| The Boxed Garden |
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| Reviewed by Harmonious Living | |
| Wednesday, 13 February 2008 | |
   Author: Paul Bangay  ‘Designs for small spaces’, is the claim on the cover of this book but at first glance this does not seem to be the case. Paging through its glossy pages you will find a surprising lack of plans for the small garden to draw inspiration from, ones to slavishly reproduce in your handkerchief garden, or if truth be told give you the desire to actually read this book. Don’t be put off though, it is well worth the read.Packed with text this is not one of those books with little boxes of case studies, or important, noteworthy information, a book that you can just dip into to read the bits you’re interested in, you need to read it all. From the title you may be thinking “I don’t have a boxed garden, so is this a book for me?” Well although it’s is geared towards the small garden, the concepts covered are just as valid for a small area of a larger garden, so don’t worry, you will find it useful. Paul Bangay reveals that after much experimentation and years of experience he has evolved a style to design small gardens, formal. This may sound stuffy and old-fashioned, but after further reading it is the principles of formal gardens that he wants to emulate, the symmetry, simplicity and clean lines, all of which can be effectively applied to the smallest space. In this book he has strived to help readers understand the principles underlying good design and the wide number of possibilities presented by even a small space. The examples presented are not likely to be to everyone’s taste but you will still glean valuable information from going through them. The emphasis is also less on planting and more on hard landscaping which is more practical for a small space and is also in-line with the principles of water-wise gardening. He starts with a case study of his own first garden, breaking it down into the building blocks that you will need for your small garden. He then covers all these components in greater detail, presenting the various options available and factors that you might need to take into consideration (this book is set in the Australian context so you will find many of the climatic considerations similar). The components covered in the chapters are; fundamentals (levels & retaining walls, hard & soft surfaces, steps, walls, fences & gates), ornamentation (urns, statues, busts and niches, sundials, obelisks, pots, decorative trellises), water (ornamentals pools, fountains, swimming pools), plants and living in the garden (outdoor dining furniture, garden seats, poolside furniture, barbeques, lighting). At the end of this book you will certainly feel more equipped to tackle your own garden, building the design layer by layer until you have your Moroccan, Indian, Mediterranean, Japanese, African or indigenous dream. |
This is the powerful story of the author's struggle with Multiple Sclerosis and how a healer's unusual prescription of mindful altruism - to 'give away 29 gifts in 29 days' - ignited her energy, her happiness, and invited more abundance into her life.
