Zen Gardening

by Sunniva Harte

Book Overview

Zen gardens are havens for contemplation, reflecting the beauty of nature and the aesthetic sense of the gardener. Some represent vast landscapes in a small area, some use raked gravel to represent rushing water, while others feature natural stones signifying symbolic animals such as turtles and cranes. Zen Gardening also provide an ecofriendly alternative to the old-fashioned lawn -- they require little or no water, while the use of fertilizers and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1556709293
• ISBN13: 9781556709296
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 9.6" x 9.6"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Beautiful book...

but not the only one to own. Wonderful images and good explanation of philosophy, but if you are wanting a nuts and bolts, this is how to do it, this book is not the one. I would add it to a collection of several. I have read it a number of times times and get more out of it each time.

Visual Zen

One of the most beautiful photographic representations of oriental garden design available. The photographs and writing are both of excellent quality. The format of the book is put together in a very appealing manner and the overall impression is of a writer who is sensitive to the style and philosophy of the gardens. A sense of quiet and calm pervades throughout. Sunniva loves gardens, people, photography and writing. She is multi-talented and it shows.

inspirational book

The strength of this book is it's illustrations. It is not a this is how to do it book. It is one to understand and appreciate the aesthetics. I would recommend it.

A good introduction book for Japanese garden

If you are a beginner of japanese garden, this is a good book to start. It introduces different garden styles and the spirit of Zen.

Good entrance, okay performance

Zen Gardening hits it off strong; Harte puts forth traditional ideas with a not-so-subtle twist - straying away from mystic mumbo-jumbo, opting for the vernacular of the everyday joe. Following many Japanese and Chinese organizational techniques, the author presents simple additions and mods to almost any abode as well as full and luscious decked-out, fully landscaped projects. Some far fetched, and some less so, all are very pleasing to the eye. The illustration and photography in this book are superb. This is a good book to dwell on; pragmatic applications are not this book's strong points.