Your First Garden: A Landscape Primer for New Home Owners

In her latest book, accomplished garden writer Judith Adam targets new homeowners in the brand new, still-to-be landscaped suburbs. Creating an attractive setting for a brand-new house is a high priority and hard to resist, as all improvements will add to the property's resale value as well as the enjoyment of the new home. With a light hand Judith Adam outlines the basic steps toward transforming an empty yard into a welcoming, appealing space, beginning with identifying a personal garden style and assessing the pros and cons of a site, then choosing, planting and maintaining plants. Your First Garden is a primer on the basic elements of landscape design and garden creation: planning for scale and balance, colour selection, and architectural features are all landscape elements that homeowners must understand. With a plan in hand the owner can then visit a garden centre using the expert advice on how to evaluate healthy plants. To help with plant selection there is a valuable annotated lists of annuals, perennials and shrubs for building a garden that blooms all season.