Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces

Fantastic book that would be great for any gardener from novice to pro.

I should start with a disclaimer here - the authors of Garden Up!, Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet are friends of mine and they featured a few of my photographs in the book. However, I can say with and without bias that this is a fantastic book that deserves space on any gardener's bookshelf.

Garden Up! is chock full of information and fantastic ideas that can make any garden - from huge to tiny - better and more interesting. Susan and Rebecca have brought years of experience, great taste and imagination to the idea that thinking vertically is just part of any good garden or container design.

When they first told me about the book, I assumed it would be all about living walls - which are the latest rage. While they do have a great section on this, they have taken the idea of vertical so much further than that, giving advice on how to get the most out of your space - whatever it is. From a before and after look at a depressing alley transformed into a beautiful destination, to a section on turning a boring balcony into an oasis, their theories and concepts of design and the application of those theories are accessible and compelling.

I love the idea of thinking of a fence as a "canvas," with unlimited potential, including ways to hang containers on them. And the design tip of using gold colored plants in shade gardens to lighten up an area, is an easy idea that almost anyone can use.

Garden Up! also embraces integrating edibles into many types of gardens and has some creative ideas on how to do this.

Garden Up! is a book that makes you think and it expands the possibilities of what gardens can be. Any gardener - from the most expert to a total newbie - can get great ideas and inspiration this book.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.