On the Bookshelf: P. Allen Smith's Garden Home

I did the majority of my adulting in big city apartments. I learned a lot. However, none of that learning included gardening. Fast forever several years and now I’m living in a house in the suburbs, with a toddler and a backyard.

For the first couple of years here, everything was neglected. There was a wedding to plan, honeymoon, then baby. The baby became the catalyst for attempting some gardening. Turns out, when you have a baby/toddler, you are actually constantly going outside. Eventually, the sad plants started to get under my skin. While planning, I found my way to this book. Written by P. Allen Smith (who was a PBS television host), it has become one of my favorite books.

Firstly, I should confess that my gardening knowledge is the step before beginner. And this is not a beginner gardening book, but it changed the way I thought about how the yard should look as Allen explained how to create garden “rooms” and how to frame a view. He writes about how to color, texture, pattern and rhythm. It also happens to appeal to my personal outdoor style — he goes for more of a “natural” look.

The book is filled with great ideas for how to create little garden moments and outdoor “rooms” For me, it somehow makes it a little easier to envision what to do what it’s broken up like this. There are so many ideas for projects and color schemes. It’s just a fantastic book filled with design tips.