 |
|
Title: The Natural Shade Garden
ISBN: 0517580179
Author:
Ken Druse
Publicate Date: 1992-02-18
Publish: 1992-02-18
List Price: $45.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
 |
|
|
|
|
Amazon Lowest New Price: $27.75
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $7.45
Amazon Merchant Price: $29.70
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Customer Review: |
|
1: Not really a "gardening book"
I have a shady garden and bought this book expecting some good information as well as inspiration.
I must say the photos are all indeed beautiful and pretty inspiring. But this is not a book you would consult for gardening information. For example, it doesn't even tell you the hardiness zones for the plants cited. I for one, am glad I knew that Hostas will not grow in California, but I'm pretty sure a lot of beginners out there will get excited on plants they can't even grow.
I would say this is an absolutely beautiful "coffee table book", but not really a "gardening book".
|
2: Beautiful Pictures, mind-numbing text
If you like pretty pictures, then this book is for you. I bought it in conjunction with "The Complete Shade Gardener", which is black and white, to be a sort of color companion. The section of the book titled Plants and Plantings goes through the author's favorite plants for shade (which very well may be all of them) and gives a text description that does very little to give you any real understanding of the plant-not what it looks like, or how to grow it. Perhaps worst of all, the pictures in this section don't seem to correspond to the text of what the author is describing at all, so you are forced to thumb ahead or behind to see a picture of the plant the author is talking about at the time. This makes it very hard to read as you are always thumbing through the pages to find a picture of the flower the author is talking about.
The first 60 pages deal with inspiration and design, and are much easier to understand, as well as being laid out better than the next 100. The last part of the book, which presents individual garden examples also seems to be better organized and well written, although I haven't read it through yet.
Since about 2/5 of this book was enjoyable, I am giving it 2 stars. The middle section has all the monotony of a plant encyclopedia with half the information, and none of the organization. The strengths of the book stand out as the beautifully photographed plates, and the pleasant tone of the author, which still manages to be witty and friendly even during the monotonous middle section.
|
3: Beautiful Shade Garden book
We have a shady, sloped yard in Texas which is highly unusual for this part of Texas. This means we usually can't grow many of the plants that most people in our community do. So, my husband and I went to the bookstore and found this book. There were others on shade gardening, but this had the best photography. The publisher obviously used high-quality printing techniques on this book to get the vivid color. So, this makes just a beautiful book to look at. I used to feel a little disappointed that our yard was so shaded (except that it's cooler in the hot Texas sun than others!), but when I saw this book I realized we could make it into quite a gem.
I will admit that I am a novice gardener, but I found this book inspiring with lots of ideas for plants that we could use in the shade. I am not sorry that I spent $40 on this book!
|
4: A must have book for every gardener
Ken Druse delivers a great perspective on shade gardening, providing an understanding of different types of shade and the plants that are successful. The wonderful photography makes this book a joy to peek into successful gardens and plant combinations. The text is for moderately experienced gardeners, but flows well and is well organized.
As mentioned by several others, Druse too often suggests invasive plants such as ivy, porcelain berry, and purple loosestrife, so a word of caution is in order. I would like to see Druse taking a leadership role in awareness of these problem plants.
On the whole, this is another terrific book from Ken Druse and I highly recommend it to everyone who loves a shady garden on a warm summer day.
|
5: inspiring and practical
If you have a shady garden space, this book will make you feel like the luckiest gardener in the world. Ken Druse structured the book around the organization of natural woodland plants: understory, middle layer, and overstory. (Note that this is not the right book for you if you are looking to create a formal shady garden.) The beautiful photographs, both closeup and scenic, and the detailed yet readable text make this book a success on two fronts. There is enough practical advice to take you from designing your shade garden to keeping it healthy and beautiful through the seasons and years. There is even a resource list to help with ordering your plants. Did I mention how amazing the photographs are? This is my favorite garden book so far, and I am accumulating quite a little collection.Partial shade, dappled shade, and deep shade are all addressed with beautiful pictures of plants and gardens and with descriptive, practical text.
|
|
|
|
|
