And the Winner Is...

I am sorry about the long delay in announcing a winner for the Fine Foliage book draw.

The book's publisher St. Lynn's Press has graciously given me a review copy for this giveaway. To assist me with the draw I recruited my son Daniel (that's his handsome hand in the next photo).

And the winner is....

Alana whose blog is named All is Amazing.  Congratulations Alana!

Alana, I will be in touch with you shortly to get your mailing address. I am sure you are going to find lots of great inspiration in for next spring in the pages of Fine Foliage.

Fine Foliage: Review and Giveaway

Book cover image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Fine Foliage St. Lynn's Press 2012-13

Before I talk about the book Fine Foliage, I want to introduce you to Karen Chapman, a good blogging friend, and one of the book's two authors, by way of her garden. 

Photo by Karen Chapman © Le Jardinet 2013 

Karen sometimes jokes that, when she and her husband bought their modest one storey house on 5 acres of land, the landscape's best feature was a dead tree.

That was back in 2009.

Since that time, they have moved a small cedar cabin on the property, built an arbor, built a fenced vegetable garden and created a beautiful island-shaped flowerbed around the cabin.

Photo by Karen Chapman © Le Jardinet 2013 

Photo by Karen Chapman © Le Jardinet 2013 

In this closeup, there is a spirea at the very bottom of the picture, orange flowering croscosmia just above it, a paperbark maple on the right, a burgundy colored Barberry in the middle-distance and Feather Reed Grass in the near distance. You can read more about the planting details in this post.

Photo by Karen Chapman © Le Jardinet 2013 

When Karen began working on this section of the garden, it was a mosquito infested swamp! 

The addition of a stream bed in 2010 gave ground water a way to flow away from the area. Wild grasses and weeds were covered over by layering sheets of cardboard and then a fresh layer Moo-doo was added on top (read all about this interesting process by clicking the link.)

Here is the how the same area looked three years later  in April 2013:

Photo by Karen Chapman © Le Jardinet 2013 

Photo by Karen Chapman © Le Jardinet 2013 

What an amazing transformation, eh? 

You can read more about the garden make-over process and about some of the planting details in this post.

Now, on to the book Fine Foliage that Karen wrote with friend and kindred spirit Christina Salwitz. 

I think you will find that Fine Foliage is a great little resource book you can dip into quickly and come away feeling inspired.

Though the book offers a designer's perspective on using foliage color, shape and texture to create beautiful planting combinations, the ideas are presented in a very user-friendly way.

Page spread image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz 2013

Image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz 2013

 On one side of a page spread, you have a bit of inspiration that is beautifully photographed.

Page image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz 2013 

On the other side you have everything you need to know about the planting combination clearly spelled out for you: sun or shade, season, soil, and zone. 

Karen and Christina also tell you why the combination works and introduce you to each of the plants involved. 

Image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz 2013 

The book is conveniently divided into two sections: Sun and Shade. (The image above is one of the nice shade container plantings from the book.)

As well as container plantings, the book also addresses foliage in the garden proper with pretty plant combinations like these ones:

Page spread image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz  2013 

Image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz 2013 

I think you will find that Fine Foliage is a terrific book that can make getting to "beautiful" as easy as following a simple recipe. Providing an easy roadmap to success helps to build confidence and both authors hope that readers will end up using the book as a springboard to begin to create their own unique foliage combinations.  

And at under twenty dollars, Fine Foliage is a bargain!

If you would like to be included a draw for the copy of  Fine Foliage, please leave a comment below. I am going to leave the contest open for a full week. Overseas bloggers are welcome to enter. The draw and winning announcement will be made in an upcoming post.

Many thanks to St. Lynn's Press for providing a copy book for this giveaway (I purchased my own copy of the book for the purpose of this review).

Good luck everyone!

To read more reviews of great gardening books, be sure to click this link to Holley's blog: Roses and other Gardening Joys.

More Information and Links:

Author, Karen Chapman:"I am a container and landscape designer, serious plant-aholic, garden writer and public speaker for all things gardening. In other words, I'm ususally covered in a layer or two of soil...I am truly passionate about sharing the joys of gardening." Visit Karen's website and blog here: Le Jardinet

Author, Christina Salwitz: "I am a container designer, garden coach, garden writer, speaker and foliage-aholic who loves to teach and see the light bulb go on when a gardener suddenly "gets it". I adore the entire horticultural industry and revel in helping others feel the same passion that I do about plants". Visit Christina's blog here: The Garden Coach.

"Fine foliage is a visual treat that will inspire you with dazzling combinations for containers and gardens. Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz explain why each combination works- bringing artistic design within easy reach of all gardeners. A great user-friendly resource." - Debra Prinzing, author of The 50 Mile Bouquet. 

Book Title: Fine Foliage, Elegant Plant Combinations for Garden and Container

Pages: 140

Publisher: St. Lynn's Press

Price on Amazon: Under $15

Fine Foliage Book Preview

Image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Fine Foliage St. Lynn's Press 2012-13 

I don't have to tell you that containers are one of a gardener's greatest assets. There are many times in the growing season when a part of your garden can look a little lacklustre or even just a bit too green. Having a pretty container to shift into position and give that sad looking part of the garden a colorful boost can be a godsend.

Though I have always recognized the value of having pretty containers in my gardening bag of tricks, I have never been particularly happy with my container plantings. To say they are a little unexciting is probably an understatement!

For inspiration I have turned to book and magazines, but so often I find that the plant pots brimming with blooms that you find there are the sort of container plantings that look great on the day of the photo shoot and then like hell a few weeks later.

If I am going to invest the time and money into a container planting, I want it to look good all summer and into the fall!

When I have put together my containers, I have always concentrated on the flowers for that hit of color. 

It wasn't until I read KarenChapman's blog that I realized that I had always focused on the wrong thing! 

Karen has a garden design and container garden business where she prepares hundreds of containers for clients. She writes in one of her blog posts that, "Focusing on flowers is guaranteed to bring disappointing results at some point in the season as many plants go through waves of blooming with 'blah' periods in between." 

So true!

But I still want my container plantings to be bright and colorful! 

That is where Karen suggests foliage comes in. And that makes perfect sense! I always consider foliage when it comes to the garden proper, but less so when it comes to my containers. That's a big mistake.

Any experienced gardener knows that foliage is in it for the long haul.

Image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Fine Foliage St. Lynn's Press 2012-13

Anyway... I have become a fan of Karen's blog and was really excited to see that she has a book coming out early next year. 

Written with partner Christina Salwitz, Fine Foliage takes a fresh and creative look using foliage color, shape and texture in the garden. The book provides 60+ examples of plant combinations that work not only for containers, but for every garden purpose.

Page spread image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Fine Foliage St. Lynn's Press 2012-13 

I really like the way the thoughtful way the book is laid out. There is no squinting at the picture trying to identify what that attractive mystery plant at the back of the flowerbed or container!

On one side of a page spread you have a pretty piece of inspiration that is beautifully photographed...

Page image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Fine Foliage St. Lynn's Press 2012-13 

and on the other side you have everything you need to know clearly spelled out: sun or shade, season, soil, and zone. 

Karen and Christina also tell you why a planting combination works and introduce you to each of the players involved.

Christina writes,"When we first sat down and brainstormed this book, one of the very first thoughts that I had was to be able to explain "Why this works" on every one of our 60 colorful combinations. I wanted to take the dreamy, artistic photos and make them an achievable risk for any level of gardener to take when armed with enough good information. We've taken extreme care to cover many areas of the country in different Hardiness Zones as well as design esthetics. As well as including annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees too in a simple and sophisticated format."

Image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Fine Foliage St. Lynn's Press 2012-13 

I really appreciate that the book's planting combinations have been test driven.

Karen writes, "...I plant hundreds of containers every season for my clients and myself. Everything I use has to perform 100% - there's no room for slackers. I provide premium potting soil, a single dose of slow release granular fertilizer (e.g. Osmocote), regular water and sun or shade as needed. After that the plants have to strut their stuff to convince me they are good enough to tell you about." 

Page spread image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Fine Foliage St. Lynn's Press 2012-13 

Chocolate and Strawberries! Yum!

Page spread image courtesy of Fine Foliage © Fine Foliage St. Lynn's Press 2012-13 

As well as container plantings, the book addresses foliage in the garden proper with pretty plant combinations like this one.

Karen and Christina's book Fine Foliage will be published early in the new year, but is available now for pre-order. You can find information on reserving your copy here.

More Information and Links:

Author, Karen Chapman:"I am a container and landscape designer, serious plant-aholic, garden writer and public speaker for all things gardening. In other words, I'm ususally covered in a layer or two of soil, I drive everywhere with a large trap for impromtu plant purchases and I am truly passionate about sharing the joys of gardening." Visit Karen's website and blog here: Le Jardinet

Author, Christina Salwitz: "I am a container designer, garden coach, garden writer, speaker and foliage-aholic who loves to teach and see the light bulb go on when a gardener suddenly "gets it". I adore the entire horticultural industry and revel in helping others feel the same passion that I do about plants". Visit Christina's blog here: The Garden Coach.

Fine Foliage's Photographer is Ashley DeLatour: Visit Ashley's website and blog.

" Fine foliage is a visual treat that will inspire you with dazzling combinations for containers and gardens. Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz explain why each combination works- bringing artistic design within easy reach of all gardeners. A great user-friendly resource." - Debra Prinzing, author of the 50 Mile Bouquet. Find out about pre-ordering a copy of Fine Foliage here. Visit the book's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FineFoliage?ref=hl