

books@guildoflandscapedesigners.com