The Perfect Garden
by Sunniva Harte

The latest trend in garden design is to take the inside outside: to treat the garden as another room, using key plants to achieve shape, volume, and drama. The best plants for the best design have a strong, architectural shape; they may also have outstanding foliage or provide striking accent color.

In the Perfect Garden, renowned garden authority Sunniva Harte looks at the role of these key plants, exploring the variety of ways in which to use them to bring structure, cohesion, and style to any kind of garden: cottage, coastal, wild, or dry; classical Italian, Japanese, jungle, or woodland.

Harte offers expert advice on creating horizontal and vertical designs, enhancing or disguising various features of a plot, achieving unity and form, and using texture and color to maximum effect. There are also chapters on sculpting and shaping with plants---including topiary, green rooms, parterres, and espaliers---as well as on stone statues and wood and metal achitectural features. Complete with a directory of key plants and full horizontal details, a general reference section, and glorious color photos of gardens around the world, this is an essential book for both novice and experienced gardeners.