Trying to design a garden by using a computer program can take all the fun out of it. Marilyn Raff has a better method, using only heartfelt ideas, feet to pace off spaces, and a garden hose for a rough visual plan. Forget about making mistakes, and take delight in learning how to build a garden the easy way.
Imagine a Garden
Imagination is the best tool for shaping a garden. Envisioning beauty is the first step to creating it. Instinct will help decide what to put where. Perhaps height would look good in the back of a garden, while a creeping border would beautify the front. The chapter on Intuitive Imagination helps to develop these innate tools.
Sunny Garden
Working with the sun, and learning what to plant in a sunny garden, can bring an abundance of color to a landscape. A chapter of this book is devoted to plantings that take advantage of the sun, including bulbs, the use of troughs, understanding foliage and how to incorporate low-water gardens.
Growing Roses
Whether for its variety of color or intoxicating fragrance, roses have long been a favorite in the garden. The flower beautifies an outdoor room, and makes a lovely source for cutting and displaying indoors as well. Roses can be tricky, however, so a bit of knowledge can help with intuitive gardening. For instance, some varieties only bloom once early in the season, so a spot that needs color all summer long might not be best served with this type of rose. This chapter is informative and easy for a novice gardener to understand.
Shade Garden
Every yard has some spot of shade, and while an intuitive gardener might imagine all sorts of lovely plants there, it's important to know what will actually grow in shady areas so that a design can be implemented. Little is more frustrating to a new gardener than watching a lot of enthusiasm and money wither in the dirt. The shade garden chapter will assist readers in bringing their ideas to reality.
Grasses
As a complement to flowers and color, grasses can give the eye a rest, and add a new dimension to the garden. If a new bed needs something with a bit of height, grasses could be a good solution, and one often overlooked. Learn which types of grass will provide the imagined effect.
Fall Color
In The Richness of Color and Form, Ms. Raff addresses the lush beauty that is particular to the fall season. Seasonal changes should be considered in the design of a landscape so that every ounce of nature's colorful show can be appreciated in the appropriate season. Plan for those changes so that each garden season can be enjoyed outdoors.
Summary
The Intuitive Gardener is a pleasure to read. Ms. Raff does a fine job of not only sharing her knowledge, but helping to instill an excitement about gardening. The idea that one's imagination can be set free to do as it pleases in a garden is encouraging to a novice gardener, and will inspire a seasoned one as well.
Title: The Intuitive GardenerAuthor: Marilyn Raff
Publisher: Fulcrum, 184 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 978-1555914424
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