Tropical Garden Design

Rating:
Summary: BALI FEVER
Review: I absolutely LOVE this book. I actually misplaced it and couldn't live without it, went straight to the bookstore to buy another. The title is Tropical Garden Design not HOW to design a tropical garden (for all you reviewers thinking this book would teach you how to design a tropical garden.) I thought the pictures were more than enough to inspire you anyway. THANK YOU SO MUCH MADE WIJAYA, THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!!!!!! I NOW HAVE BALI FEVER!!!


Rating:
Summary: stunning
Review: I picked this book up because of its beautiful cover. The inside was just as gorgeous. Wonderful pictures of Bali and other tropical places. I have it out on my coffee table because I want to look at it all the time. You want to enter the pictures and stay there!

Rating:
Summary: You will not learn how to design a tropical garden with this
Review: If you are looking for a "How to" book then this is not it. It has nice pictures of tropical greenery but I did not see any outstanding "designed" tropical gardens in the book. A big disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: Great way to overcome winter blahs!
Review: If you are suffering from winter blahs, Tropical Garden Design by Made Wijaya is the perfect way for you to escape. Although this book was written as a useful resource for tropical gardeners, it is also a lovely coffee table book for gardeners in colder climates. There are dozens of photos of lush tropical gardens in this book.

Tropical Garden Design begins with a history of tropical gardens. Because of Wijaya's writing style, this chapter is fun to read. The photos of the different tropical garden types are an added bonus.

Chapter two dives right into how to create a Balinese garden. This chapter discusses how to get the Balinese feel and there are many photos, but it is not a step by step garden plan.

As I moved on to Courtyards, Patios, and Terraces, I was excited to see an actual planting plan for a courtyard. There are also many pictures that will provide inspiration. I especially enjoyed the many different examples of stone used in the garden.

Chapters four and five cover water gardens and swimming pools. Again, the pictures are lovely, and chapter five does include one planting plan.

Planting schemes are discussed in chapter six. There are dozens of photos showing different planting schemes. Chapter seven covers tropical plants, but only touches on one or two of each species.

The final chapter of Tropical Garden Design discusses garden art. Again, there are many lovely photos.

The book ends with an appendix that includes information on Villa Bebek, a tropical home and garden, as well as a useful listing of trees and shrubs that flower in the wet season.

Tropical Garden Design is filled with lovely photos. This book was written to showcase Wijaya's work and to talk about the way he designs tropical gardens, so has few actual garden plans. If you are looking for a how to book, you will be disappointed. However, if you want to escape the winter blahs or if you are designing a tropical garden and need some inspiration, make sure you don't miss Tropical Garden Design.


Rating:
Summary: Tropical Garden Design
Review: Made Wijaya, southeast Asia's most successful landscape artist (he has designed four hundred tropical gardens worldwide including the U.S. ambassador's house in Jakarta), has put out a captivating volume of tropical garden color photos highlighting his adopted home island of Bali. Tropical Garden Design shows off Bali at its luxurious palm and bamboo best: feast your eyes on floating pavilions, water gardens, walled compounds, planted terraces, patios, and his own personal havens in Sanur and Villa Bebek. It successfully wows the reader with its green, sunlit images of Bali's cornucopia of artistically enhanced earthly delights.

Rating:
Summary: Nice picture book, No how-to
Review: This is a beautiful picture book to pick up and browse and transport yourself to the wonderful tropical gardens displayed in large colorful photographs throughout the book. If you are actually planning on designing a tropical garden as the title implies--forget it. There is little practical how-to information that is found in the book. The one page devoted to palms doesn't say much more that they are vital.The chapter on the brief history of early tropical gardens is the strongest chapter in the book.

Rating:
Summary: Witty Writing and Fine Photographs
Review: With chatty wit, the inexhaustible landscape designer Made Wijaya seemingly shares all his knowledge of tropical gardens. Wijaya (born Michael White in Australia) known for his intimate knowledge and appreciation of the Balinese culture, reveals a well-traveled, discerning eye for garden style in a wide area of the Asia-Pacific tropics. Richly illustrated with sketches and fine photography, this has the appearance of a coffee table book. Yet Wijaya's anecdotes and criticisms make for a good read. While the author does not get into the nitty-gritty gardener's how-to's, it is an indispensable reference book for anyone wanting to learn more about tropical landscaping.

To impart an understanding of the tropical vernacular, Wijaya brings out a variety of sources for illustration. One entire chapter is devoted to an historical overview of the tropical garden, and it is peppered with old prints and photographs. Throughout the book are paintings, colonial-era vignettes, and nicely drafted sketches. Also useful is Wijaya's list of (mostly) Asian gardens that can be visited for reference or pure enjoyment of the tropical garden. Although the author includes a list of plants that flower in the wet season, there is no other list of botanicals, which would greatly assist the reader seriously involved in garden design. Tropical Garden Design is a style book, and a very entertaining one, at that.