Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass is a revised edition of a previous book. Author Liz Primeau has updated and expanded on her previous collection of gardens, and is finding a whole new audience. I’m one of them, having missed seeing the first edition.
I love this book! The photographs are plentiful, large and inspiring. The captions are extensive and informative, highlighting and explaining what is shown.
Keeping up with the quality of the photos and captions is the text of the book. Primeau was the founding editor of Canadian Gardening magazine and writes in a style that is both engaging and educational. She tells the stories behind the many real-life gardens that are featured, exploring how each front garden evolved to take its current form. Some of the gardens are in the Niagara Escarpment communities of Dundas and Oakville. [And Hamilton as well, I noticed later.]
I read this book front to back, then skimmed the garden stories in reverse order, and frequently dip in again to study the beautiful photos and captions. Oh, for time, money and energy enough to create a garden like these!
If you like houses and gardens, get this book.
Firefly Books, 2010, $24.95
How do you describe your front yard?
