Review of Garden Design for Everyone Volume II

[SB]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Garden Design for Everyone Volume II" by Robin Johnson.]

---

4 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

In Garden Design for Everyone, Volume II by Robin Johnson, the author guides readers through the gardening process from planning, to execution, to after care and maintenance. They focus on Australian weather, climate, species, and soil with the intent to teach the importance of each step in garden design to achieve a beautiful garden year round. The book includes so many stunning pictures, it is difficult not to feel inspired by them. It also provides diagrams, charts, lists of species, and a whole chapter on how to make and use compost (which I found super helpful!).

I love the way the author uses simple, straight-forward verbiage to explain everything. Gardening is not something that comes naturally to me, but I have a desire to get better at it. All of the instructions are easy to follow, and the diagrams, photos, and charts only added to that ease.

My favorite part is the chapter on composting! I learned so much that I now feel ready to do it myself at home. Johnson even includes what to use in it, how to care for it, and how to tell when the compost is ready. They did not miss any opportunity to include comprehensive, and direct instructions. I truly feel the author had all readers, even the newest to gardening, in mind when they wrote this new volume.

Other topics featured in the book include soil maintenance, planning the layout, the design process, flowering plants and arranging by color, utilizing hedges, pathways and stairs, a chapter on roses, and an appendix on trees. I found the author's reference to each species in Latin a bit distracting from the text. Perhaps the Latin names for each species could be listed at the end of the book instead of directly within it. I also sort of wished the book included specifics to my area since I do not live in Australia, and the weather, species, and soil are most likely very different here.

I did find a handful of grammatical errors, but they did not distract from my reading experience at all. I rate Garden Design for Everyone, Volume II 4 out of 5 stars . A star was removed for the errors I found, and the Latin in the text that was distracting to me. This book is best suited to anyone who is interested in learning how to plan, plant, or design a garden, or composting. It is a useful, functional tool to help anyone accomplish the garden of their dreams.

******
Garden Design for Everyone Volume II
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon