PEREN N I AL FOCUS
(walls and fences) and illusion (mirrors) to increase perceived space. Although many of the plants are applicable to California, Susan’s design philosophy and ideas are universal. Susan is a kindred soul and I think that her book would be a great companion to my book, Garden Renovation: Transform Your Yard into the Garden of Your Dreams. Although this book was also written with the homeowner in mind, it is equally useful for landscape designers because it reiterates many ideas about which we should be thinking and incorporating in our designs. This will be a highly useful book for your design library.
RAIN GARDENING IN THE SOUTH: ECOLOGICALLY DESIGNED GARDENS FOR DROUGHT, DELUGE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN continued from page 10 After answering these important questions, the next step is evaluating the existing landscape. Susan suggests that this evaluation should be in the following order: primary living spaces, structures, pathways, plants, and accessories. This takes discipline because many people tend to look at plants first, not last or almost last. During this evaluation, they should be thinking about scale and proportion, circulation patterns, and comfort.
Kraus, Helen & Spafford, Anne Eno Publishers, 2009 Hillsborough, NC
Rain Gardening in the South by Helen Kraus and Anne Spafford is not a new book. However, participating in a symposium this winter at which Anne also spoke, I was so impressed with her talk that I purchased this book.
I loved Susan’s examples of both curvilinear and rectilinear design on paper and then photographs that showed the reality of each. They are inspirational and easy to understand and apply. Susan also reminds us that diagonal designs are particularly effective in countering the bowling alley effect of narrow spaces.
Rain gardens are an integral part of green infrastructure, the need for which becomes greater every day. However, many homeowners and municipalities are resistant to installing them because of poor design that leads to gardens that appear weedy and unattractive. The biggest challenge in designing rain gardens is that they need to cope with both inundation and drought as well as the cleansing of pollutants.
She has many practical suggestions, e.g. a firepit rim that can be used for plates and glasses; including attractive outdoor storage for seating cushions, toys, tools, etc. with storage chests that can also be used as seating; using vertical space
Contrary to many pamphlets and treatises I have read about constructing rain gardens, these authors posit that rain gardens do not need to be expensively engineered. They have a defined structure made up of five basic components:
12 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association