Today, the reality of a "bigger is better" garden no longer holds the same allure as a "small is beautiful" one. We're busy, we're aging, and the demands of the garden can feel overwhelming. What to do? Make smarter use of the space we have and the plants we select, says garden expert Kerry Ann Mendez. In The Right-Size Flower Garden, she shares her successful recipe for having a garden we can manage and love again...the right-size, low maintenance, drought tolerant garden. The goal is ditching 50% of the work by choosing high-value plants and making simple design changes. You'll learn which plants to switch out, which ones aren't worth the effort, and which tools and practices will take the "chore" out of gardening. The Right-Size Flower Garden is filled with beautiful full-color photos, practical tips, "plant this not that" lists, and valuable shortcuts to success.
Industry Reviews
The pretty pictures we're used to are here in Mendez' book, including befores-and-afters of her own right-sized perennial beds. She also suggests plants for easy care or best use of small space as well as fussy, time-sucking plants to avoid.
But if you're wondering how to simplify and where to begin, Mendez will talk you through it like a kind friend. And that, as La Martha might say, is a good thing. -- Helen & Sarah Battersby * Book Review: Three books for small-space gardeners *
"The Right-Size Flower Garden: Simplify Your Outdoor Space with Smart Design Solutions and Plant Choices" (St. Lynn's Press) is a guide for garden enthusiasts and "plantaholics" who find they have more than they can handle in their landscapes. The culprit, typically, is overplanting, choosing the wrong plants - or simply the advance of time. -- Kari Richardson * 'Right-Size Flower Garden' helps gardeners downsize tasks, cultivate joy *
The book, "The Right-Size Flower Garden," provides excellent suggestions to simplify the garden by selecting the right plants and using a few smart gardening techniques. -- Sue Kittek * Tips for getting seedlings to thrive *
The Right-size Flower Garden isn't an encyclopedia of plants for a low-maintenance garden. It's a hand-holding workbook that encourages over-gardeners to prune, pluck and otherwise eliminate the most likely culprits that enslave us. -- Jean Starr * Cure for Over-gardening: The Right-size Flower Garden *
The Right-Size Flower Garden by Kerry Ann Mendez (St. Lynn's Press) is liberating. Many of us want gorgeous landscaping, bountiful veggie gardens and yards that make our neighbors jealous. Often we spend an extraordinary amount of time and money to obtain those results. When we fall short, we become disappointed and the yard doesn't look its best. (We have all said, "That used to be a great yard until the new people moved in.")
Mendez suggests admitting you may not have the desire or energy to maintain the garden you think you should have. -- Jill Sell * Read Now. Plant Later. New spring books provide plenty of inspiration for homeowners' gardens. *
It's the right idea at the right time for boomers and others who still love to garden - or spend time outdoors - but don't have the time (or healthy backs) to keep up their former hectic pace. -- Debbie Arrington * Right-size your garden for ease of care *
