Planting Companions - Hardcover

Jill Billington has created a guide to companion planting of ornamental plants that considers not only color, but also form, texture, growth patterns, and soil compatibility for the best results. It's very much in the mold of the current fad of beautiful garden books with a roughly equal amount of nicely laid-out text and utterly sensuous photography. That this makes it more of a coffee-table volume of what some people call "garden porn" than a serious garden planner shouldn't deter those looking for just a smidgen of design advice rather than a wheelbarrow full of it; for what it is, it's a very pretty book indeed.

Noted garden designer Billington (The Summer Garden, Ward, 1997) here presents harmonious plant groupings in a well-integrated and readable text that ranges from an overall picture of gardens (both formal and informal) to planting for visual effects. After describing specialized gardens, e.g., woodland, bog, and others, she covers growth, size, and habits; relative sizes and both three-season and three- and five-year plans are also given, with plant data. Of bibliographic interest are the plant index, citing temperature range zones, and well-known garden photographer Nichols's acknowledgments of the gardens he photographed. Comparable to Rosemary Verey's Making of a Garden (LJ 12/95); highly recommended for all gardening collections.?Daniel Kalk, Lib. Lecturer, Enfield, Ct.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.