The Flamboyant Garden

by Elisabeth Sheldon, Dency Kane (Photographer)

The classic English garden writers have rather cautiously advocated the use of hot colors in the garden, either by surrounding small bursts of warm color with masses of cool flowers and foliage, or by marshaling a great many plants into enormous borders over a large area and then carefully orchestrating the gradations of color. In The Flamboyant Garden, Elisabeth Sheldon provides an alternative to the inherited conservatism and impracticality of English a separate hot-color garden, an enclosed space that vibrates with combinations of orange, red, strong yellow, vermilion, and purple.
Illustrated by the stunning photography of Dency Kane, The Flamboyant Garden is designed for those who love flaming colors but have been unable to successfully incorporate them into their refined pastel borders. Though her own New York State garden is in the somewhat chilly Zone 5, Sheldon also offers advice for gardeners in climates that are warmer and therefore even better suited to these hot-color varieties. With useful suggestions for formal design, for building materials that enhance the flowers' colors, and for balancing color combinations - as well as a master plant list comprised of perennials, bulbs and tubers, annuals, and vines and shrubs - Sheldon will help you enliven your garden with a distinctly American style.

Genres: Gardening

159 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good focused discussion on creating a specific type of garden for color and sun with planting lists and gorgeous photos.