- Hardcover: 168 pages
- Publisher: BBC Books (15 Mar 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0563551895
- ISBN-13: 978-0563551898
- Product Dimensions: 27.6 x 21.8 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 403,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Plant Room is the book that the aspiring urban gardener has been waiting for. Why is it that the small-to-middling-sized outdoor space associated with your urban dwelling remains so neglected? Too useful as a repository for junk? Too awkwardly shaped to warrant doing anything with it? And maybe it's in shade nearly all day anyway. There are all too many reasons for not getting round to making the effort. The Plant Room provides powerful incentives for making the most of whatever town-garden space one is lucky enough to have, transforming it not so much into a place to grow plants but an extension to the indoor functions--"somewhere to relax, entertain, cook, eat, play and work". Developing and running such an innovative space requires careful planning and cunning use of resources, towards which Joe Swift offers a mass of pertinent, practical advice. He divides his book by urban garden type (it might be a conservatory, water, roof or minimalist garden), discussing in detail for each the considerations of planning, design, landscaping, maintenance and so forth. Plants are by no means neglected but are in this context one of the elements that can contribute to a design that is at once coherent, striking and functional. Modern materials such as concrete, steel and glass can combine with brick, wood and water to extraordinary effect. One could soon be looking at that dark side-alley in quite a new light. Proof of what can be done is in the arresting photographs which illustrate remarkable gardens in London (where Swift works), New York and Sydney. They include a number of Manhattan roof gardens, as if to show just what you can dream of and make possible. --Robin Davidson
Product Description
The contemporary guide to urban gardens. In this mould-breaking book, Joe Swift addresses the new generation of the stylish city, for whom the garden is just another room in the house - somewhere to relax, entertain, cook, eat, work and play. Like the other rooms, the 'plant room' needs to be decorated and, for people leading busy lives, the garden provides a new and satisfying way to express themselves creatively, as they blend textures, colours, sounds and scents to make a highly individual outdoor space. In the past, the garden was primarily a place to grow plants. But now, plants are only one of the main elements which go towards creating a successful garden. It takes careful planning to foster plants which will look good in the urban setting. Joe Swift shows readers how to achieve this and how to choose from the wide range of garden furniture and accessories available to complete the look.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
I am not someone who would normally be grabbed by a gardening book. I live in a small flat in Manchester and have only a tiny back yard which has been a general dumping ground for half-empty bags of plaster that have gone hard and rusty tricycles. Not anymore! THE PLANT ROOM opened my eyes to the possibilties of transforming my back yard into a garden/ patio. Suddenly my poky one-bedroom flat is on its way to becoming a luxurious garden flat and the value of my property will, I'm told by an estate agent, go shooting up.
THE PLANT ROOM is, thankfully, free of the usual jargon. You don't have to have green fingers or know the difference between a ficus and a fuschia to appreciate the book. It is cleanly put together, filled with great photos, consisely written and full of interesting information. If you are, like me, intrinsically lazy, you will particularly like the fact that the book is full of labour-saving ideas (I never knew that you could buy a computerised irrigation system pretty cheaply and so never have to water your plants by hand when you could be sitting having a beer!).
I highly recommend this book to anyone who, like me, has always wanted a garden but thought that they couldn't afford it or that didn't have the space. My garden is now finished (it only took a week!!) and I can't wait to sit in it - if only it would stop raining!
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
This book ends up costing far more than the cover price - once you've read it you will want to transform your garden to make it the best "room" in the house. Rather than a pure coffee table gardening book with a lot of pictures, this is an engrossing read. Swift clearly has an eye for and the imagination to transform the smaller city garden into an exciting space. This fine book show what us urban gardeners dream of can be reality. Having read this I'm getting rid of my lawn and messy borders and going to try and create something worthy of the second edition.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Joe Swift's beautifully presented book is a must for all urban dwelling folk with a garden. I've long been a fan of the idea that the garden is simply an outdoor extension of the house, and Swift takes you through the possibilities in a modern context with down to earth text (clearly based on his own considerable expertise and experience) and stunning photographs. Combinations of modern materials and striking colour schemes set the imagination going. It's certainly inspired me to look again at my own 'plant room' with renewed enthusiasm. This is not your run of the mill gardening book. One photo caption begins: Throw the textbook out the window and get creative. I love it! You can't help but be infected with his enthusiasm. There's so much going on in this book you'll keep coming back for another little look. Whether it's for a tip on keeping the maintenance down (something we all like to hear about) or simply to gaze once again at some great pictures. So, for pros and amateurs alike, I'd say this is a 'must have'. That's why I've given it five stars. Get out there and buy it while stocks last!
PS Nice one Mr Swift...
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