Whether you're looking for design advice, ideas for gardening more sustainably, ways to support wildlife or a glimpse into the growing spaces of fellow plant lovers, there's a book for you in this batch of reviews. Find out why we loved them!
We Are the ARK
by Mary Reynolds
(Timber Press, 2022)
In We Are the ARK, Mary Reynolds argues for a radical shift in how and why we garden. Reading that sentence, you may assume the book is an angry or didactic one, but in fact it is not. Reynolds is passionate about her views, but she writes in a way that welcomes the reader and, moreover, never shames the reader. Her approachable voice combines with Ruth Evans’s whimsical illustrations to invite an imagining of how we might try to shift at least part of our outdoor space back into the hands of nature.
Reynolds is an Irish self-described “reformed landscape designer.” She has worked all over the world creating gardens that won great praise. But when she became aware of the sharp decline in biodiversity that our planet faces—a peril usually overshadowed by the problem of climate change—she became an advocate for returning land to nature, rather than designing gardens to please people. She believes the goal in gardening should be to nurture a space—be it an acreage, an edge of the back yard or a handful of pots on a balcony—as a native ecosystem, rather than as decoration. She does acknowledge that gardening is a creative act, and that creativity is vital to our own species; however she wants people to be creative without harming other creatures.
Reynolds calls such a space “an ARK for the earth.” Those letters stand for Acts of Restorative Kindness. So, a garden that is an ARK performs a constant kindness to the earth. It’s based on native plants that provide for native animals and insects. Color, texture and other trappings of traditional garden design are not considered in an aesthetic way.
To make her case, Reynolds provides some basics on ecology and what nature needs in order to maintain balance and she points out what human activities that contribute to biodecline. Then she jumps into the “how” of making and keeping an ARK, with suggested actions that range from baby steps to drastic change—broadening the book’s appeal to readers at very different points along the ecological gardening path.
Her advice covers general plant choice (the book is written for a global audience) and placement, which revolves around key layers. There is maintenance involved in ARKing, especially as nature is getting re-established. She encourages outreach—talking to neighbors, fellow gardeners and people in positions of power—so that ARKs become more accepted and mainstream, because their strength will truly lie in their numbers.
American Roots
by Nick McCullough, Allison McCullough & Teresa Woodard
(Timber Press, 2022)
This book must have been an absolute pleasure to put together. American Roots was created by Nick McCullough, a garden designer; his wife Allison McCullough, the creative director for their family’s design firm; and garden writer Teresa Woodard. The trio is Midwest based, but they set out across the United States in search of an American gardening style. The resulting book shows the country’s gardens as pieces of one beautiful crazy quilt—with joy the thread stitching them together.
Alongside the McCulloughs and Woodard, the reader gets to explore the home gardens of horticulture professionals and passionate hobby gardeners in each region of the US. These “garden visits” provide insight and backstory from the gardeners. They also showcase plants that are specialties of each region and the natural and cultural backdrop that informs the a gardening style.
Similar to the book’s authors, many of the gardeners they visit also enjoy traveling and experiencing well-known gardens within the US and abroad. We get to see how these gardeners have translated concepts witnessed elsewhere to suit their particular climate, plant palette and lifestyle.
And then, in kind, each garden profile includes some practical or design advice from the gardener, plus a list of favorite plants and why they love them—so we really feel like we’ve visited the garden and come out with some usable takeaways to adapt at home. In this way, American Roots serves as not just a celebration of US gardening styles but also of our far-reaching gardening community, to which its readers are warmly welcomed.
100 Plants to Feed the Birds
by Laura Erickson
(Storey Publishing, 2023)
Author Laura Erickson is a bird expert based in Minnesota, but this book applies to all areas of the country. It offers just the right mix of specific and general advice to help readers design a landscape supportive of birds, with plants that will succeed in their climate.
Erickson maintains that we should engage in bird gardening in addition to just putting out bird feeders. She explains that planting for birds is important because plants perform multiple services, such as providing nest sites or cover, and they can offer various benefits to birds throughout their lifespan. For example, she points out that even immature trees and shrubs that aren’t fruiting yet are beneficial because they may host insects that birds eat.
The book is organized into two sections. The first covers general design of the garden, while the second part helps readers choose just what to plant.
Erickson explains how to plan plantings that support birds over the course of the year, which results in more numbers and types of birds visiting in each season—and builds a garden with interesting color and texture in all 12 months. She covers how to arrange the plants and incorporate other elements, like water.
The meaty plant section divides plants by type (trees, shrubs, perennials, vines and more) and then by genus. For each genus, Erickson provides interesting commentary and highlights some key species. She discusses certain birds that are attracted to each plant, why and when. Rounding out the usefulness of the genus entries, each one includes a United States map shaded to show areas with native species; general growing preferences; and symbols that indicate benefits such as the type of food supplied, whether it’s good for nesting, what other organisms it supports and more.
With its engaging text and lovely photos of plants as well as feathered friends, this book will put readers well on their way to building healthy habitat for birds.
Beyond the Garden
by Dana Davidsen
(Princeton Architectural Press, 2022)
In Beyond the Garden, Dana Davidsen, a landscape designer and writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area, explores ecological garden design by visiting 18 home landscapes in the United Kingdom and from each region of the United States. The gardens are organized into four chapters that each focus on a different aspect of ecological design: Engaging Natural Systems; Restoration and Conservation; Building Biodiversity; Environmental Stewardship. Davidsen’s journeys combine to paint for the reader a complete picture of the goals and strategies of ecological garden designers.
Each garden visit includes plentiful and often large photographs alongside text that describes the project through the point of view of the designer. (All of these gardens were professionally designed.) The designers talk about the needs of the client as well as the site history and the characteristics, challenges and opportunities afforded by the local climate. The commentary that Davidsen sought from these professionals provides invaluable insight for readers, be they in the trade or a home gardener seeking ways to make a landscape mesh better with its natural surroundings. That’s what the showcased gardens for the most part do—they go “beyond the garden” to marry a designed landscape with the wild.
Because the gardens profiled exist in very different spots on the planet and run the gamuts from tiny to vast and rural to urban, we get to see diverse climates, styles and planting palettes, along with innovative ways that designers cope with extremes of weather—which may have been typical in one region for many years but are becoming more of an issue in other regions today. This sharing of successful strategies is a great benefit of the book in our changing climate.
While Davidsen includes good specifics on the mechanics of each place—in other words, how the elements function—she also lets the reader imagine how the aesthetics could be applied elsewhere with different plants and materials. Again this comes back to the insight shared by the designers—their thought processes in making choices.
Field Guide to Outside Style
by Ryan McEnaney
(Cool Springs Press, 2022)
New homeowners, novice gardeners and gardening downsizers alike will find helpful advice in Ryan McEnaney’s Field Guide to Outside Style, a truly unique take on DIY garden design. This is a fun-to-read, easy-to-follow book that provides a solid introduction to planning outdoor spaces while fostering a deep appreciation of plants.
McEnaney himself is a fifth-generation plantsman and a new homeowner. The family business is Bailey Nurseries, a Minnesota-based breeding facility and wholesaler that has brought us Endless Summer hydrangeas, Easy Elegance roses and many other favorite shrubs. Don’t worry, though—the book is not at all a marketing piece for Bailey plants. McEnaney focuses on garden design through most of the chapters, and when it comes time to recommend specific plants, he puts forth a broad selection.
The book aims to help readers create a solid foundation or framework for their gardens, in which they can continue to hone their own style. Through relatable explanations and creative exercises, McEnaney teaches the reader how to look at other gardens and landscapes, whether in person, in print or online, and pick out what works and why. But he makes a great point about distinguishing between gardens we find beautiful and what we like for our own spaces—because these might not be the same thing. The lesson we learn is how to define what we like about a garden and then translate it for our own personality (and climate). In this digital age, McEnaney also acknowledges the perils of social media and encourages readers to take a grain of salt along with the inspiration found on Instagram.
Readers will learn about all the basics needed to start designing, like understanding light levels, soil type and the like; but McEnaney offers additional practical advice too, like how to think for the long term and short term and how to create a realistic budget for both money and time. He also provides three archetype garden styles—traditional, modern and naturalistic—and shows how each would be applied to an example property. The book concludes with “Recipe Cards” that state a goal and a climate and provide a combination of several plants that would work.
Field Guide to Outside Style is a truly useful book for the do-it-yourselfer, but McEnaney never forgets to keep it fun.
