Small Space Gardening-Book Review

Read About Garden Landscaping by Garden Writer Melinda Myers

May 7, 2008

Small Space Gardening by Melinda Myers explores the challenges of creating a garden using less space. Read a book review outlining this valuable garden reference.

Small Space Gardening starts with an introduction by the author, Melinda Myers. Gardeners will find the author’s personalized inclusive writing style and garden instruction easy to read. The five chapters guide the gardener through the process of creating or revamping a garden space.

Analyzing Garden Space

Chapter One helps a gardener assess garden space. An important character of this garden book is the heightened value placed on balconies, patios and decks, even driveways, when searching for potential garden space. This chapter addresses everything from screening views to issues with septic tanks.

Throughout the book “Can’t Miss Tip” boxes offer tidbits of useful garden suggestions. Analyzing includes useful tools such as a design survey, an excellent brainstorming tool, step-by-step sketches and a highlighted box deciphering the age-old garden quandary, “What Is Partial Shade?”

Designing Small Gardens

This chapter focuses on the basic principles used laying out a garden design, for large or small properties. A color wheel and design diagram templates are located in the back of the book. A description of how to make a vertical planter is included in this chapter.

Although the plant directory is in chapter five, highlighted boxes inside other chapters offer additional plant information about dwarf conifers, ground covers, vines and plants for container gardens. The icons used in the plant directory were omitted from the highlighted boxes, leaving out some useful information.

Maintaining Gardens

This chapter on maintaining the garden space is an excellent reference to keep handy. The concise, step-by-step instructions, accompanied by photographs, will help gardeners with any garden style. Subjects addressed in this chapter include:

Urban Gardening

Chapter Four has many sections describing garden techniques used in container, roof, and urban gardening. Melinda Myers addresses the areas between houses city gardeners struggle to plant. In another section the author describes developing an espalier, a technique used to grow a fruit tree in small spaces.

Plants for Small Garden Spaces

The Plant Directory is the major portion of Chapter Five. The icon key efficiently offers additional information about each plant. Also located here, are several web site addresses about invasive plants. The directory is missing specific suggestions for cultivars and varieties; plan to research in-depth plant information elsewhere.

Plant Index Ideas

The Plant Index is helpful, but a glossary of garden terms is absent. New gardeners can expect to need additional resources to explain some garden terms or phrases used in the book.

Melinda Myers is a Wisconsin garden author with more than 25 years of horticulture experience. Among other writing and public speaking successes, the author is a contributing editor and columnist for Birds & Blooms magazine and hosts the PBS television program “Great Lakes Gardener.”

Garden Book by Cool Springs Press

Garden readers will find Small Space Gardening is an excellent book for designing and maintaining a small outside planting space.

The copyright of the article Small Space Gardening-Book Review in Gardening Products is owned by Christine Eirschele. Permission to republish Small Space Gardening-Book Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.