cover image The Small Garden Planner

The Small Garden Planner

Graham Rose. Simon & Schuster, $19.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-671-64709-4

A gardening correspondent for the London Sunday Times, Rose's credo is that less can be more. ""One of the advantages of smallness is that you . . . can choose the more exquisite plants and the more expensive natural materials,'' he writes. ``This can give small gardens a feeling of quality that many larger gardens lack.'' Actually, the term ``quality'' is an understatement because the small gardens that Rose describes are sumptuous, exquisite and quite ambitious. He offers suggestions, plans and photographs that demonstrate how paving, water, patios and other features can enhance a small garden. In many chapters, however, plants get short shrift compared to architectural touches. And Rose goes a bit overboard when he discusses water24 pages of ideas ranging from a grand canal to interlocking pools. But overall, his clear, knowledgeable presentation makes this an invaluable text for the urban gardener; the plans and photographs are utilitarian as well as inspirational. (February)