The Art of the Garden

Around a very old house, the ground levels vary considerably, so gravel was chosen as a flexible choice that suits the age of the building better than hard paving. Strictly trained vines and roses on the wall add structure and architectural interest to the tiny fifteenth-century window. Photos © Garden Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore, Rizzoli New York, 2020. Photo by Andrew Montgomery.

While our boundaries are limited during the current state of quarantine, our immediate outdoor spaces have become even more important. What better time to get some gardening advice and inspiration from a design guru?

© Garden Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore, Rizzoli New York, 2020.

Carl Dellatore’s Garden Design Master Class (Rizzoli, 2020) brings together essays by 100 landscape architects and garden designers, reflecting on universal gardening questions, illustrated with photos of each expert’s stunning work. The book allows the reader an opportunity to experience the magic of cultivating the natural beauty of plants, ultimately becoming a comprehensive study of garden design.

Dellatore, a textile designer who has worked extensively in magazines, currently works as a content marketing consultant and social media strategist within New York’s design community. He is the author of The Fabric Style Book, Interior Design Master Class, and On Style.

This garden in Connecticut illustrates the use of forms in juxtaposition: rounded boxwood and a straight-lined hedge of Taxus. Interspersed among the boxwood globes are perennials that include alliums, salvias, eryngiums, and penstemons. There is a contrast in the loose plantings of flowers mingling with tightly sheared boxwood shrubs. All of this is punctuated by the two magnolias that rise above the composition. © Garden Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore, Rizzoli New York, 2020. Photo by Neil Landino Jr.

“It is my hope that through the evocative writing of the master gardeners in this book, new generations of designers and garden enthusiasts can draw aesthetic and practical inspiration and this book can join the many classics on the shelves of devoted gardeners everywhere, providing instruction and delight to professionals and laypeople alike.”
– Carl Dellatore

One of the most admired pools in Palm Beach, Florida, this undulating-edged, Olympic-sized pool features rich plantings along its perimeter, providing both sun and shade in equal measure. Several formal paths proceed from the pool’s edge to other parts of the garden. © Garden Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore, Rizzoli New York, 2020. Photo by Michael Stavaridis.

The book is divided into six thematic sections: Theory, Process, Style, Structure, Elements, and Inspiration. Featuring over 170 stunning photographs, the accompanying essays divulge expert design advice and philosophy, from practical considerations such as seedlings and pathways to stylistic concerns such as asymmetry and rhythm.

From rooftop gardens to natural ones, the book includes essays on outdoor spaces in all seasons and different climates, varying in design and style, in smalls spaces or large.

The firepit area is embraced by pleached Parrotia trees, with a lower ground plane of Endless Summer hydrangeas. The circular formation provides the perfect opportunity for evening gatherings and twilight conversation. © Garden Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore, Rizzoli New York, 2020. Photo by Reed Brown Photography.

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
—Marcus Tullius Cicero

For the reimagining of an Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll garden, the flower parterre sweeps up close to ground the building. Plants are chosen specifically for their pollination potential so that the planting is filled with butterflies and bees. The box cubes juxtapose the naturalistic planting and echo the architecture of the building. © Garden Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore, Rizzoli New York, 2020. Photo by Jason Ingram.

The book and its expert contributors will be immensely helpful and inspirational for the amateur gardener, as well as students of garden design and garden design professionals.

Garden Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore, Rizzoli New York, 2020; $60; rizzoliusa.com