Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on a review copy of
Fine Gardening's 'Plant Combinations: 82 proven plans for any situation.' One of the things I love most about
Fine Gardening magazine is their full color photos, and this one is no exception! This magazine caught my eye because it highlights a bunch of my favorite plants- such as sedum, rudbeckia, and lamb's ear. As a gardener I have no problem planting these plants and having them live. My problem: I lack any ability of garden design.
You see, I have all ten of the plants highlighted in 'Plant Combinations' and my garden looks NOTHING like the gardens in the pictures! What you see above is one section of my flower bed where I literally cram as many plants as possible in a limited space. The only "planning" that took place here was deciding when to remove the lawn.
But the photo above from Fine Gardening is beautiful. It's designed, and appears to be almost effortless. Here in California, this design will continue to look good year round. The barberry in the background will turn a lovely rust color in the fall, while the yellow euonymus remains unfazed during our winter months.
This fall I'll be digging a bunch of my plants up and shuffling them around with the recommendations from 'Plant Combinations'. When you think about it, it's kind of like hiring a garden designer for a fraction of the cost! Now THAT's what I'd call "WINNING!"
Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on a review copy of Fine Gardening's 'Plant Combinations: 82 proven plans for any situation.' One of the things I love most about Fine Gardening magazine is their full color photos, and this one is no exception! This magazine caught my eye because it highlights a bunch of my favorite plants- such as sedum, rudbeckia, and lamb's ear. As a gardener I have no problem planting these plants and having them live. My problem: I lack any ability of garden design.
You see, I have all ten of the plants highlighted in 'Plant Combinations' and my garden looks NOTHING like the gardens in the pictures! What you see above is one section of my flower bed where I literally cram as many plants as possible in a limited space. The only "planning" that took place here was deciding when to remove the lawn.
But the photo above from Fine Gardening is beautiful. It's designed, and appears to be almost effortless. Here in California, this design will continue to look good year round. The barberry in the background will turn a lovely rust color in the fall, while the yellow euonymus remains unfazed during our winter months.
This fall I'll be digging a bunch of my plants up and shuffling them around with the recommendations from 'Plant Combinations'. When you think about it, it's kind of like hiring a garden designer for a fraction of the cost! Now THAT's what I'd call "WINNING!"
I'm glad the magazine's advice is sound and applicable. Great eye candy photos too!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like the perfect book for me! Design is not my strength!
ReplyDelete