The Garden Design Book [ハードカバー]

みずみずしい美しさにあふれた本書は、シェリル・マーサーとガーデンデザイン誌が総力を挙げて取り組んだガーデニング専門書だ。特筆すべきは「ニュー・ガーデニング」。ガーデンデザインの伝統的要素を踏まえつつ、本書が提案するまったく新しいガーデニング手法である。視覚だけでなく5感全体でとらえた植物をあしらい、手間いらずのあくまで自然なスタイルにこだわった、実に洗練されたガーデニングなのだ。

本書は5章構成、すっきりとしていて非常にまとまりがいい。その中には、境界線、構成、通路スペース、静水や流水などの各要素をていねいに取り上げた章「デザインに欠かせないエレメンツ」や、植物の色彩や質感、形をとことん追求した章「デザインツールとしての植物」も含まれている。

初心者でも、本書を手にとり段階別の説明を参照すれば、個性的なガーデニングが楽しめる。だがただページをめくり、そのまばゆいばかりの美しさにひたるのもいい。陽光に満ちた美しい写真の数々を眺めるだけで、不思議と気分が華やいでくるだろう。もちろん、ガーデニングのテキストブックとしても最適の1冊である。

This text shows readers that designing a garden is an aesthetic and

Cheryl Merser and the editors of Garden Design magazine have produced a zaftig beauty of a garden book. The emphasis here is on "new gardening," with a nod to the traditional elements of garden design. New gardening combines a sophisticated treatment of the five senses and a natural style with a no-fuss approach to garden care. The book is marvelously organized, with rich sections that consider design elements such as boundaries, structures, pathways, and water, and a separate "Plants as Design Tools" section that considers plant color, texture, and form. Anyone designing a garden of any size from scratch will want to consult this book to clarify the planning steps, but also just to revel in its sheer gloriousness. With its exuberant, light-filled photos, this is the best possible coffee-table reading for rainy days; on sunny days, use it as a textbook in the garden.

For years Garden Design magazine has been bringing its unique vision of the garden to a smart, savvy readership through its lush, arrestingly beautiful photography and thought-provoking, informative articles. Now Garden Design captures this wisdom and style in a book that delights the senses and enriches the mind. This book of visions for the new gardener. The man or woman who --like most of us -- longs to create a special place within the world of nature.

Step-by-step, from essential design elements to offbeat flourishes, from the all-important conception of an overarching design plan (the hallmark of a successful garden, be it minimal and Japanese in style or an exuberant English countryside profusion of color and shape) to the basics of planting and cultivating, from the habits and personalities of both rare and common plants to suggestions on the best ways to make the most of limited growing space (crucial to land-deprived city dwellers). Cheryl Merser and the editors of Garden Design magazine explain the new garden: What is it, exactly? And what makes it grow?

From first seed to first frost -- season after season -- The Garden Design Book takes us through the sometimes complex, sometimes blessedly simple, but always rewarding experience that is gardening.