RHS Small Garden Handbook

'RHS Small Garden Handbook...show[s] the process of planning, planting and maintaining an outdoor space that will lift your heart every time you step outside.' - The Independent 'Clear and practical principles of design' - BBC Gardens IllustratedA garden offers invaluable space for relaxing entertaining, and, above all, enjoying the huge pleasure of growing your own flowers, shrubs, trees, and crops. However, a small garden can present challenges to even the most experience gardener: it may be overlooked, which can impact upon your privacy; there may be more shade than you would like; and it may not be immediately obvious how to create a space that is both multifunctional and beautiful. RHS Small Garden Handbook provides an all-in-one guide for small space gardeners and draws on the experience in growing, planting, landscaping and design for which the RHS is world famous. It begins by explaining how to assess your plot so that you are aware of the soil, orientation, microclimate, existing materials and proportions that you have to work with, before revealing the principles of good design. Showing how your decisions on layout, colour and texture will affect the finished design and what tricks can be played to create a greater sense of space - with everything from expert design advice on boundaries, hedges and fences to clever ideas for containers and storage - every gardener will gain confidence in creating a garden to enjoy no matter how big the plot. Each of the nine chapters includes 15 ways to make instant improvements and a real-life case study to inspire change. All the gardens featured in the book's 300 photographs are accessible, achievable and truly inspirational.Contents Includes...BasicsDesign StylesMaterialsBoundariesStructuresWater PlantingUpkeep... and much much more!

Andrew Wilson is a founding Director of The London School of Garden Design and an award winning garden designer, lecturer and writer. He is Chief Assessor for the RHS for show gardens and has been assessing and judging for over 12 years, mainly at Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows. He writes a regular column for Gardens Illustrated and has contributed to a series of books, including Influential Gardeners, The Book of Garden Plans and the Book of Plans for Small Gardens (all Mitchell Beazley). He is also the founding editor of The Garden Design Journal and regularly contributes to the RHS journal The Garden.