Garden Wonderland
A visual feast of garden design inspiration that embraces diversity and teaches you how to create a lush, colorful, edible, and meaningful garden wonderland of your own.
Award-winning garden designer Leslie Bennett creates gardens filled with stunning layers of color and texture. But even more than that, they “feed the eye and nourish the soul” (Elle Decor).
Featuring practical how-to information alongside examples from nineteen gardens, Bennett shows how to incorporate personal and edible elements into the landscape to honor a variety of cultures, while including families of all shapes and sizes, to create space that nurtures self, community, and more. For example, the team designed a garden for the cofounder of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation to showcase art from emerging Black artists, while for a vegan chef’s garden, they incorporated unusual vegetables that can’t be found in grocery stores. A garden for a daughter of diplomats reflects the many places she’s lived around the world; for a family that wants to beautify their neighborhood, they designed a vibrant community-oriented front yard.
With chapters on floral, edible, gathering, healing, and cultural wonderlands, Bennett provides advice for tailoring a garden to your own needs, whether it’s a place to host elegant garden parties, for children to play, to grow your own food and creativity, or a sanctuary to rest and relax. In Garden Wonderland, Bennett helps you unlock the potential of your garden to become a space of inspiring natural beauty, abundance, connection, and belonging.
Advance Praise for Garden Wonderland
“I’ve been an avid fan of Leslie Bennett for years. What first hooked me was her keen love of plants, but over the years my appreciation deepened as I realized that her gardens really celebrate relationships and how we as gardeners interact not only with nature, but also with our neighbors, our local communities, and society at large.”
—Stephen Orr, editor-in-chief of Better Homes & Gardens
“Leslie is an expert on creating deeply meaningful and transformative garden spaces. This delightful book is equal parts inspiring and instructive. It’s brimming with ideas, whether you want to fill your plot with food or flowers.”
—Erin Benzakein, owner of Floret Flower Farm and New York Times bestselling author of Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers
“Celebrated landscape designer Leslie Bennett believes that gardens are for all. In Garden Wonderland she treats us to an accessible garden-making approach to create our own plant-based spaces that provide sustenance, beauty, and wonder. Follow her journey through the design process and you’ll gain more than a pretty landscape—you’ll redefine your own relationship with nature.”
—Debra Prinzing, founder of Slow Flowers Society and author of Where We Bloom and Slow Flowers
“Pine House Edible Gardens projects always bring me joy. Founder Leslie Bennett understands the power of gardens to connect and feed us. I am grateful that this book allows her to share her wisdom with all of us on how to envision a fruitful, stunning, and personal landscape, and give us practical advice on how to turn that vision into reality.”
—Melissa Ozawa, former features and garden editor of Martha Stewart Living, and writer at Gardenista
“Yes, your garden can change your life. Leslie Bennett shows you how to put your heart and muscle into your garden, so that it becomes a source of everything that matters the most. Leslie leads the way towards a garden-centric life that is richer, more delicious, and more connected.”
—Flora Grubb, owner of Flora Grubb Gardens
“If you have even a slight desire for a more beautiful and bountiful landscape, this is a must-read that you’ll devour in a weekend and then refer back to season after season.”
—Nicole Johnsey Burke, founder of Gardenary Inc. and author of Kitchen Garden Revival and Leaves, Roots & Fruit
“Through story and imagery, Garden Wonderland reminds us over and over that plants should be part of everyday for everyone: as food, experience, memory, and creativity.”
—Jennifer Jewell, creator and host of the Cultivating Place public radio program and podcast, and author of What We Sow
Whether you’re an experienced gardener or embarking on this journey for the first time, Garden Wonderland serves as a guide through the transformative process of designing, cultivating, and wholeheartedly embracing your distinct outdoor haven.”
—Bryant Terry, chef and artist, James Beard and NAACP Image award–winning author of Black Food, and editor-in-chief of 4 Color Books
The Beautiful Edible Garden
A stylish, beautifully-photographed guide to artfully incorporating organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs into an attractive modern garden design.
We've all seen the vegetable garden overflowing with corn, tomatoes, and zucchini that looks good for a short time, but then quickly turns straggly and unattractive (usually right before friends show up for a backyard barbecue). If you want to grow food but you don't want your yard to look like a farm, what can you do? The Beautiful Edible Garden shares how to not only grow organic fruits and vegetables, but also make your garden a place of year-round beauty that is appealing, enjoyable, and fits your personal style. Written by a landscape design team that specializes in artfully blending edibles and ornamentals together, The Beautiful Edible Garden shows that it's possible for gardeners of all levels to reap the best of both worlds. Featuring a fresh approach to garden design, glorious photographs, and ideas for a range of spaces—from large yards to tiny patios—this guide is perfect for anyone who wants a gorgeous and productive garden.
Chosen as one of Amazon‘s Best Garden Books of the Year for 2013, The Beautiful Edible Garden is on the shelf of your local bookstore and is available for purchase online here.
Praise for The Beautiful Edible Garden
“A fresh, modern approach to edible landscaping, Stefani and Leslie's creative ideas and beautiful designs are inspiration for novice and master gardeners alike.”
—Rosalind Creasy, author of Edible Landscaping
“This thoughtful, refreshing design guide deserves a spot on every gardener's bookshelf! Filled with real-life examples, the book definitively shows that growing food and creating beautiful, livable outdoor spaces are not mutually exclusive. Reading The Beautiful Edible Garden is akin to working alongside Leslie and Stefani in your garden—their practical, friendly advice provides an easy-to-follow framework for transforming average yards into functional, productive, and above all, lovely gardens."