“Gardening was something I learned in my youth. I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers”
- Claude Monet

Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926) created a magnificent five-acre garden that he considered to be his greatest artistic achievement. It was restored in 1980 and is now the most visited garden of its size in the Western world. With its spectacular color combinations and distinctive structural elements, the Monet garden at Giverny, France, inspires the dreams of thousands of gardeners.

Award-winning garden writer and photographer Derek Fell has visited Giverny many times and always admired the beauty of its plantings and the subtle balance of colors. After years of carefully studying Monet’s design and plantings, he shares the artist’s secrets. In The Magic of Monet’s Garden, Fell reveals Monet’s breathtaking color harmonies and describes how the artist “painted” his living masterpiece. He guides the reader on how to scale down Monet’s ideas for the home garden, with attention to:

• Understanding the laws of colors
• Building color harmonies
• Creating innovative combinations
• Recognizing the power of monochromatic plantings
• Using black in the garden
• Working with structure and form
• Building rhythm and surprise
• Capitalizing on sunlight and shadow
• Incorporating water features
• Attracting birds and butterflies.

With 175 color photographs and illustrations and a dozen detailed planting plans, The Magic of Monet’s Garden will inspire and instruct home gardeners to create their own versions of Giverny.

Author: Derek Fell
Hardcover:  160 pages
Company: Firefly Books  (2007-08-17)
ISBN: 1554072778
List Price: $35.00
Amazon Price: $23.10
Used Price: $21.94

More: continued here

Bookmark to:

What could be more appealing than the riot of shapes, colors, and textures to be found in the flower-cutting garden interspersed with outdoor sculpture and concrete water fountains? It is easy to start one with just some basic design and planning tips.
What is a Cutting Garden?
The cut flower garden is designed to be functional by the nature of its very existence. Cutting gardens first began in the 16th Century for the purpose of bringing them inside to decorate the house and this tradition continues to this very day. Nearby concrete fountains were common not only for drinking water, but also for watering the garden plants.
A large cutting garden makes the perfect setting for weddings and other events and gatherings. Many people don0t have large spaces to dedicate to a cutting garden alone, but a perennial border left with blank spaces will suffice quite nicely for cutting flowers to be brought inside.
A Cutting Garden Should be Informal

Combining flowers, fruits, herbs, and vegetables, the cutting garden (also called cut flower garden) style is the perfect solution for today’s busy gardener who wants a gorgeous garden and also wants to be environmentally responsible. Instead of depending on pesticides and fertilizers to achieve a […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles

Bookmark to:

The biography of a remarkable garden designer who hugely influenced the course of garden design and planting in the years between the two World Wars.

Author: Allyson Hayward
Hardcover:  256 pages
Company: Frances Lincoln  (2007-10-25)
ISBN: 0711225249
List Price: $65.00
Amazon Price: $42.50

More: continued here

Bookmark to: