One of the world’s preeminent garden designers distills decades of experience creating small gardens with maximal beauty in this inspirational all-in-one guide.

This book explores key principles of successful garden design and shows how to create a space that is multifunctional and beautiful, however small. This book is perfect for anyone faced with a modest outdoor space—whether it be a yard, patio, terrace, balcony, or rooftop.  

Beginning with assessing a plot and taking stock of the soil, orientation, microclimate, existing materials, and proportions, it then explores how good design choices about layout, color, and texture produce a pleasing end result. Detailed chapters focus on working with hardscaping and plant selection and feature myriad design solutions for creating the illusion of a larger space—playing with boundaries, using vertical space, borrowing neighboring views, and space-saving ideas for containers and storage.  

The book features many detail shots of aspirational gardens that are accessible and achievable, highlighting them as extensions of the home for relaxing, entertaining, and growing flowers, shrubs, and edibles.

About The Author

Jo Thompson is consistently listed one of the world’s leading garden designers by House & Garden and Country Life magazines. She has won numerous RHS medals and awards over a thirty-year career and is widely regarded as a modern successor to Gertrude Jekyll. She is also the author of The New Romantic Garden.