Then click “Upload image.” The image can be up to 4 MB or 1,200 px.Īfter you change your avatar, leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing. Use the “Browse” button on the right side of the screen to choose an image from your computer. If you already have an original profile image (also called an AVATAR), you can enter the drawing now by leaving a comment on this post.Ĭlick here to go to the page where you can manage your profile. For example, it could be a picture of you or something in your garden. Note: To enter this drawing, you must CHANGE YOUR PROFILE IMAGE from one of the stock gardening images to an image of your own. For me, that’s the real value of this inspiring, beautifully produced book from Scott Calhoun and Storey Publishing. Since imitation is the highest form of flattery, don’t feel guilty about borrowing ideas from great designers, then adapting and personalizing them for your own garden. I would have a tough time justifying a mass of foxglove in my client’s dry southern California garden, but there are native penstemon species that provide the same rich blue flowers and vertical architecture. Use the original design as a jumping-off point, extract the essence of the composition-saturated purple flowers paired with soft, fuzzy gray foliage, for instance-and substitute plants that will thrive in your garden. That’s great, but what if you fall in love with one of the combos that grows like gang-busters in one climate but has no chance in your area?įor me, the solution is simple. The examples in this book come from some of the finest private and public gardens in the country. A good start, to be sure, but readers would be wise to expand their research before making their final plant selections.Īnother unexpected treat is the Designer Tips on many pages, offering snippets of advice about such esoterica as how to remove spines from prickly pear cactus and how to design your garden for moonlight. Scott poetically describes the effect of the maple’s foliage: “Creeping into the vignette, the ‘Autumn Spire’ provides a dash of red, like a confident brushstroke in black and red Japanese calligraphy.”Įach planting combination includes a concise description of each plant’s growing preferences, mature size, hardiness zone and other useful facts. The example titled Inspired Calligraphy, Duncan Brine’s garden (pg 202) features ‘Nana’ dwarf purple willow, ‘Autumn Spire’ maple and “Tardiva’ hydrangea. It might sound odd but this is the first garden design book I’ve read that could work in a books-on-tape format, sans photographs-the writing is that descriptive. But it is Scott’s handpicked, meticulously matched words that make this book such an enjoyable read. The pictures alone are enough to make any self-respecting gardener run to the nursery, credit card in hand. There’s something here for all tastes-soft, elegant studies in gray, white and blue (pg 66), spiky fireworks achieved by coupling agave and yucca (pg 138) and the smoldering sensuality of “Bonfire”, a burgundy-leaf dwarf peach pressing against the tropical heat of Salvia ‘Louie’s Orange Delight (pg 206). It features an adventurous monochromatic mash-up of designer Inta Krombolz’s copper, wine and brown foliage plants splashed with a burst of bright chartreuse (pg 94). The example titled Grinding Out a Coffee-Colored Combo hit my frontal lobe like a triple espresso. Let the book fall open to any page and savor the title of each mini-treatise. This book resonates with me on many levels-visually elegant, clearly and buoyantly written, and chock full of down-to-earth plant information. The plants don’t have to be rare or unusual-what is important is that they are combined artistically, to add a designer’s touch.” I felt it was my job to show that well-conceived plant combinations can bring natural beauty to the garden. “It disturbed me that plants were thrown in as an afterthought, just something to walk past on the way to the front door,” Scott explained. Though he doesn’t subscribe to cable TV at home, Scott would occasionally catch an episode in his hotel room while traveling to a speaking engagements. Scott’s inspiration for this book was triggered by an “adverse reaction” to home make-over television shows. If you tend to get carried away with your plant selections, this book offers the antidote to the dreaded malady, “one-of-each-itis.” As the cover states, “105 Stunning Gardens using Six Plants or Fewer.” Six or fewer is the key. This idea-packed book is based on the idea that when it comes to plants, less is more. Whether you are new to gardening or a seasoned professional, Scott Calhoun’s Designer Plant Combinations will provide the inspiration to start your creative juices flowing.
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