Two new books are providing a fresh look into what modern gardening really is. In an few words, it is based on ecological ethos instead of a particular look or feel. The first book is by Tim Richardson and is entitled “Avant Gardeners: 50 Visionaries of the Contemporary Landscape.” The gardens shown in this tome show a wide range of styles using materials that one would not expect in their garden. From the World Trade Center in Osaka, Japan to the Herbert Dreiseitl’s German parks, these are ideas that are truly outside of the box. There are plenty of gardens back home in the US as well, many of which follow practices that are ecologically friendly with systems that harvest water and blur into the surrounding wild growth.

The other book is by Zahid Sardar and is entitled “New Garden Design: Inspiring Private Paradises.” This book is full of vivid color photos that truly take you to the gardens. Designs features designs from established landscapers as well as up and coming talent. These books tend to raise questions about modern gardens that they do not answer quite well. What is a modern garden, and what are its elements? Do they tend to be minimal and ecofriendly? Are there curves and natural shapes or sharp corners? Are they consisting of only local plants, or do they have an international offering?

Ask other gardeners, experts in plants, designers, and you will receive a variety of responses. There are those that say it is irrelevant, some that will ignore you, and some that will pour out with opinions. But there is one response that truly gets to the heart of the matter when it comes to gardening. The fact is that garden is a verb, not a noun, and it is in the act of gardening that truly modern ideas come into play. These include ecological considerations, as well as a sense of getting the most out of a garden with the least amount of work.

Gardens should be designed so that they are not labor intensive, and that they do not consume as much resources. What this initially means is that the plants chosen should thrive in your environment, and you should employ systems that sustain the garden. Rain water collection systems that will take a heavy nights rain and spread it out over a week or two. Choosing plants that add to the soil what other plants need to survive. Keeping the size of the garden within you manageability, and making sure that your garden is sustainable.

What it boils down to is that the modern revolution in gardening is towards sustainability and self sufficiency so that you minimize fertilizer and resource usage and the amount of work that you need to put into your garden. What theme could be more modern than sustainable actions and resource savings? It takes knowledge, focus, and determination to get there.

Originally posted 2009-03-04 13:49:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Types of Garden Landscapes pt 1 There are a wide variety of different types and styles of gardens. There are so many, in fact, that it may seem overwhelming and daunting for you to try and figure out the type of garden that you are interested in planting. First and foremost, there are two basic main......
• Different Country Garden Landscapes There are a wide variety of different types of gardens, many of which follow the same theme as country garden landscapes. There are so many different types of gardens that it can seem daunting to determine which type is going to best suit your needs. Let us start with the......
• Country Garden Landscape Materials and Construction The purpose of a country garden is to create tranquil enjoyment of the aromatic beauty that nature has to offer, but this does not mean that your garden should not be functional. There are a number of ways that you can turn a beautiful and luscious garden into a functional......
• Creating an Inviting Home Garden with Landscaping Ideas pt 1 If you are really interested in upgrading as well as improving all of the landscaping that encircles and encompasses your home and your garden, but you are struggling in order to determine exactly how and exactly where you should be getting started with such a huge undertaking, then you should......
• Cute Country Landscaping Ideas If you are designing a country garden landscape, you are probably already aware of the fact that there are an endless myriad of different things that you can do to turn your landscaping endeavor into something that is truly unique. There are all kinds of different elements in your landscaping......

Related Websites

• How to Plant a Garden This Season /caption] Let's face it: raising a garden isn't always easy. Even if you pull it off and design it well, there's still a good amount of manual labor and honest work that will go into it. Tilling soil, landscaping, acquiring seeds, and making sure that your plants get what they......
• Erosion Management Around Gardens And Landscaping Becomes Extra Imperative As Property Grows To Be Scarcer. There are numerous ways to employ erosion control intended for landscaping, gardening and land management. Erosion control may help hold on to the highly valued top soil as well as help keep downhill streams from becoming stopped up with dirt. One way is to utilize foliage on slopes that could......
• Bamboo Water Spouts - Enhance Your Japanese Garden With An Aesthetic Bamboo Water Spout Bamboo water spouts are perfect for Japanese gardens.  They fill your garden with "zen" aura and look absolutely gorgeous. There are three main types of bamboo spout fountains: Vertical Bamboo Spout Fountain:  This type of fountains are made from two bamboo spouts.  There design is as their name suggests -......
• Study Shows Homeowners Using Landscaping to Save Energy and Water In this current day and age, where common activities among people include the tightening of wallets and the fearing of soaring energy bills, almost everyone has had to adopt some substantial practices inside and outside of their own homes. Americans are also incorporating techniques in their landscaping that are allowing......
• Welcome to Budget Planning Week I threatened to do a whole week on budgeting at the end of last week. I was joking at the time as I imagine it to be very dry and boring. However, the more that I think about it, the more it seems like an interesting challenge. Is it at......

Online Stores

• Cactus Succulents Plants, Seeds Bulbs Gardening Plants Yard, Garden Outdoor Living
• Trees Plants, Seeds Bulbs Gardening Plants Yard, Garden Outdoor Living
• Grow Lights Hydroponics Seed Starting Gardening Plants Yard, Garden Outdoor Living
• Pest Weed Control Gardening Plants Yard, Garden Outdoor Living
• Hydroponics Seed Starting Gardening Plants Yard, Garden Outdoor Living

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

Books, Landscaping

Tags:

blur, color photos, ecological considerations, few words, fresh look, gardeners, harvest water, heart of the matter, herbert dreiseitl, landscapers, natural shapes, noun, osaka japan, paradises, sardar, tim richardson, two new books, using materials, visionaries, vivid color