Stone in the Garden: Inspiring Designs and Practical Projects

by Gordon Hayward

How to use stone―in walls, walkways, terraces, and more―to create beautiful, lasting gardens. Stone furnishes the framework, the structure, and the sense of permanence that transforms gardens. Whether in the form of retaining walls or benches, terraces or walkways, as bold standing stones or as boulders at the edge of a small stream or pond, stone lends a garden focus, providing the perfect foil to plants. 125 color photographs, 100 drawings

Genres: Gardening

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite additions to my garden, immediately following the plant life. It starts out with walls: freestanding and retaining. Gorgeous and enviable color photos inspire and the numerous tips help you achieve that same result.

Onto walkways. Much the same, from rustic, more natural looking to the intricately designed. Steps, landings, and all underfoot are exalted.

Stone as art follows, from huge boulders naturally placed to rock gardens. Mossy or wedged with succulents, they shine.

Water and stone, of course. Ponds, streams, fountains, rills, waterfalls. The calming effect in a woodland area.

Benches, fence posts, rooms, all utilizing nature’s everlasting gifts.

An extensive grouping of drawn out plans, how to’s finalize this gift. Bountiful design techniques, with hands on tips for the very images presented throughout the book. Most helpful. Instructions are always useful to help achieve ones desires.

[Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got some good ideas from reading this informative book. Good history on some of the types of paths and the way stone has been used.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gordon is a good teacher. He repeats concepts in different ways until the student has grasped the lesson. I liked the lessons about stones in this book way more than the lessons about how big a garden should be in the book of his I read previously. That seemed like too much math, but I can grasp that 1/3 of a stone should be buried.
My favorite stone gardens in this book were the water garden made on top of the foundation of an old silo, and the standing stones (sunk 1/3 of their length into the ground) that mark the entrance to Gordon's woods garden.
He must be seven feet tall, because he remarked that he could rest his arm on top of these 4 foot columns like on a newel post!

[Chris Brimmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful pictures, good ideas and advice

[Linda Harkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains exquisite photos and many wonderful ideas for garden paths.