The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs

Finally a book for a beginner that makes sense. I've read the first chapter and said, "Aha!!" and "Oh that's what that means! at least twice. I believe that even as I become a more advanced gardener, I will still refer to this book often. The plants are cross-referenced lots of different ways so that if you want a plant that yellow, you can look it up. If you want a plant that easy to care for, you can look that up too. If you know the Latin name, you can look up the common name for most plants. There is alot of information about color theory in a garden. The author explains everything in easy to understand terms with a sense of humor.There is one thing that I'd like to suggest. The author spends alot of time referring to plants by their latin names especially in the photos. I've seen a plant in a photo that just knocked me out and I wanted to get one. It's an extra step to have to stop, mark your place, and look it up in the index to find out what it's called in the real world. It would be better to call them by their common names under the photos.This is very small complaint in a book that is excellent!! I spent part of my plant money for this year on this book and I believe that I have spent my money well. Buy this Book!!!

Ever read a garden book and feel like it contains tons of recycled information - like one of those notorious fruitcakes that goes from home to home every Christmas? This time around, the author dares to express some rather unique, even radical, viewpoints about garden design and color combinations. If you're a traditionalist, you might be a bit intimidated by some of the suggestions but this is an opportunity to let your gardening creativity take root (pun intended). Perhaps you'll discvoer, as I did, that certain plants just "click" togehter,even though their colors seem unharmonious at first glance. If you follow DiSabato-Aust's guideline, you may well have the most beautiful garden on the block and find yourself falling in love with your yard again. There are lists of plants, suggested placement in relation to other plants and plenty of information about growing requirements. But it is the originality of this one that sets it apart. Beginner or expert gardener, you'll glean tons of valuable info!

I've heard other gardeners talk about Tracy's books and what an inspiration they are, so I bought "The Well-Designed Mixed Garden" expecting to learn some GREAT ideas for my gardens. It has some good information on principles of design and how to work with color, texture, and so on. But I was disappointed at how weak and uninspiring the section is on plant combinations. She calls it an "encyclopedia of plant combinations," and the section is full of photos of flowers and plants she thinks are winning combinations. The combinations mostly have no real visual appeal, the photos (in that section) are plain, and it's a wasted section of the book. I think there was only one of these combinations that actually looked beautiful. Most of these photos were from her own garden, and perhaps she let her personal affection for her own gardens cloud her judgment on what to include.I like the rest of the book, however, and her examples of garden designs in other parts of the book have good photos and design layout drawings that are quite useful.

I odered several gardening books at once, this one took me a while to get into-I usually browse thru them first-do yourself a favor and start this at the beginning and really read it-I must say it gives you a great understanding of color, value, balance and plants- just everything you would need to plan and execute good garden design. It is fun to read, extremely useful and every so often the author writes the funniest 'gardening truths' that make you laugh out loud and know EXACTLY what she is talking about! This is not just a pretty gardening book it is a very honest hands on gardening type of book that really would help any gardener present their own planting style with great success. Wonderful book-I now take it with me everywhere to read when I can.

I have always put trees, bushes, flowers, etc. in my yard that I liked wherever they might fit which met their sun, pH, and soil moisture requirements. Years later I'd wonder why my garden beds never looked tidy. This is the information I didn't have, but needed. It will take a very long time to fix the poor choices I've made. Perhaps that haphazard look isn't so bad...

When I ordered this book I was hoping for designs showing garden beds combining trees, shrubs and perennials effectively. I am disappointed that the border designs are lacking structure provided by trees and shrubs and appear to contain mostly perennials. This type of garden is too high maintenance for me and lacks four season interest. I could not find even one spirea or abelia in any of the designs and only one viburnum variety. I suppose I will use this book more for selecting perennials.

Being new to perennial gardening I have bought many magazines and books on perennials but found that Tracy's book The Well Tended Perennial Garden and The Well Designed Mixed Garden have saved me!! My love for perennials have grown stronger after reading her book's! I have only been working on my gardens for about 4 years and they continue to get bigger each year but now with Tracy's books I have lost a lot less plants and my garden looks better than ever!!

I liked this a lot, as we've got a large yard and needed some great plants to fill in some blank places! This book is full of GREAT ideas!!!

A must have book in my opinion if you want to have a garden full of a mix of perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, bulbs etc. Lots of great advice with inspiring pictures. Highly recommended for the creative gardener.

A big book with many pictures and lots infirmation. Extra star for the customer service. Buy from this seller with confidence

Gives me information about gardening that cannot be found in most books by English Authors. Well worth the money and would recommend top serious gardeners.

I'm in love with perennials and I've learned a lot of useful and practical information on how to choose, plant and maintain them thanks to this book.Never read anything as useful and complete as this book. If you want to buy only one book on perennials, buy this one.

Very nice. Any landscaper or designer could benefit from this book