"Gardens of the Gods" reveals the symbolic language of garden design, exploring the gardens of China, with their moon gates and immortal rocks, the Zen gardens of Japan, the paradise gardens of Islam, those of Renaissance Italy with their richly mythological imagery, the landscaped parks of England, the gardens of New Harmony in the US and some striking, modern examples of symbolic gardens, including the Tarot Garden of the sculptress Niki de Saint Phalle in Italy. This illustrated book also includes a chapter with suggestions for creating a "garden of meaning" and a selected catalogue of plants with symbolic or mythological associations. Based on ten years of research, travel and curiostiy, this text is also the result of a personal quest - to reveal the mystical codes written in the astonishing worlds of gardens worldwide.

". . . as we anticipate the world of the twenty-first century, landscape architecture is at a crossroads. If the discipline embraces ecological design and planning, then it has a leadership role in contemporary society throughout the world. If landscape architecture, however, turns inward and ignores its larger responsibility to the public good, then it will become marginalized and less relevant." —George F. Thompson and Frederick R. Steiner.

The essays contained in this book are written by a cross section of the most respected teachers and prac-titioners of landscape design from around the globe. Ecological Design and Planning offers a unique opportunity to learn about the latest thinking and practices in the art and science of ecological landscape design from such leading lights as Michael Laurie, Carol Franklin, Laurie Olin, Elizabeth Meyer, Mark Johnson, and Ian McHarg.

The common thread that runs through these essays is the authors' conviction that the growing rift in landscape design—ecology vs. aesthetics—is an artificial one. Each author expresses abiding concern for the ecological preservation and enhancement of the site, while demonstrating clearly—with both words and pictures—that the best designs are those that harmonize aesthetic form and ecological function. Ecological Design and Planning is a source of ideas and inspiration for landscape architects and planners, architects, and all those who understand the importance of designing with nature.

"It is high time that we citizens of the world begin to understand that our situation on earth is not one in which nature must rule over culture, or culture over nature, as if one can separate the two in the first place. It is high time to reflect upon the geographies and landscape histories of the past throughout the world so that we can bring forward—again—the concept that only by designing and planning with nature and culture can we begin to heal the landscapes and places of everyday existence—urban, rural, and wild—in environmental and aesthetic terms. 'God's own junkyard' need not continue to dominate our public landscapes, nor our own backyards and city streets." —George F. Thompson and Frederick R. Steiner

New essays by: James Corner, Carol Franklin, Mark Johnson, Michael Laurie, Ian L. McHarg, Elizabeth Meyer, Forster Ndubisi, Laurie Olin, Claire Reiniger, Sally Shauman, Meto Voom, and Joan Hirschman Woodward.

Photographs by Steve Martino

The UK's leading gardening publisher brings you a horticultural handbook to fulfil your every need and seed! Get your gardening gloves on and join the green-fingered journey to growing herbs successfully at home. A must-have volume for first-time gardeners, Grow Small Gardens has tons of tips and tricks to contains everything you need to create a garden in a small space, without compromising on design or beauty. Make the most of your windowsill, balcony, roof terrace, courtyard, or tiny urban garden with clever design tricks to create the illusion of more space, advice on planting to ensure seasonal interest and encourage wildlife, and detailed aftercare to keep your plants flourishing year after year. With passion in every page, you can enjoy: - A jargon-free practical guide to creating a plethora of garden types. - Easy to follow step-by-step instructions of fundamental gardening techniques. - The ever-growing pressure of balancing family life with a career suggests a lot of today's green-fingered gardeners simply lack the time to care for their gardens. We believe it's time to change that! Whatever your horticultural hopes may be, author and editor Zia Allaway brings you a herb-growing guide that is sure to shape first-time gardeners like never before, full of top tips to help your garden thrive! An ideal gift for first-time gardeners, budding botanists or the green-fingered lover in your life, make sure to get those gardening gloves on, and join the journey today! At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. If you like Grow Small Gardens why not try the other titles in our Grow series? Learn how to brighten your garden all year round with Grow Bulbs, enjoy a no-fuss guide to container gardening with Grow Containers or minimise garden waste with Grow Eco-Gardening. Ready, set, let's grow!

Autobiography of a Garden follows Patterson Webster's twenty-five-year journey as she transforms a beautiful but conventional country property into a 750-acre landscape that challenges what a garden is, or can be. A unique, personal memoir, this book details how a neophyte gardener moved from copying the ideas of other people to learning from them, and finally to striking out on her own. Combining traditions from French and English eighteenth-century gardens with contemporary perspectives, Webster communicates concepts and ideas that underpin the garden's design, sharing a process that evolved over seasons and years. She explores the meaning of creating a garden and the meaning that a garden can create, linking ideas about aging and the passage of time to the reality of growth and death in the landscape and thinking through how art in a garden can reframe questions of memory and our relationship to nature. Using the history of the property as a framework, Webster considers the impact made by those who lived on the land before her: the Abenaki, the early settlers, the cottagers, the farmers, the US southerners who came to Quebec to avoid the summer heat, and the northerners who defeated them in the Civil War. With engaging personal anecdotes, she describes the thinking behind each part of the garden and the examples that guided her, the mishaps and successes she encountered, and her plans for the future. Beautifully photographed and full of inspirational ways of thinking about gardens and gardening, Autobiography of a Garden blends history, horticulture, and art, encouraging readers to make their own surroundings more beautiful and more meaningful.

In this practical and personal book, Gardeners' World presenter Adam Frost takes you through his process for getting the most out of a garden space whatever its size, whether it's a window box, a terrace with a few pots or a bigger space with dedicated veg plots and borders. Enjoying your garden is about more than just what you grow; it's also about why you grow it. As well as spending time outdoors, the meaning of a garden lies in what you bring inside, from vegetables and herbs to make a family meal to flowers and seedheads to decorate the house. Adam explores how his own garden has allowed him to enjoy the simple pleasures in life and create precious memories - whether it's coming down in the morning and seeing that single flower in a vase or teaching your kids how to make the runner bean chutney that reminds you of your nan. Adam's inspiring book will guide you through all you need to make your garden thrive, and to use it to develop your own traditions and meaningful moments.

One of the fundamental considerations in landscape architecture is whether to create something which appears to be natural, or to design something deliberately artificial. Always moving between nature and artifice the art of landscape architecture expresses itself in a sensitive awareness of time and place. If the design is not to become a mere ornament, then it must be supported by concepts and visions, daring to create something new from the existing surroundings.

This collection of essays which have been published over the last decade in Topos - European Landscape Magazine, is a valuable contribution to the literature in the specialised field of landscape architecture. The authors include Paolo Burgi who writes on dimensions of memory, Joachim W. Jacobs who investigates the Bauhaus and the theory of space, and Kathinka Schreiber who takes a critical look at landscape in film.

Kirstenbosch is a name that resonates round the world as the home of a uniquely rich flora in a setting of unsurpassed beauty, and in 2013 Kirstenbosch celebrates its 100th anniversary. This centenary publication tells the story of its establishment, its setbacks and triumphs, its benefactors and heros. It outlines the Garden's scientific eminence – as the repository of knowledge on our prized flora – and details the many attractions that make it a favourite destination for Capetonians and visitors alike.

With a finely crafted text by acclaimed ecologist Brian Huntley, and lavishly illustrated with photographs and artworks that tell the history and reflect the beauty of the Garden, this will be a sought-after volume – a quality memento for visitors to Kirstenbosch and a keepsake for the many thousands of locals who flock there annually. Beautifully presented in a colourful dustjacket, this book will be a tasteful, all-occasions gift, and one to cherish.

Foolproof mosaic projects for your garden, including planters, furniture, and ornaments

One of the most long-lasting and hard-wearing artforms, mosaic pieces are perfect to make the most of your outdoor room. Suitable for a tiny terrace or a large garden, the projects in Garden Mosaics show you how to decorate your outdoor space in the most charming, individual, and enduring way.

The extensive techniques section shows you how to choose and use the right tiles for your environment. The range of tiles on the market today is better than ever; and the book makes the most of the wealth of new materials available such as spangled tiles or inexpensive but authentic gold-leaf tiles. As you progress, you can develop your own creativity with tips on tile- and colourmatching that allow you to adapt the projects to make pieces completely unique to you and your garden.

All suitable for beginners, the 25 projects in the book range from simple decorative pieces, such as the enchanting, simple child’s footprints and butterfly stones to practical and sturdy weatherproof pieces, including a trompe l’oeil chequered mosaic tabletop and delightful planters that will add colour to your garden especially in winter. Some projects, such as the night light, can be finished in under two hours.