The Natural Garden

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Written by the garden editor of House Beautiful , this shows the novice gardener how to resist ``fighting the elements'' in a binge of ``perpetual care'' and instead transform a backyard from a dull lawn, ``disciplined beds of annuals, and brutally pruned shrubs'' into a haven of indigenous flora confirming the ``mood'' of a natural setting. The book presents the fundamentals of landscape structure--gardens are divided into formal ``inner,'' colorful ``in-between'' and informal ``outer'' areas--and Druse devotes a chapter to each of various natural and man-made elements (water, rocks, bulbs, grasses) necessary to a unified design. A portfolio of eight gardens (e.g., a seaside garden, an urban garden) is inspiring, but would have been more useful had planting diagrams been included with selected plant lists. A case is made for growing native trees and unpruned shrubs. Although some drawbacks to his methods go unmentioned (unmown grass harbors rodents, slugs thrive under some mulches), Druse stresses that even a low-maintenance garden requires much work. Lists of plants, nurseries, suppliers et al., conclude a well-rounded offering. (Mar . )