Design of the Times

Style: Everybody has it but nobody really knows what it is. And when it comes to garden design, everybody has style. Sometimes, though, they have just haven't figured out what their gardening style is.

Some people lean more toward traditional gardens with flowers to cram them into. Other lean more toward the formal gardens and parterres. Or maybe you might prefer a tropical style with all its orange and yellows and cannas and lush leaves. And some like to mix styles in a fun pastiche of plants and colors.

What do you like? Maybe at this time you don't know. But you eventually figure out ideas from poking around the world of plants and styles and colors and shapes and forms.

This book is written for the do it yourselfers, the DIY folks, who like to be puttering around in a garden and have dirt under their fingernails that won't entirely go away even when they scrub and scrub. These folks have rough, chapped skin along the outside of their index finger from pulling weeds - though this probably doesn't go so much for those of you with sense enough to keep your gloves on while you're gardening.

This is also for the gardeners who have smaller budgets. Times are tough, and the hell of it is, times going to get even tougher. So if you can't afford a huge garden, I'm going to talk about ways to design a garden that doesn't take a lot of money and time (especially if you're working a full-time job with a side gig to make ends meet). This book is also for those with means, since there will be plenty of good suggestions for you guys to play with as well.

This book is especially for those gardeners who take an earth-friendly approach, those who are a little more laid-back in the garden, and gardeners who are a little more informal in their approach to plants and design.

My style tends to be natural, organic, and forgiving. If things get messy once in a while, it's okay, because we're all human.