Seedheads in the Garden

By Noël Kingsbury and Noel Kingsbury

Seedheads bring impact to late summer borders and linger to provide interest well into autumn and winter. They look dramatic set against a backdrop of fading flowers, associate well with grasses and native plants, and are key components of the naturalistic garden in which every phase of a plant is enjoyed from first shoot to final decay. After providing historical context, Noel Kingsbury explains how plants reproduce and participate in the garden's wider ecology, and explores seedheads' role in diverse gardens worldwide. At the heart of the book is a plant directory in which Kingsbury's hand-picked selection describes the particular characteristics of each plant's seedheads and grades them according to their value and persistence. Jo Whitworth's compelling photographs capture the individual character of each seedhead and open our eyes to the intricate shapes, tempting textures and dense monochromes of seedheads.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0881927961
• ISBN13: 9780881927962
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Timber Press (OR)
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 2.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.3" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

beautiful book about creating a lovely garden year round

This is a very well put together book providing information and lots of photos about seedheads and their role in having a lovely garden. The writing is informative and layout of the book is easy to follow. There are many gorgeous photos with helpful tidbits. If you have a passion for flowers or just enjoy beautiful photos this is a great book to have.

What wonderful garden art

I have extensively looked at the pictures, but have the written content still to read. The book made me realize just how much art is in the garden in fall and winter. Muted colors. Textures. Shapes. Contrasts. Themes. Balance. Very valuable book for a designer and a lecturer.

New Classic - Beautiful Photography - Joins "The Garden In Autumn" by Allen Lacy as Favorite

Photography unequalled in any book I've seen! At each turn of the page, the close-ups and the long garden shots are diverse and imaginative. I would never have thought that the Raw Umbers, the Burnt Siennas, and the rich grays of many seeds and pods could be so interesting. A photo of silvery hoar frost on 'Karl Foerster' grass is a great contrast to the Jade-green seedheads of the opium poppy shown in another photo. The text is too detailed to be of interest to me as a casual gardener, but is certainly complete enough to satisfy the serious garden designer or plant specialist. An unexpected delight is the Plant Directory with photos.

very good book for the winter gardener

This book makes a very good point of not cutting back perennials in late fall but leaving them for winter interest

This would make a nice gift for the gardener

This book has some beautiful close up photographs of seedheads. If you are looking for different ideas or ways to extend the life of your flowers, take a look at "Seedheads in the Garden." I plan to plant a few of the flowers next season, just to have their unique seedheads. This is a book many gardeners may not have seen yet, but will be glad to get for a Christmas gift this year.