Reviews
Five-Plant Gardens: 52 Ways to Grow a Perennial Garden with Just Five Plants by Nancy J. Ondra
felinity's review against another edition
5.0
Written for novice gardeners, or those who are new to planning a garden, this book is an ideal introduction. It has easy-to-follow and informative instructions for both planting and garden maintenance, suitable for anyone but especially suited to beginners. The introduction explains why the five-plant idea, and that these are garden plans designed for minimal maintenance once the plants are established. The book is divided into two sections: full/partial sun and full/partial shade; each contains a variety of plans in different shapes, not just squares or borders. Each garden plan has a theme, whether color, season, or special requirement (heat-tolerance, waterlogged, sloping, borders, for fragrance, for cut flowers, surrounding the house, to attract birds/butterflies/hummingbirds or to deter deer, for coastal/salt-affected areas, for dry shade - a particular problem of mine - and many more).
Each garden plan contains clear and beautiful pictures of the individual plants, and includes sun and soil requirements, zones, suggested quantities, planting instructions and alternate plants for if you're in the wrong zone, can't find the others or just want to mix it up a little. The pages are attractive and eye-catching, highlighting the plants themselves rather than the text (as it should be). Some shapes are simple, but there are more complex designs for multiple plantings while others have variants to allow for steps, pathways, benches, or decorative features.
Each plan shows an overhead outline-style layout (think house plan) and also a representation of how it will look once planted (think architect's colored drawing), making it ideal for someone who can't picture the completed garden from a list, or who wants something that combines height, seasonal variation and texture to look more attractive. For each design, there is also a "Season by Season" description of how this garden will look and what work should be done, and a "Digging Deeper" section with more information, such as the best places to use this particular plan, suggestions for expanding seasonal interest by adding other plants for color or earlier/later blooming, or more detailed explanations about terms such as "deadheading" and "mulching".
I wish the zone map had been at the front of the book rather than the back, as many novice planters will not know which zone they're in, but this did not prevent my thoughtful musings as to which plans I'd like to implement and in which order! I had expected some sort of encouraging conclusion, or perhaps an index of the plants included, but maybe that will be present in the final published version. This is a minor criticism, and it did not detract from my enjoyment of the pages. This is a great reference book, and I wish I'd found it before making costly mistakes on my own!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Each garden plan contains clear and beautiful pictures of the individual plants, and includes sun and soil requirements, zones, suggested quantities, planting instructions and alternate plants for if you're in the wrong zone, can't find the others or just want to mix it up a little. The pages are attractive and eye-catching, highlighting the plants themselves rather than the text (as it should be). Some shapes are simple, but there are more complex designs for multiple plantings while others have variants to allow for steps, pathways, benches, or decorative features.
Each plan shows an overhead outline-style layout (think house plan) and also a representation of how it will look once planted (think architect's colored drawing), making it ideal for someone who can't picture the completed garden from a list, or who wants something that combines height, seasonal variation and texture to look more attractive. For each design, there is also a "Season by Season" description of how this garden will look and what work should be done, and a "Digging Deeper" section with more information, such as the best places to use this particular plan, suggestions for expanding seasonal interest by adding other plants for color or earlier/later blooming, or more detailed explanations about terms such as "deadheading" and "mulching".
I wish the zone map had been at the front of the book rather than the back, as many novice planters will not know which zone they're in, but this did not prevent my thoughtful musings as to which plans I'd like to implement and in which order! I had expected some sort of encouraging conclusion, or perhaps an index of the plants included, but maybe that will be present in the final published version. This is a minor criticism, and it did not detract from my enjoyment of the pages. This is a great reference book, and I wish I'd found it before making costly mistakes on my own!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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