Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
Few gardens can transport visitors to wild and rugged landscapes as well as rock gardens. Eye-catching rock gardens are among the most challenging---and satisfying---expressions of the gardener's craft. A true rock garden is a specialized habitat that allows the gardener to grow plants that do not flourish anywhere else. This book offers the first comprehensive treatment of building rock gardens in all parts of North America. Topics covered include rock placement, materials, and planting and maintenance. Variations on the rock garden theme, from planting troughs to creating water features are also discussed. The book presents regional styles and techniques and profiles a dozen public rock gardens from Oregon to Newfoundland. More than 100 inspiring photos accompany the lively text.

Rating : - Disappointing
It's a shame; the subject is a fabulous hobby and I love what rocks can do for a landscape but this book is not the answer for the person asking "how do I do it?" I honestly don't see who this book is intended for (the beginner? The pro?) and that's ultimately where this book fails (i.e. poorly thought-out "purpose.") My guess is that the U.S. rock garden society aimed to please everyone (including their member-writers) by compiling essays on various subjects (i.e. soils, different types of rocks used for landscaping, and regional factors) from people across various U.S. regions who have some degree of "experience." However, it ends up accomplishing very little because there is mostly very little detail. There are some good color photos that give the reader some visual ideas but many of them look nearly impossible for an amateur to execute. For example, there are some very general tips on how to mix a suitable soil but never any methodical step-by-step instructions with specific sketches how to place rocks and plants. Are we just supposed to know this from their high-level discussion? And what about the plants? Again, some general suggestions but didn't it occur to them to simply put in a detailed chart of plants for sun or shade that work well in the different regions they cover? Obviously, a rock garden in California is going to have much different plants than a shade garden in Maryland. They go into only the most general of suggestions.

The writing style of the essays is quite "arrogant" too. Hardly written in plain English; seems almost like a transcription of some lectures they've given to their local societies; hardly anything that would be useful for an actual class.

There was one good piece of research on the water-carrying characteristics of different soils and soil combinations, to their credit.

Unfortunately, there are not many good "how-to" books on rock gardening to be found. Try to find something else but this one though.