Description:
The folks at Country Living Gardener present a casual, informative book guiding readers in creating garden spaces that serve as peaceful sanctuaries from the stresses of life. Written by Australian gardening expert Kay Fairfax, the guide is organized into three main sections dealing with choices, perspectives, and details with beautiful color photos throughout from which readers can draw ideas and inspiration. What's refreshing about The Tranquil Garden is its lack of preoccupation with the many design choices available to gardeners. Instead, Fairfax focuses on the larger issues such as garden types (romantic, natural, fragrant, etc.), composition, vistas, and structures. She speaks to readers like a well-educated gardening friend, saying, "Try this plant, or add this flower for this effect," rather than providing a list of 100 perennials and their characteristics. It's almost as if the book's writing is in sync with the gentle aim of tranquility: no overwhelming amount of information to make your head spin, just plenty of suggestions per section, and excellent ones at that. Readers searching for the philosophy of garden as escape may want to look for a more text-based book, but for those in need of a practical resource that generates inspiration, The Tranquil Garden is the perfect first step toward a dream garden retreat. --Karen Karleski
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