Paul Bangay’s obvious passion for outdoor spaces is richly evident in Paul Bangay’s Garden Design Handbook (Penguin, 2008), a comprehensive guide to formal garden landscaping for Australian homes. Complimented by Simon Griffith’s superb photography, this guide offers suggestions and advice for assessing the best use of garden space and implementing a landscape design plan.
A Comprehensive Guide to Planning a Garden Design
With a focus on achieving visual simplicity and harmony, Paul Bangay’s Garden Design Handbook offers a four part guide to planning, constructing, ornamenting and planting a garden.
Part One – Planning a Garden
This very practical section outlines analysing the needs and limitations of the site including considering the position of the house, council regulations, existing trees and boundary lines, and the gradient and aspect of the land.
Once the initial assessment has been made, guidelines are given for developing the concept, finalising the three layers of the ground plan (basic, concept and soft landscaping) and the procedure for implementing the plan in practical terms.
Part Two – Constructing a Garden
Continuing the focus on practical concerns, Bangay advises on the correct selection of materials to best compliment the design and practical needs of the garden space. Various issues such as proportions, maintenance concerns and drainage are discussed.
This section considers the advantages of various forms of paving, terraces, steps, screens and the practical and aesthetic concerns of incorporating a swimming pool into the garden design.
Part Three – Ornamenting a Garden
A review of issues to be considered when choosing garden ornamentation such as water features, furniture, artwork and other decorative embellishments. This section focuses on balancing overall design needs to ensure that ornamentation does not detract from the natural beauty and balance of the garden design.
Part Four – Planting a Garden
This section outlines the needs of various garden settings, such as balconies, poolside areas and seaside gardens. A variety of plant types are discussed with summary lists of recommended trees, groundcovers, perennials, hedges, climbers and shrubs.
The advice given equips readers to assess the landscaping limitations and strengths of their garden environment, allowing them to then make informed choices about plant needs for their specific garden requirements.
Paul Bangay
The author of several well-known and respected landscaping titles, Paul Bangay is based in Melbourne, Australia, with successful and admired garden projects in Australia and internationally. In demand for his timeless modern style of garden design, Bangay considers the specific requirements of each garden environment to produce designs that balance visual and sensory delight with practical concerns such as water conservation and effective use of space.
The Garden Design Handbook is Bangay’s third project with well-known garden photographer Simon Griffith. Their previous books are The Enchanted Garden (Penguin, 2005) and The Defined Garden (Penguin, 2004)
A Guidebook for Formal Garden Areas
Bangay’s suggestions and designs are inspiring for the everyday homeowner, but are primarily for those amateur landscape designers with large areas they wish to landscape, those landscaping in conjunction with a building plan or homeowners with large landscaping budgets that want to best know how to direct their landscaping service.
While the formal, aesthetic focus of the designs does not take into account everyday wear and tear on outdoor areas by active young children or pets, the landscaping guidelines in the Garden Design Handbook do include consideration of other practical issues such as council regulations, water restrictions and shortages, and the need for the garden area to be an accessible place of relaxation and renewal.
Bangay’s elegantly simple yet functional garden designs invite people into the outdoor areas of a home. Paul Bangay’s Garden Design Handbook offers sophistication, beauty and sensory delight balanced with the practical concerns of planning and implementing the perfect garden design.
Paul Bangay’s Garden Design Handbook (ISBN: 978-1-920989-65-1, 3
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