Out-of-door rooms

Gardening expert and television personality, P. Allen Smith, believes garden spaces should be designed the way a house is constructed: as a series of rooms. He brings this philosophy to the public in “P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home.”

Smith takes us into his own garden and writes about the process of having a 1904 house moved onto his property and how he built the gardens around it as he restored the structure.

The book is divided into what he calls “The Twelve Principals of Design,” covering such topics as “framing the view,” “texture pattern and rhythm” and “whimsy.”

The last part of the book takes you step-by-step through the process of creating your own garden home.

Smith removes the fear of tackling large spaces by teaching how to think of outdoor areas in terms of designing and decorating rooms. “In thinking about their gardens as a series of beautiful yet functional outdoor rooms,” Smith writes, “They see how this approach could expand their living spaces with areas to play, rest, read, cook meals, dine and enjoy a variety of activities.”

Filled with beautiful photos, the book has common-sense gardening advice and high-end design tutelage.