[.uk] Planting Design Illustrated (1)

Book Description:
One of the most significant books on Landscaping! This is one of the most comprehensive books on Planting Design. It fills in the blank in this field and introduces poetry, painting and symbolism into Planting Design. It covers in detail the two major systems in Planting Design: Formal Planting Design and Naturalistic Planting Design. It has numerous line drawings and photos to illustrate the Planting Design concepts and principles. Through in-depth discussions of historical precedents and practical case studies, it uncovers the fundamental design principles and concepts as well as underpinning philosophy for Planting Design. It is an indispensable reference book for Landscape Architecture students, designers, architects, urban planners and ordinary garden lovers.

Planting Design Illustrated:
I am delighted with this book because I am a Master Gardener and I also an expert in Feng Shui. He has mentioned the role of symbolisim in relation to the planting and I feel that is also a great part of building your planting design. This book will help you set up your spaces easily and provide just the right pattern that will suit your property. I like his easy to understand photos of laying out areas in different forms and I especially liked the Motif pattern and I plan on using that in my landscaping designs this spring. Chen has captured all of the details that sometimes are forgotten by architects in designing our properties.

Fantastic content - stirs the imagination:
This book was enriching. What I liked most about this book was it made me feel like I was being advised by a professional with an open point of view. This is not a paint-by-the-numbers book, but a work that will stir your imagination. It is an excellent resource for both professional and novice. Planting Design Illustrated is full of useful information. It provided me a practical and philosophical edge on planting my next garden. I am not a professional landscaper, but I do love to design with plants. I was challenged at first by the writing style but once I became used to it, I discovered information that will help me when expanding my 2 acre meditation garden in Costa Rica. Chen brings concepts and places them along side practice. It proves to stir the imagination for those putting the shovel to the soil. If you want to design your home landscape or like me, bite off more than you can chew with a large project, then this book should be read first. Planting design will help you create a strong foundation for your landscape and gardens to grow on. If this book had had some professional editing I would have given it 5 stars. It's a great resource for those serious about doing things with both awareness and good technique. However the content is a serious 5 stars.

Gang Chen's creates a workbook for garden planning:
I am both a recreational gardener and am in the horticulture profession. This book is helpful to anyone planning a new garden or renovating an older garden. Chen explains spatial layering, planning for five senses and four seasons in a way that assists both the layman and the professional. The list of plants is organized to plan for scale and is easy to adapt to your gardening zone. Drawings are easy to understand and pictures are representative of what the author is trying to convey.

Descriptive and Very Informative:
This book on Planting Design is extremely descriptive and very informative having been written by a capable Architect. As a previous City Planner, I wish, I had such a thorough text as this when doing site plan reviews and landscaping requirements. It would be my suggestion to a reader who is interested in the Planting Design approach on a personal scale, to dedicate some general review time of this text, gaining orientation to some of the technical terminology as found in this fine text on Planting Design. Specifically, the study presented on the early historical Oriental contributions to formal or informal gardens certainly would serve as a useful guideline for future construction of any gardens. I found Chapter 6 especially informative in a complete and easy story manner. It dealt with Planting Design principles, concepts, and methods coupled with Oriental case studies. This is a perfect study tool for landscape design and planting; readily applicable to the home landscape. The early Oriental uses of planting designs as described provide an informative insight into the cultural aspects of plant material evolution into today's usage. The historical correlation of bamboo to the various reflection of human nature aspects is very enlightening. My recommendation suggests one take the time to gain an oversight by reviewing the index and gently viewing each chapter's heading with descriptions. Then delve more intently to possibly uncommon plant design terminology such as "scale", "heavenly creations", "mass planting" or much more. While this is not a "picture" book on design, it is packed with information and data that can be applied to any scale or size project. It does not require a "castle" to enjoy the same feelings found in the early, large gardens in France or the Orient based on these elements of Planting Design as narrated in this text. For individuals wishing to spend time creating wonderful gardens, keep in mind what you learn regarding the "basic spatial relationships" to plants, structures, and man. Although I had a some prior knowledge of landscape design and requirements when I was approving plans for commercial projects, I personally feel this text is an excellent study and informational tool for anyone interested in Planting Design.

Great Book for The Novice or Professional:
Planting Design Illustrated by Gang Chen seems to me to be possibly the only book one would need to read to understand all the basics involved in good design. I read this book as a complete novice concerning plants and planting design and found that it was easy to read and understand. Showed it to some of my gardening friends and they found it equally fascinating. This book seems to me to be the Feng Shui of planting design too. I loved everything about it. The illustrations were perfect also...not too complex, but full of every detail needed to understand what the author was talking about. The only thing that would make this book better would be a CD/DVD of the illustrations! This book will become my planting design bible! Planting Design Illustrated