The Nonstop Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide to Smart Plant Choices and Four-Season Designs

by Jennifer Benner, Jennifer Benner

With hectic lifestyles and busy schedules, people are finding it more and more appealing to enjoy their leisure time at home rather than packing their bags in search of peaceful retreats. But how can they confidently create a garden retreat? By following Cohen and Benner’s trusted advice and building a nonstop garden, they’ll have more creative planting options, a garden that requires less maintenance than a traditional perennial border.

The Nonstop Garden gives gardeners all the information they need to create a productive, beautiful garden. This easy-to-use guide is split into four main parts and includes ten fail-safe design plans that can be incorporated into any garden. Gardeners can choose from a native garden, a scented garden, a gold-colored garden, a garden for wet sites, a vibrant-colored garden, a cool-colored garden, a winter garden, a shade garden, and a design plan for the daunting area known as the hellstrip.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine gardening book with generalized information on a lot of subjects. Good for inexperienced gardeners as it provides a good overview of plants, design, ornamentation, etc. This overview is exactly its weakness as there are many other books available that will the same role. The author Stephanie Cohen gardens in Pennsylvania although the book is broader than just her gardening zone.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book a little outdated a good 15 years after publication. The great photos were the most helpful to me, to see the actual plants and how they contrasted with each other. I wish the photo captions had identified in which city or state the gardens were located. Good basic information on four-season design but the information on edibles in the landscape was pretty meager.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite so far. Clear plans that bring visual interest throughout the season. Includes full garden bed plans with plant names, dimensions, and number of plants needed. Lots of ideas to get started with.

[Roy Kenagy]

FRANKLIN 712.2 C :: READ0 :: EXAMINED 12/01/2019 :: PRACTICAL :: PURCHASE?

[Deanna Hasse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the layout of the book. Visually pleasing. Good concise information. The chart in the back comparing flowering times/visually interesting plants throughout the season was nice

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is focused on choosing ornamental plants, not on food-growing, and although there's a chapter on container gardening, it's minimal.

I'd recommend it to those who have space to do actual landscaping, especially if you live in an area that gets freezing cold and snowy for part of the year.

Some of the zone ratings are off; for instance I have no problem growing nasturtiums and ice plants in zone 9.

The photography is beautiful.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A practical guide to having a garden that always looks interesting.
I think this book would be a good one to own and read each year.
I'm going to try some of the "self sowers" in my garden next summer. I just got a catalog from superseeds.com (Pinetree garden seeds) and found lots of seeds for flowers mentioned in The Nonstop Garden.

[Peg Dryden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Use this book as a reference book . Cohen has given me some good ideas for tweaking my garden. Good design plans and plant suggestions for all sorts of gardens. She spoke in Buffalo at the National Garden festival this June. The book is more informative than she was.

[Carrieogorek · Rating 5 out of 5]

The single most valuable book in my gardening collection! This book took me from a pure novice to a seasoned Gardner. Each year something new & wonderful reveals itself to me.Their spot on knowledge is delivered in most accessible way. .

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a flip through.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not full of impatiens and vinca but real, beautiful plants that I would actually love to use in a garden. I will be getting this again!

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential resource for me in 2013.