BOOK REVIEWS

New Zealand Garden in Style
Get the Look You Want

Lynda Hallinan
Random House
$NZ39.95

LYNDA HALLINAN'S informative, effervescent, gardening writing is already familiar to readers through the pages of this magazine. Now Weekend Gardener's editor-atlarge brings together ideas and tips on creating gardens in this expansive, attractive book.

New Zealand Garden in Style - Get the Look You Want offers simple formulae for creating nine different garden types, ranging from the subtropical to the native garden.

Each garden type is given a chapter. The descriptions of the gardens are illustrated with the author's photographs and those of writer/photographer Julian Matthews. The quality of the images used and their reproduction is excellent and layout clear and user-friendly.

With each chapter, pros and cons of the particular garden type is laid out in easy-to-read boxes, and practical considerations - like cost and climate - are outlined.

You'll find, for instance, that subtropical gardens need not be expensive, that sheltered sites are preferable and that fast-growing climbers are great starters for the subtropical look.

Each chapter lists 10 essential plants for the soughtafter look, while the plants' appearance, suitability and requirements are assessed.

With practicality being the book's strong suit, there's a useful chapter on the edible garden.

New Zealand Garden in Style offers clear signposts to those unsure of what kind of garden they want, particularly for those starting a new garden or those looking for new planting ideas for their existing patch.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH