Anyone can create a welcoming, harmonious garden by following certain simple, time-tested rules or "patterns." Building on the ground-breaking "pattern language" of celebrated architect Christopher Alexander, Valerie Easton gives us the tools for creating our own highly satisfying garden spaces. Alexander identifies certain key patterns, or elements of urban and architectural design, that help us to understand why we feel comfortable in a space. In this volume, Easton identifies a similar group of patterns for garden design that will enable the reader to turn any home landscape--regardless of style, site, or climate--into a memorable and nurturing re... read more>>>

Like many baby boomers in middle age, Ruth Kassinger was at an emotional crossroads. Confronted with the death of a beloved sister, her children's departure for college, and her own recent battle with breast cancer, she was searching for a way forward. One cold, gray evening, flooded with thoughts of change and loss, she wandered into the U.S. Botanic Garden's conservatory—and a dream was born. Dazzled by the vast and dense tangle of greenery, she began a quest to create a verdant sanctuary of her own at her home in suburban Washington, D.C.

Yet all she knew of indoor gardening was a lone, neglected houseplant at the top of her baseme... read more>>>