1,000 Garden Ideas: The Best of Everything in a Visual Sourcebook

THE BEST OF EVERYTHING A GARDENER COULD WISH FOR

In more than forty years of travel, Stafford Cliffand#8212;designer and gardenerand#8212;has gathered a planetand#8217;s worth of inspiration on elements to enhance a garden. The result is 1000 Garden Ideas, a visual encyclopedia bursting with just about every garden idea ever invented by man or inspired by nature, artfully presented in more than 1000 photographs.

Plantings may be the essence of the garden, whether itand#8217;s a tiny patch in the backyard or acres of land extending for as far as the eye can see. But elements worthy of the planting can take a garden to unique and exciting new heights.

With a designerand#8217;s eye and a gardenerand#8217;s heart, Cliff has assembled an endless array of ideas, from all over the world, to make a garden more personal: fences and pools, paths and benches, statues and waterfalls, borders and bridgesand#8212; even birdhouses and follies. Within each category are hundreds of illustrated examples, ranging from traditional to contemporary; from simple to complex; from homey and rustic to downright Byzantine. Itand#8217;s all here, whatever your taste, your need, or your fantasy.

And if youand#8217;re breathless with so many choices, Stafford Cliff is there to help you arrive at the best decisions for your own particular space, through a series of questions:

and#8226;Do you want privacy or maximum light?

and#8226;Do you envision a contrast to the style of your home or neighborhood, or complete harmony?

and#8226;Do you prefer peace and quiet, or the soothing sounds of rustling leaves, bubbling water, and bird song? Thereand#8217;s glorious visual advice on plants and plantings: what kinds of containers to put them in; how to use them in your space; what to surround them with; and much more. In addition, an extensive list of suppliers makes it possible for you to turn inspiration into reality. If youand#8217;re a seasoned gardener, or even if youand#8217;re an aspiring one, this is a book for you, lush with ideas for the garden of your dreams.

From many years of touring gardens around the world, this British design consultant/art director presents inspirational ideas in a volume jam-packed with briefly introduced collages of color photographs showing classic and modern garden hardscaping and landscaping designs (e.g., fences, paths, statues, rocks, pergolas, topiary). Plants are treated as generic color spots. The sourcebook includes a directory of suppliers. Cliff is the author of several noted books on home design. First published in 2007 by Quadrille Publishing Ltd., London. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A complete sourcebook of inspiration and reference.

For over 40 years author and innovative designer Stafford Cliff has visited hundreds of gardens in the course of his travels around the world. With his unique designer's eye and his gardener's imagination, he has photographed the cleverest solutions, the most original choicesand#8212;the best of everything a gardener could dream of.

This fascinating book brings together those images in kaleidoscopic juxtaposition, creating, for the first time, a complete sourcebook of inspiration and reference on all the best ideas for outdoor spacesand#8212;the plants, the paths, the ponds, and the pots are all shown. And if you've ever thought of a new front fence, an ornamental gate, a water feature in a container, a sundial, or a seat, they're here, too. A veritable visual scrapbook to delight the eye, with the quirky alongside the classic, the modern set against the rustic. And, as practical as it is inspiring, the book also includes a directory of suppliers so that readers can turn inspiration into reality.

• An unrivaled source of ideas for every possible element of the garden
• The quirky, the classic, the modern, the traditional, all brought together in this informational and inspirational collection
• A unique archive of photographs, taken all over the world.

Stafford Cliff has spent a lifetime shedding light on the subject of home. He designed the groundbreaking The House Book, the biggest-selling home book of all time. As creative director of Conran Design Group, he designed catalogs, brochures, and corporate identities for a wide range of clients, and as a design consultant and author, has produced more than 60 books on design and home. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction 10
Gates 12
Walls andamp; Fences 20
Tiles, Paths andamp; Paving 34
Edging 46
Steps 52
Pots 60
Chairs, Seats andamp; Benches 80
Statues andamp; Other Objects 104
Rocks 120
Water: Pools, Fountains andamp; Bridges 128
Pergolas, Gazebos andamp; Follies 148
Parterres, Hedges andamp; Topiary 158
Vistas 168
Color 180
Useful Addresses 204
Acknowledgments 208