Bold Visions for the Garden [Paperback]

As one of the most assured garden designers on the contemporary scene, Hartlage follows in the tradition of influential figures in the "Hort" world who have penned their guiding principles. Like Gertrude Jekyll and Thomas Church before him, Hartlage contributes to an ongoing dialogue among garden makers. Entrusting a vision where artistry together with a sense of adventure result in uniquely personal garden spaces, Hartlage assumes the role of guide to budding green thumbs and mentor to ambitious horticulturists who could benefit from a jump start. A range of possibilities must be reckoned with before setting out to create a garden. But boundless prospects can be overwhelming, so Hartlage breaks it down. How is the garden to be used? Moreover, what myriad ways can setting and architecture, scale and plantings, color, light, and special features contribute to the achievement of an individualized sanctuary? To his credit, Hartlage sets forth a refreshingly catholic stance rather than mandating a specific style. An invigorating effort, brimming with the author's striking photographs. Alice Joyce
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In his stunning debut book, Bold Visions for the Garden, Richard W. Hartlage encourages readers to embrace gardening as the best of all the creative arts-an endeavor that includes color, form, texture, sound, sequence, and place. Sympathetic to the limitations of time, space, and budget that most gardeners face, Hartlage explains how planning and planting well, together with the willingness to be daring, helps the gardener to achieve great drama in the garden. For example, one doesn't need a big-budget garden sculpture to make a statement. Instead, painting exterior walls cobalt can mirror the sky, or an ochre color will provide welcoming warmth-a strategy that requires only a willingness to be bold and to use a little elbow grease. Or, think big-instead of planting small plants in a small space, plant giant reed grass to tower overhead, making your visitors feel pleasantly dwarfed by such fanfare. Like an artist sharing his secrets for painting a dramatic scene on a small canvas, Hartlage offers gardeners tips on the use of contrast, scale, and light. His inspiring insights and suggestions, together with his beautiful photographs, will provide both beginning and seasoned gardeners with the resolve and the tools they need to achieve new visions of their own.

An exuberant, sassy, and visually dazzling lesson in making a "garden with guts"!