Small space gardens - David Stevens

A small garden can be beautiful, low maintenance, sheltered, intimate and fun. Good design, both inside and outside the home is timeless and is based on sound principles. "Small Space Gardens" takes you through the entire planning sequence, providing a progressive organizational sequence that melds interior, exterior and borrowed landscape into an elegant, practical and integrated whole. The first chapter demonstrates how to analyze your existing space what you have in your garden already, what you want to keep and what you will need to introduce, from furniture to lighting techniques to walls and paths. This will help you decide what you want from your garden whether it is an eating area or play zone, herbs or barbeques. It then goes on to look at the planning of your new garden how best to maximize the space that you have. It shows how to use dividers, paths, walls and raised areas to create separate areas and hidden corners. Many people think of plants and planting in the initial planning stages, when in reality it is the spatial framework which must come first.Once this is established, the planting can then breathe life into the garden, and the chapter on planting strategy will help you formulate a considered plan to create colour, texture and atmosphere.

David Stevens is one of the leading contemporary gardening designers in the world. He has won over 26 awards at the Chelsea Flower Show, including an impressive 11 gold medals in addition to international recognition, the latest at the International Garden Competition in Japan. David Stevens is the author of over 18 books and has presented several television and radio series for the BBC. David is also the horticultural consultant for B&Q.

A well-designed garden, be it 10ft square or an acre or more, not only gives the owner a great deal of pleasure but adds value to any property. But getting the design right can be difficult and the smaller the space, the harder it tends to become. Renowned garden designer David Stevens sets out to assist those with cramped plots make the most of them and enhance their home with the addition of a well-thought out green oasis. From contemporary to classical, Stevens is not averse to the inclusion of modern materials such as corrugated iron, cement and ornate mulches which feature together with the more traditional wood, stone and terracotta. He shows how simplicity can be the key to a small garden and, conversely, the use of large plants. Normally thought too big for such small areas, he demonstrates how they offer height and perspective to the plot, concealing boundaries and thereby visually enlarging the space. Covering design, planting, ornamentation, water features, lighting and more, this is a comprehensive guide to making the most of a tiny garden. Beautifully photographed and informatively written,this is a superior, professional look at a subject often glossed over or over-glossed in other publications. - Lucy Watson