landscape design

"...Norman Winter shows how to design dazzling landscapes based on colors, how to select for harmony, and how to arrange stunning contrasts. He takes the gardener through combinations of flowers, foliage, grasses, and herbs. He also guides acolytes to companion plantings for special theme gardens, such as cottage, tropical, butterfly and hummingbird, herb and edible, container, and even the new patriotic Victory Garden. Featuring over 200 color photographs, Captivating Combinations is filled with cutting-edge ideas for the gardener working with superior varieties found at today's progressive garden centers.

"Winter, a revered garden guru, discovers the choicest selections for the home landscaper. Some of these exotic and unusual flowers come from places such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, and the Mediterranean, but others are native plants. This plant selection guide is ideal for gardeners who want to select varieties that not only provide the best value but also offer sizzle and performance within the style and conditions of a particular location. In this book, Winter explains how to transform a landscape into a garden by combining plants with attention-getting beauty in mind."

"What is landscape? How does it differ from 'land'? Does landscape always imply something to be pictured, a scene? When and why did we begin to cherish images of nature? What is 'nature'? Is it everything that isn't art, or artifact? By addressing these and many other questions,Landscape andWestern Artexplores the myriad ideas and images of the natural world in Western art since the Renaissance. Implying that land is the raw material, and that art is created by turning land into landscape, which then becomes art, author Malcolm Andrews takes the reader on a thematic tour of the fascinating and challenging issues of landscape as art.

"The book's broad sweep covers the full, rich spectrum of landscape art, including painting, gardening, panorama, poetry, photography, and art. Artistic issues are investigated in connection with Western cultural movements, and within a full international and historical context. Clear explanations and beautiful illustrations convey to the reader the idea of landscape as an experience in which everyone is creatively involved. Landscape and Western Art provides an enlightening and comprehensive critical overview of landscape art."

"Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was one of the greatest 20th-century sculptors, creating innovative parks, plazas, playgrounds, fountains, gardens, and stage sets as well as sculptures of stone, metal, wood, and clay. His works can be seen in public spaces and major museums worldwide, but the full breadth of his vision is revealed most clearly at the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum in Long Island City, New York. Written and designed by Noguchi himself, this book offers unparalled insights into the museum's treasures -- and represents the unity and scope of more than 60 years of intense sculptural activity."

For both gardeners and early American history buffs, this book documents the unknown George Washington: landscaper, farmer, and gardener of Mount Vernon.

A scholarly look back at gardens of the past. Gardeners recorded their efforts from the settlement of Jamestown on. Both Jefferson and Washington were avid horticulturalists and left detailed note of their plants.

"The authors present the history of gardening on twenty sites at Colonial Williamsburg, focusing on the eighteenth-century gardeners who planted them and the documentary and archaeological research that guided each garden's re-creation. Detailed plans and captivating photographs identify the plantings and show modern gardeners ways to enjoy the beauty of colonial gardens in their own yards."

Easy-to-follow guidelines teach readers how to assess their current space then choose the best design and features for their needs. Following that are step by step instructions for building structures, planting beds, laying paths and installing special features such as lighting or fountains.

Quiet moments on the porch, family picnics on the deck, cool dips in the backyard pool--outdoor living can be the best living there is. Now the Editors of House Beautiful magazine show how to extend "the good life" into one's outdoor space with design elements such as plants, pools, and garden structures.