Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas were intriguing to me. In addition, she drew my attention to ornamental tall and intermediate trees and plants that could provide some interesting variety in our woodland.

To me, the photographs helped the most. I could identify flowering plants by name that I've seen do well in our area. Combined with her information, I have the basis for many interesting experiments.

The book's main drawback is that plant directory (the bulk of the book) is not as fully illustrated as I would have liked. I suspect that the solution is to look up the formal botanical names on the Internet to find photographs that illustrate what's being described.

Ms. Junker has obviously forgotten more about woodland gardens than I'll ever know. It's great to be able to draw on her experience and ideas.

Nice work, Ms. Junker!

A useful book, 25 Jun 2007
A great book. Very practical with lots of helpful ideas. One of the best gardening books I have, and I have lots!

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas were intriguing to me. In addition, she drew my attention to ornamental tall and intermediate trees and plants that could provide some interesting variety in our woodland.

To me, the photographs helped the most. I could identify flowering plants by name that I've seen do well in our area. Combined with her information, I have the basis for many interesting experiments.

The book's main drawback is that plant directory (the bulk of the book) is not as fully illustrated as I would have liked. I suspect that the solution is to look up the formal botanical names on the Internet to find photographs that illustrate what's being described.

Ms. Junker has obviously forgotten more about woodland gardens than I'll ever know. It's great to be able to draw on her experience and ideas.

Nice work, Ms. Junker!

A useful book, 25 Jun 2007
A great book. Very practical with lots of helpful ideas. One of the best gardening books I have, and I have lots!

Wonderful book!, 21 Nov 2008
Living in a Mediterranean area and finding a total lack of suitable plants for sale in the nurseries, has made me more and more interested in getting gardening in this climate right. I have read or bought all available books on the subject and this is the best by far. The research is thorough, plants well explained and beautifully photographed. Anyone gardening responsibly in a mediterranean climate needs to own this wonderful book.

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas were intriguing to me. In addition, she drew my attention to ornamental tall and intermediate trees and plants that could provide some interesting variety in our woodland.

To me, the photographs helped the most. I could identify flowering plants by name that I've seen do well in our area. Combined with her information, I have the basis for many interesting experiments.

The book's main drawback is that plant directory (the bulk of the book) is not as fully illustrated as I would have liked. I suspect that the solution is to look up the formal botanical names on the Internet to find photographs that illustrate what's being described.

Ms. Junker has obviously forgotten more about woodland gardens than I'll ever know. It's great to be able to draw on her experience and ideas.

Nice work, Ms. Junker!

A useful book, 25 Jun 2007
A great book. Very practical with lots of helpful ideas. One of the best gardening books I have, and I have lots!

Wonderful book!, 21 Nov 2008
Living in a Mediterranean area and finding a total lack of suitable plants for sale in the nurseries, has made me more and more interested in getting gardening in this climate right. I have read or bought all available books on the subject and this is the best by far. The research is thorough, plants well explained and beautifully photographed. Anyone gardening responsibly in a mediterranean climate needs to own this wonderful book.

Lots of ideas for that tricky part of the garden, 21 Dec 2008
Ask any gardener which part of the garden is a problem and they will almost always say 'that shady spot over there'. With this book, the problem is solved in 101 ways.

There's the usual suspects such as ferns, Dicentra and Astilbe, but that's not all. There's even shade tolerant Clematis on show, a plant usually noted for liking its head in the sunshine, even if its feet does prefer shade. Suggestions can be found for both dry and damp shaded areas.

The book is divided into several sections. The first four cover each season in turn, so there's no excuse for not having all-round interest in a shady garden. The final three cover year-round interest, walls and ground-cover, thus completing a comprehensive guide that's clearly laid out and with a good photograph of each plant suggested.

With this guide any shady border can be cheered and brightened immeasurably.

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas were intriguing to me. In addition, she drew my attention to ornamental tall and intermediate trees and plants that could provide some interesting variety in our woodland.

To me, the photographs helped the most. I could identify flowering plants by name that I've seen do well in our area. Combined with her information, I have the basis for many interesting experiments.

The book's main drawback is that plant directory (the bulk of the book) is not as fully illustrated as I would have liked. I suspect that the solution is to look up the formal botanical names on the Internet to find photographs that illustrate what's being described.

Ms. Junker has obviously forgotten more about woodland gardens than I'll ever know. It's great to be able to draw on her experience and ideas.

Nice work, Ms. Junker!

A useful book, 25 Jun 2007
A great book. Very practical with lots of helpful ideas. One of the best gardening books I have, and I have lots!

Wonderful book!, 21 Nov 2008
Living in a Mediterranean area and finding a total lack of suitable plants for sale in the nurseries, has made me more and more interested in getting gardening in this climate right. I have read or bought all available books on the subject and this is the best by far. The research is thorough, plants well explained and beautifully photographed. Anyone gardening responsibly in a mediterranean climate needs to own this wonderful book.

Lots of ideas for that tricky part of the garden, 21 Dec 2008
Ask any gardener which part of the garden is a problem and they will almost always say 'that shady spot over there'. With this book, the problem is solved in 101 ways.

There's the usual suspects such as ferns, Dicentra and Astilbe, but that's not all. There's even shade tolerant Clematis on show, a plant usually noted for liking its head in the sunshine, even if its feet does prefer shade. Suggestions can be found for both dry and damp shaded areas.

The book is divided into several sections. The first four cover each season in turn, so there's no excuse for not having all-round interest in a shady garden. The final three cover year-round interest, walls and ground-cover, thus completing a comprehensive guide that's clearly laid out and with a good photograph of each plant suggested.

With this guide any shady border can be cheered and brightened immeasurably.

quintessential drywall, 13 Jan 2006
This book thoroughly covers the subject and now introduces the latest automated taping equipment available. Whilst this is an American publication all the Drywall application in the UK uses American/Canadian equipment and even tapes. Great finishes are possible with the simplest of equipment though and it should be borne in mind that the end result is dependent on the quality of the original boarding/sheeting job. It is entirely possible and indeed desireable that the finish matches that of the plasterer, provided the speed at reaching that finish is greater then the decision to use this technique has been justified. Still trying to catch on in the UK this book will thoroughly convert any Drywall sceptics.

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas were intriguing to me. In addition, she drew my attention to ornamental tall and intermediate trees and plants that could provide some interesting variety in our woodland.

To me, the photographs helped the most. I could identify flowering plants by name that I've seen do well in our area. Combined with her information, I have the basis for many interesting experiments.

The book's main drawback is that plant directory (the bulk of the book) is not as fully illustrated as I would have liked. I suspect that the solution is to look up the formal botanical names on the Internet to find photographs that illustrate what's being described.

Ms. Junker has obviously forgotten more about woodland gardens than I'll ever know. It's great to be able to draw on her experience and ideas.

Nice work, Ms. Junker!

A useful book, 25 Jun 2007
A great book. Very practical with lots of helpful ideas. One of the best gardening books I have, and I have lots!

Wonderful book!, 21 Nov 2008
Living in a Mediterranean area and finding a total lack of suitable plants for sale in the nurseries, has made me more and more interested in getting gardening in this climate right. I have read or bought all available books on the subject and this is the best by far. The research is thorough, plants well explained and beautifully photographed. Anyone gardening responsibly in a mediterranean climate needs to own this wonderful book.

Lots of ideas for that tricky part of the garden, 21 Dec 2008
Ask any gardener which part of the garden is a problem and they will almost always say 'that shady spot over there'. With this book, the problem is solved in 101 ways.

There's the usual suspects such as ferns, Dicentra and Astilbe, but that's not all. There's even shade tolerant Clematis on show, a plant usually noted for liking its head in the sunshine, even if its feet does prefer shade. Suggestions can be found for both dry and damp shaded areas.

The book is divided into several sections. The first four cover each season in turn, so there's no excuse for not having all-round interest in a shady garden. The final three cover year-round interest, walls and ground-cover, thus completing a comprehensive guide that's clearly laid out and with a good photograph of each plant suggested.

With this guide any shady border can be cheered and brightened immeasurably.

quintessential drywall, 13 Jan 2006
This book thoroughly covers the subject and now introduces the latest automated taping equipment available. Whilst this is an American publication all the Drywall application in the UK uses American/Canadian equipment and even tapes. Great finishes are possible with the simplest of equipment though and it should be borne in mind that the end result is dependent on the quality of the original boarding/sheeting job. It is entirely possible and indeed desireable that the finish matches that of the plasterer, provided the speed at reaching that finish is greater then the decision to use this technique has been justified. Still trying to catch on in the UK this book will thoroughly convert any Drywall sceptics.

A good Starter Guide, 21 Jan 2008
Very good book with basic techniques. The drawings could have been a bit better, but the content is sound. I have been working in conservation for 18 years and see this book as an excellent starter guide.

This is a good book!!, 21 Jan 2008
The last reviewer gave this book a fairly drab showing, but it does not in any way deserve this. I am a master craftsman stone mason and I have also been dry stone walling for over 32 years in Scotland and Wales. OK, the cover photo is a bit dreary, but you should not judge a book by its cover. I have read this book from front to back and have found it an ideal guide for my budding dry stone wallers. It is a beginners guide, when all said and done. The techniques are very sound in my opinion and would advise anyone who is thinking about starting this type of work to buy it.

this book is a waste of paper, 11 Jan 2008
DRY STONE WALLING


Andy Radford

The Crowood Press
128 Pages
Black and white photos and line diagrams.
2001, First Edition.

Andy Radford, is a journalist and sometime photographer, now author of a number of books relating to practical work in the countryside. Based in North Wales at the time of writing this, his first book he also ran a landscape business.
This practical guide to walling starts with a bit of background on walling history and the terminology associated with walling, tools etc., including an excessive description on the construction oif a batter frame. It then deals with various aspects of walling through "projects" the author has worked on. The longest section is "Basic Walling Technique", but we are also taken through walling on slopes, curves, retaining walls a inter alia. The text generally says the right things although you get the feeling that you've heard it all before. Occasionally it is a little naive or misleading for the uninitiated `most stone will easily dress`, sometimes plain daft suggesting that you will save stone by building a corner rather than a curve somehow defying the laws of physics.

Then there's the photos... It takes a brave man (or a fool) to admit to having had anything to do with the cover let alone attaching the idea that it is `practical and attractive`. Another one where the waller is shown `tying the wall into the existing structure` (having noted that elsewhere the wall should be dismantled to a sound structure or some such) had me a little flabbergasted. Then there's `levelling the wall ready for the through-band` pride of place centre shot is a face stone not only "traced" but stood on edge, I've just about recovered from the hysterics. These photos and others definitely give the impression that the writer doesn't really know what he's talking about.

Presumably aimed at those with a bit of wall to do in their garden it is likely to be of limited use, for others even more so. The only apparently original text relates to walling on slopes. I found this particularly confusing so you'll pardon me for questioning how well others would understand it. It also has some ideas with the uses of batter frames on slopes which for a variety of technical reasons would either not work or would be pointless. Perhaps interestingly this section is not based on a project. It smacks of being an academic idea never really executed in practice. But then judging from the photos it might be that the author has tried it and just not appreciated that it doesn't actually work.

There is a short section on "variations on the craft" which bears striking resemblance to the content of a number of DSWA leaflets, and other publications. You cannot copyright dry stone walling per se, it would be possible to sit down and write a book from scratch and not say anything that had not been previously printed. However what disturbs me most about this book in this respect is that it hasn't even got a bibliography and does not even pay lip service to other's endeavours. Does the author really expect us to believe that he's never read another walling book or done any research. Mind you if it wasn't for the striking similarity of diagrams and some text/format, perhaps I would actually believe him.

You might have heard of the metaphor of dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants used by Newton amongst others, to refer to having great insights as a result of the work of others, not necessarily a bad thing if you are breaking new ground. However I feel here Nietzsche`s interpretation is more apposite he argues "that a dwarf (the academic scholar) brings even the most sublime heights down to his level of understanding" (wikipedia).

Perhaps alarmingly as I wrote this review I discovered the author had just written a book on "Building Natural Stone Garden Features". Unfortunately as I aim to own a copy of every work published on the craft I will have to get a copy, I shall just wait for it to be remaindered. Unless you want a really good laugh and have plenty of spare cash take a very experienced DSWA advanced dry stone wallers advice, found on line: "On no account get Andy Radford`s book .... the worst book on walling ever. Just don`t encourage him, OK!"


A Guide to Dry Stone Walling, 11 Mar 2007
Another good book by this author. Very absorbing a thorough walling guide. Usually I find it hard to follow instructions but this in written in such a way that makes it fairly easy to follow.

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas were intriguing to me. In addition, she drew my attention to ornamental tall and intermediate trees and plants that could provide some interesting variety in our woodland.

To me, the photographs helped the most. I could identify flowering plants by name that I've seen do well in our area. Combined with her information, I have the basis for many interesting experiments.

The book's main drawback is that plant directory (the bulk of the book) is not as fully illustrated as I would have liked. I suspect that the solution is to look up the formal botanical names on the Internet to find photographs that illustrate what's being described.

Ms. Junker has obviously forgotten more about woodland gardens than I'll ever know. It's great to be able to draw on her experience and ideas.

Nice work, Ms. Junker!

A useful book, 25 Jun 2007
A great book. Very practical with lots of helpful ideas. One of the best gardening books I have, and I have lots!

Wonderful book!, 21 Nov 2008
Living in a Mediterranean area and finding a total lack of suitable plants for sale in the nurseries, has made me more and more interested in getting gardening in this climate right. I have read or bought all available books on the subject and this is the best by far. The research is thorough, plants well explained and beautifully photographed. Anyone gardening responsibly in a mediterranean climate needs to own this wonderful book.

Lots of ideas for that tricky part of the garden, 21 Dec 2008
Ask any gardener which part of the garden is a problem and they will almost always say 'that shady spot over there'. With this book, the problem is solved in 101 ways.

There's the usual suspects such as ferns, Dicentra and Astilbe, but that's not all. There's even shade tolerant Clematis on show, a plant usually noted for liking its head in the sunshine, even if its feet does prefer shade. Suggestions can be found for both dry and damp shaded areas.

The book is divided into several sections. The first four cover each season in turn, so there's no excuse for not having all-round interest in a shady garden. The final three cover year-round interest, walls and ground-cover, thus completing a comprehensive guide that's clearly laid out and with a good photograph of each plant suggested.

With this guide any shady border can be cheered and brightened immeasurably.

quintessential drywall, 13 Jan 2006
This book thoroughly covers the subject and now introduces the latest automated taping equipment available. Whilst this is an American publication all the Drywall application in the UK uses American/Canadian equipment and even tapes. Great finishes are possible with the simplest of equipment though and it should be borne in mind that the end result is dependent on the quality of the original boarding/sheeting job. It is entirely possible and indeed desireable that the finish matches that of the plasterer, provided the speed at reaching that finish is greater then the decision to use this technique has been justified. Still trying to catch on in the UK this book will thoroughly convert any Drywall sceptics.

A good Starter Guide, 21 Jan 2008
Very good book with basic techniques. The drawings could have been a bit better, but the content is sound. I have been working in conservation for 18 years and see this book as an excellent starter guide.

This is a good book!!, 21 Jan 2008
The last reviewer gave this book a fairly drab showing, but it does not in any way deserve this. I am a master craftsman stone mason and I have also been dry stone walling for over 32 years in Scotland and Wales. OK, the cover photo is a bit dreary, but you should not judge a book by its cover. I have read this book from front to back and have found it an ideal guide for my budding dry stone wallers. It is a beginners guide, when all said and done. The techniques are very sound in my opinion and would advise anyone who is thinking about starting this type of work to buy it.

this book is a waste of paper, 11 Jan 2008
DRY STONE WALLING


Andy Radford

The Crowood Press
128 Pages
Black and white photos and line diagrams.
2001, First Edition.

Andy Radford, is a journalist and sometime photographer, now author of a number of books relating to practical work in the countryside. Based in North Wales at the time of writing this, his first book he also ran a landscape business.
This practical guide to walling starts with a bit of background on walling history and the terminology associated with walling, tools etc., including an excessive description on the construction oif a batter frame. It then deals with various aspects of walling through "projects" the author has worked on. The longest section is "Basic Walling Technique", but we are also taken through walling on slopes, curves, retaining walls a inter alia. The text generally says the right things although you get the feeling that you've heard it all before. Occasionally it is a little naive or misleading for the uninitiated `most stone will easily dress`, sometimes plain daft suggesting that you will save stone by building a corner rather than a curve somehow defying the laws of physics.

Then there's the photos... It takes a brave man (or a fool) to admit to having had anything to do with the cover let alone attaching the idea that it is `practical and attractive`. Another one where the waller is shown `tying the wall into the existing structure` (having noted that elsewhere the wall should be dismantled to a sound structure or some such) had me a little flabbergasted. Then there's `levelling the wall ready for the through-band` pride of place centre shot is a face stone not only "traced" but stood on edge, I've just about recovered from the hysterics. These photos and others definitely give the impression that the writer doesn't really know what he's talking about.

Presumably aimed at those with a bit of wall to do in their garden it is likely to be of limited use, for others even more so. The only apparently original text relates to walling on slopes. I found this particularly confusing so you'll pardon me for questioning how well others would understand it. It also has some ideas with the uses of batter frames on slopes which for a variety of technical reasons would either not work or would be pointless. Perhaps interestingly this section is not based on a project. It smacks of being an academic idea never really executed in practice. But then judging from the photos it might be that the author has tried it and just not appreciated that it doesn't actually work.

There is a short section on "variations on the craft" which bears striking resemblance to the content of a number of DSWA leaflets, and other publications. You cannot copyright dry stone walling per se, it would be possible to sit down and write a book from scratch and not say anything that had not been previously printed. However what disturbs me most about this book in this respect is that it hasn't even got a bibliography and does not even pay lip service to other's endeavours. Does the author really expect us to believe that he's never read another walling book or done any research. Mind you if it wasn't for the striking similarity of diagrams and some text/format, perhaps I would actually believe him.

You might have heard of the metaphor of dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants used by Newton amongst others, to refer to having great insights as a result of the work of others, not necessarily a bad thing if you are breaking new ground. However I feel here Nietzsche`s interpretation is more apposite he argues "that a dwarf (the academic scholar) brings even the most sublime heights down to his level of understanding" (wikipedia).

Perhaps alarmingly as I wrote this review I discovered the author had just written a book on "Building Natural Stone Garden Features". Unfortunately as I aim to own a copy of every work published on the craft I will have to get a copy, I shall just wait for it to be remaindered. Unless you want a really good laugh and have plenty of spare cash take a very experienced DSWA advanced dry stone wallers advice, found on line: "On no account get Andy Radford`s book .... the worst book on walling ever. Just don`t encourage him, OK!"


A Guide to Dry Stone Walling, 11 Mar 2007
Another good book by this author. Very absorbing a thorough walling guide. Usually I find it hard to follow instructions but this in written in such a way that makes it fairly easy to follow.

low water no water garden, 14 Dec 2008
I wish I had read other reviews. This is the old book with a new cover and title - is that fair? Do yourself a favour and buy a bottle of wine instead.

Reprint of previous book with new title, 01 Oct 2008
It was difficult to know how to rate this. If you've already got Pattie Barron's Make Your Own Mediterranean Garden then you don't want this. I've been waiting months for this book to come out as she's an excellent writer. It finally arrived today and I was very disappointed to see that it's just a reprint of her previous book mentioned above. That book is my favourite on the subject and I gave it 5 stars. This is just a cheap copy with everything reduced - small print and small pictures. I feel that retitling a repackaged book is just an attempt to deceive people into buying another copy. Do yourself a favour and buy the bigger one!

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas were intriguing to me. In addition, she drew my attention to ornamental tall and intermediate trees and plants that could provide some interesting variety in our woodland.

To me, the photographs helped the most. I could identify flowering plants by name that I've seen do well in our area. Combined with her information, I have the basis for many interesting experiments.

The book's main drawback is that plant directory (the bulk of the book) is not as fully illustrated as I would have liked. I suspect that the solution is to look up the formal botanical names on the Internet to find photographs that illustrate what's being described.

Ms. Junker has obviously forgotten more about woodland gardens than I'll ever know. It's great to be able to draw on her experience and ideas.

Nice work, Ms. Junker!

A useful book, 25 Jun 2007
A great book. Very practical with lots of helpful ideas. One of the best gardening books I have, and I have lots!

Wonderful book!, 21 Nov 2008
Living in a Mediterranean area and finding a total lack of suitable plants for sale in the nurseries, has made me more and more interested in getting gardening in this climate right. I have read or bought all available books on the subject and this is the best by far. The research is thorough, plants well explained and beautifully photographed. Anyone gardening responsibly in a mediterranean climate needs to own this wonderful book.

Lots of ideas for that tricky part of the garden, 21 Dec 2008
Ask any gardener which part of the garden is a problem and they will almost always say 'that shady spot over there'. With this book, the problem is solved in 101 ways.

There's the usual suspects such as ferns, Dicentra and Astilbe, but that's not all. There's even shade tolerant Clematis on show, a plant usually noted for liking its head in the sunshine, even if its feet does prefer shade. Suggestions can be found for both dry and damp shaded areas.

The book is divided into several sections. The first four cover each season in turn, so there's no excuse for not having all-round interest in a shady garden. The final three cover year-round interest, walls and ground-cover, thus completing a comprehensive guide that's clearly laid out and with a good photograph of each plant suggested.

With this guide any shady border can be cheered and brightened immeasurably.

quintessential drywall, 13 Jan 2006
This book thoroughly covers the subject and now introduces the latest automated taping equipment available. Whilst this is an American publication all the Drywall application in the UK uses American/Canadian equipment and even tapes. Great finishes are possible with the simplest of equipment though and it should be borne in mind that the end result is dependent on the quality of the original boarding/sheeting job. It is entirely possible and indeed desireable that the finish matches that of the plasterer, provided the speed at reaching that finish is greater then the decision to use this technique has been justified. Still trying to catch on in the UK this book will thoroughly convert any Drywall sceptics.

A good Starter Guide, 21 Jan 2008
Very good book with basic techniques. The drawings could have been a bit better, but the content is sound. I have been working in conservation for 18 years and see this book as an excellent starter guide.

This is a good book!!, 21 Jan 2008
The last reviewer gave this book a fairly drab showing, but it does not in any way deserve this. I am a master craftsman stone mason and I have also been dry stone walling for over 32 years in Scotland and Wales. OK, the cover photo is a bit dreary, but you should not judge a book by its cover. I have read this book from front to back and have found it an ideal guide for my budding dry stone wallers. It is a beginners guide, when all said and done. The techniques are very sound in my opinion and would advise anyone who is thinking about starting this type of work to buy it.

this book is a waste of paper, 11 Jan 2008
DRY STONE WALLING


Andy Radford

The Crowood Press
128 Pages
Black and white photos and line diagrams.
2001, First Edition.

Andy Radford, is a journalist and sometime photographer, now author of a number of books relating to practical work in the countryside. Based in North Wales at the time of writing this, his first book he also ran a landscape business.
This practical guide to walling starts with a bit of background on walling history and the terminology associated with walling, tools etc., including an excessive description on the construction oif a batter frame. It then deals with various aspects of walling through "projects" the author has worked on. The longest section is "Basic Walling Technique", but we are also taken through walling on slopes, curves, retaining walls a inter alia. The text generally says the right things although you get the feeling that you've heard it all before. Occasionally it is a little naive or misleading for the uninitiated `most stone will easily dress`, sometimes plain daft suggesting that you will save stone by building a corner rather than a curve somehow defying the laws of physics.

Then there's the photos... It takes a brave man (or a fool) to admit to having had anything to do with the cover let alone attaching the idea that it is `practical and attractive`. Another one where the waller is shown `tying the wall into the existing structure` (having noted that elsewhere the wall should be dismantled to a sound structure or some such) had me a little flabbergasted. Then there's `levelling the wall ready for the through-band` pride of place centre shot is a face stone not only "traced" but stood on edge, I've just about recovered from the hysterics. These photos and others definitely give the impression that the writer doesn't really know what he's talking about.

Presumably aimed at those with a bit of wall to do in their garden it is likely to be of limited use, for others even more so. The only apparently original text relates to walling on slopes. I found this particularly confusing so you'll pardon me for questioning how well others would understand it. It also has some ideas with the uses of batter frames on slopes which for a variety of technical reasons would either not work or would be pointless. Perhaps interestingly this section is not based on a project. It smacks of being an academic idea never really executed in practice. But then judging from the photos it might be that the author has tried it and just not appreciated that it doesn't actually work.

There is a short section on "variations on the craft" which bears striking resemblance to the content of a number of DSWA leaflets, and other publications. You cannot copyright dry stone walling per se, it would be possible to sit down and write a book from scratch and not say anything that had not been previously printed. However what disturbs me most about this book in this respect is that it hasn't even got a bibliography and does not even pay lip service to other's endeavours. Does the author really expect us to believe that he's never read another walling book or done any research. Mind you if it wasn't for the striking similarity of diagrams and some text/format, perhaps I would actually believe him.

You might have heard of the metaphor of dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants used by Newton amongst others, to refer to having great insights as a result of the work of others, not necessarily a bad thing if you are breaking new ground. However I feel here Nietzsche`s interpretation is more apposite he argues "that a dwarf (the academic scholar) brings even the most sublime heights down to his level of understanding" (wikipedia).

Perhaps alarmingly as I wrote this review I discovered the author had just written a book on "Building Natural Stone Garden Features". Unfortunately as I aim to own a copy of every work published on the craft I will have to get a copy, I shall just wait for it to be remaindered. Unless you want a really good laugh and have plenty of spare cash take a very experienced DSWA advanced dry stone wallers advice, found on line: "On no account get Andy Radford`s book .... the worst book on walling ever. Just don`t encourage him, OK!"


A Guide to Dry Stone Walling, 11 Mar 2007
Another good book by this author. Very absorbing a thorough walling guide. Usually I find it hard to follow instructions but this in written in such a way that makes it fairly easy to follow.

low water no water garden, 14 Dec 2008
I wish I had read other reviews. This is the old book with a new cover and title - is that fair? Do yourself a favour and buy a bottle of wine instead.

Reprint of previous book with new title, 01 Oct 2008
It was difficult to know how to rate this. If you've already got Pattie Barron's Make Your Own Mediterranean Garden then you don't want this. I've been waiting months for this book to come out as she's an excellent writer. It finally arrived today and I was very disappointed to see that it's just a reprint of her previous book mentioned above. That book is my favourite on the subject and I gave it 5 stars. This is just a cheap copy with everything reduced - small print and small pictures. I feel that retitling a repackaged book is just an attempt to deceive people into buying another copy. Do yourself a favour and buy the bigger one!

Stylish coffee table book, 11 Jun 2008
Heidi Gildemeister's first book was an alphabetical list of mediterranean plants, very thorough and very beautifully presented. This second book makes no attempt (thank goodness) to improve on the first, instead offers a look at "types" of gardens that have proven successful in Mediterranean climates, offering advice on how this can be copied in your own garden. A beautifully presented book, wonderful lush photographs, and interesting pose. I love to flick through the pages and gain inspiration for my own garden.

sound advice on drought-resistant gardening, 12 May 2008
Following her excellent first book, mediterranean gardening, a waterwise approach, I felt rather let down by this second book. For my taste, too much text is based on her personal opinion and taste rather than on how to achieve success. Gardeners wanting to create a worthwhile garden under trying, dry circumstances are not (in my opinion) looking for a style guru, but rather practical, encouraging advice.

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas were intriguing to me. In addition, she drew my attention to ornamental tall and intermediate trees and plants that could provide some interesting variety in our woodland.

To me, the photographs helped the most. I could identify flowering plants by name that I've seen do well in our area. Combined with her information, I have the basis for many interesting experiments.

The book's main drawback is that plant directory (the bulk of the book) is not as fully illustrated as I would have liked. I suspect that the solution is to look up the formal botanical names on the Internet to find photographs that illustrate what's being described.

Ms. Junker has obviously forgotten more about woodland gardens than I'll ever know. It's great to be able to draw on her experience and ideas.

Nice work, Ms. Junker!

A useful book, 25 Jun 2007
A great book. Very practical with lots of helpful ideas. One of the best gardening books I have, and I have lots!

Wonderful book!, 21 Nov 2008
Living in a Mediterranean area and finding a total lack of suitable plants for sale in the nurseries, has made me more and more interested in getting gardening in this climate right. I have read or bought all available books on the subject and this is the best by far. The research is thorough, plants well explained and beautifully photographed. Anyone gardening responsibly in a mediterranean climate needs to own this wonderful book.

Lots of ideas for that tricky part of the garden, 21 Dec 2008
Ask any gardener which part of the garden is a problem and they will almost always say 'that shady spot over there'. With this book, the problem is solved in 101 ways.

There's the usual suspects such as ferns, Dicentra and Astilbe, but that's not all. There's even shade tolerant Clematis on show, a plant usually noted for liking its head in the sunshine, even if its feet does prefer shade. Suggestions can be found for both dry and damp shaded areas.

The book is divided into several sections. The first four cover each season in turn, so there's no excuse for not having all-round interest in a shady garden. The final three cover year-round interest, walls and ground-cover, thus completing a comprehensive guide that's clearly laid out and with a good photograph of each plant suggested.

With this guide any shady border can be cheered and brightened immeasurably.

quintessential drywall, 13 Jan 2006
This book thoroughly covers the subject and now introduces the latest automated taping equipment available. Whilst this is an American publication all the Drywall application in the UK uses American/Canadian equipment and even tapes. Great finishes are possible with the simplest of equipment though and it should be borne in mind that the end result is dependent on the quality of the original boarding/sheeting job. It is entirely possible and indeed desireable that the finish matches that of the plasterer, provided the speed at reaching that finish is greater then the decision to use this technique has been justified. Still trying to catch on in the UK this book will thoroughly convert any Drywall sceptics.

A good Starter Guide, 21 Jan 2008
Very good book with basic techniques. The drawings could have been a bit better, but the content is sound. I have been working in conservation for 18 years and see this book as an excellent starter guide.

This is a good book!!, 21 Jan 2008
The last reviewer gave this book a fairly drab showing, but it does not in any way deserve this. I am a master craftsman stone mason and I have also been dry stone walling for over 32 years in Scotland and Wales. OK, the cover photo is a bit dreary, but you should not judge a book by its cover. I have read this book from front to back and have found it an ideal guide for my budding dry stone wallers. It is a beginners guide, when all said and done. The techniques are very sound in my opinion and would advise anyone who is thinking about starting this type of work to buy it.

this book is a waste of paper, 11 Jan 2008
DRY STONE WALLING


Andy Radford

The Crowood Press
128 Pages
Black and white photos and line diagrams.
2001, First Edition.

Andy Radford, is a journalist and sometime photographer, now author of a number of books relating to practical work in the countryside. Based in North Wales at the time of writing this, his first book he also ran a landscape business.
This practical guide to walling starts with a bit of background on walling history and the terminology associated with walling, tools etc., including an excessive description on the construction oif a batter frame. It then deals with various aspects of walling through "projects" the author has worked on. The longest section is "Basic Walling Technique", but we are also taken through walling on slopes, curves, retaining walls a inter alia. The text generally says the right things although you get the feeling that you've heard it all before. Occasionally it is a little naive or misleading for the uninitiated `most stone will easily dress`, sometimes plain daft suggesting that you will save stone by building a corner rather than a curve somehow defying the laws of physics.

Then there's the photos... It takes a brave man (or a fool) to admit to having had anything to do with the cover let alone attaching the idea that it is `practical and attractive`. Another one where the waller is shown `tying the wall into the existing structure` (having noted that elsewhere the wall should be dismantled to a sound structure or some such) had me a little flabbergasted. Then there's `levelling the wall ready for the through-band` pride of place centre shot is a face stone not only "traced" but stood on edge, I've just about recovered from the hysterics. These photos and others definitely give the impression that the writer doesn't really know what he's talking about.

Presumably aimed at those with a bit of wall to do in their garden it is likely to be of limited use, for others even more so. The only apparently original text relates to walling on slopes. I found this particularly confusing so you'll pardon me for questioning how well others would understand it. It also has some ideas with the uses of batter frames on slopes which for a variety of technical reasons would either not work or would be pointless. Perhaps interestingly this section is not based on a project. It smacks of being an academic idea never really executed in practice. But then judging from the photos it might be that the author has tried it and just not appreciated that it doesn't actually work.

There is a short section on "variations on the craft" which bears striking resemblance to the content of a number of DSWA leaflets, and other publications. You cannot copyright dry stone walling per se, it would be possible to sit down and write a book from scratch and not say anything that had not been previously printed. However what disturbs me most about this book in this respect is that it hasn't even got a bibliography and does not even pay lip service to other's endeavours. Does the author really expect us to believe that he's never read another walling book or done any research. Mind you if it wasn't for the striking similarity of diagrams and some text/format, perhaps I would actually believe him.

You might have heard of the metaphor of dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants used by Newton amongst others, to refer to having great insights as a result of the work of others, not necessarily a bad thing if you are breaking new ground. However I feel here Nietzsche`s interpretation is more apposite he argues "that a dwarf (the academic scholar) brings even the most sublime heights down to his level of understanding" (wikipedia).

Perhaps alarmingly as I wrote this review I discovered the author had just written a book on "Building Natural Stone Garden Features". Unfortunately as I aim to own a copy of every work published on the craft I will have to get a copy, I shall just wait for it to be remaindered. Unless you want a really good laugh and have plenty of spare cash take a very experienced DSWA advanced dry stone wallers advice, found on line: "On no account get Andy Radford`s book .... the worst book on walling ever. Just don`t encourage him, OK!"


A Guide to Dry Stone Walling, 11 Mar 2007
Another good book by this author. Very absorbing a thorough walling guide. Usually I find it hard to follow instructions but this in written in such a way that makes it fairly easy to follow.

low water no water garden, 14 Dec 2008
I wish I had read other reviews. This is the old book with a new cover and title - is that fair? Do yourself a favour and buy a bottle of wine instead.

Reprint of previous book with new title, 01 Oct 2008
It was difficult to know how to rate this. If you've already got Pattie Barron's Make Your Own Mediterranean Garden then you don't want this. I've been waiting months for this book to come out as she's an excellent writer. It finally arrived today and I was very disappointed to see that it's just a reprint of her previous book mentioned above. That book is my favourite on the subject and I gave it 5 stars. This is just a cheap copy with everything reduced - small print and small pictures. I feel that retitling a repackaged book is just an attempt to deceive people into buying another copy. Do yourself a favour and buy the bigger one!

Stylish coffee table book, 11 Jun 2008
Heidi Gildemeister's first book was an alphabetical list of mediterranean plants, very thorough and very beautifully presented. This second book makes no attempt (thank goodness) to improve on the first, instead offers a look at "types" of gardens that have proven successful in Mediterranean climates, offering advice on how this can be copied in your own garden. A beautifully presented book, wonderful lush photographs, and interesting pose. I love to flick through the pages and gain inspiration for my own garden.

sound advice on drought-resistant gardening, 12 May 2008
Following her excellent first book, mediterranean gardening, a waterwise approach, I felt rather let down by this second book. For my taste, too much text is based on her personal opinion and taste rather than on how to achieve success. Gardeners wanting to create a worthwhile garden under trying, dry circumstances are not (in my opinion) looking for a style guru, but rather practical, encouraging advice.

The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas, 09 Jun 2004
An absolutely brilliant book and a must have for all gardeners even if you are not a Hosta enthusiast. The production is lavish with a comprehensive review and superb colour pictures of current Hosta cultivars with equally well written sections on the history and cultivation of this genus. If you were to buy one book on Hostas this should be the one!

Dry or Damp - It's garden Flair..., 04 Jan 2001
First published in 1978, followed by The Damp Garden 4 years later, this volume was written with a lot of love, care and flair.

Chatto is the goddess of new perennial planting in the UK, although not associated directly to any particular movement.

It is Chatto's integrity that augments her plant knowledge. She plants, writes, and sells unusual plants... A modern Gertrude Jekyll with a twist!

Excellent Design Ideas Combined with Plant Profiles and Photographs: Check with Your Nursery for Local Versions That Winter Well, 01 Aug 2007
If you live in Somerset, England, this book will be an irreplaceable guide to improving your woodland . . . or creating one from scratch. Ms. Junker is from Somerset, and her perspective is heavily dependent on those growing conditions. If you live someplace that's much colder, you'll need to check on the plants that interest you to see if they survive the winters in your area. To help with that, Ms. Junker provides a list of places where you can see woodland plants in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as nurseries that have display gardens to demonstrate woodland plant concepts. The gardens and nurseries may not be right next door, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip.

The book opens with Ms. Junker's concepts for a woodland garden, taking it from the perspective of not having a tree canopy through to already having one. She favors thinking of your woodland garden in three layers: the canopy of tall trees, intermediate plants (like rhododendrons), and flowering plants that will do well on the woodland floor (especially bulbs and ferns). She talks helpfully about how to deal with spaces of all sizes and degrees of being wooded.

I found the book very helpful since our property is heavily wooded with many intermediate layer flowering plants. But we haven't done much with the ground layer, so the book's ideas