Shady Retreats: 20 Plans for Colorful, Private Spaces in Your Backyard

Rating:
Summary: A reward book for gardeners
Review: Reward yourself for gardening. Most of the gardeners I know love to get their hands in the dirt and work at whatever it takes to make their garden beautiful. But there comes a time to sit back, either alone or with friends and family, and just enjoy what you have created. This book gives you plans for twenty shady retreats where you can sit back, relax and just enjoy.

Each of the 20 retreats is shown in a painting by Gary Palmer (the idea of a painting rather than a photograph is a novel approach and it worked well with this topic) and a detailed design layout is provided too. I would have found it helpful if more construction details were included, but this is an idea book rather than a how-to book.

The strength of this book lies in the recurring themes such "Colour in the Shade" and "Ideas for Great Design" that enrich each of the major designs. There are also ideas of plants to selct for each and a goodly list of favourite shade plants at the end of the book.

The illustrations throughout the book are right on target with the theme and illustrate ways to incorporate your own requirements - peace? an active area? a working space? entertaining? - into a design for a shady retreat.

Definitely a reward book. Every gardener deserves a shady retreat like these.