Member Reviews

Garden to the Max is a fun coffee-table book for garden lovers. The spreads are beautiful and feature a diverse collection of garden styles. The brief interviews and blurbs that accompany each garden are interesting to read and explain the vision/inspiration. I liked that each garden had both macro and micro photos so you could see the overall vision and the details.
The book is beautiful, however, as it is a book that features gardens and is really just a fun perusal, I don't see myself picking it up for a re-read.

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I was excited to get a digital copy of this for review.
Honest opinion, the photographs were stunning! I loved that there were bios of the garden owners, tips that could be applied to your own project, and plant suggestions. Overall though, there’s so much about the gardens in this book that would be impossible if not for massive amounts of money. Not for a typical gardener at all. It was still an enjoyable book and a great collection of garden ideas.

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Gorgeous book with tons of great pics and info for gardens in all regions. I’ll be buying a copy once it’s released!

Thank you Timber Press for granting me an ARC!

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This is such a beautiful, inspirational book for gardeners! I really appreciate that it includes everything from patio gardens with mostly plants in pots to huge yards with multiple areas. Each of the twenty featured gardens has plenty of information provided, with lots of close up pictures, overhead views, and even some how-tos relevant to the style of the garden shown.

What all gardeners need to remember is creating a garden - especially a maximalist garden! - is a project that will take years to come to fruition and is a constant work in progress.

This would be great to have on hand for inspiration or as a reference.

Thanks to Timber Press for the opportunity to review this ARC!

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When I first saw the book Garden to the Max I thought it would be about large gardens like I have, and how to maximize the space in them. Actually, it is about small gardens that have been maximized. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the originality and ingenuity of the gardens and the ones that designed them that are showcased in this book.

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I loved the beginning of this book and was about to recommend it to a friend who loves maximalist gardening and works at a garden center. After the beginning it went downhill for me though because it features so many ridiculously wealthy gardeners. One is a literal castle on the beach in Long Island with a garden the size of my town. Most of the people profiled past the start are just very wealthy and privileged, and they have beautiful yards but I don’t relate to them or really feel inspired for my thrifted, haphazard, happy, messy, maximalist Minnesota garden.

I think this is a beautiful book that will be a hit with the Martha Stewart types and wealthier gardeners. It’s definitely worth a read, especially if you garden in dryer and warmer climates.

I read a temporary digital loan of this book for review.

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Maximalist plant lovers, unite!

In truth, I primarily wanted this book for the stunning photography; I have both a yard prone to munching critters and a 1.5 yr old who would trample anything planted. Surprisingly I was still able to take a lot from the text in this book. Blurbs about "Curb Appeal Colors" and what vegetation sports them, collections of similar but unique plants to group together, step by step instructions on smaller and more manageable (less destructible) projects.

Unless you have something specific you're looking for and you know it's in this book, I wouldn't suggest it as a resource on gardening. As a coffee table or entry table book, this would be a beautiful edition (to a maximalist home, especially!)

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Teresa Woodard and Timber Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}

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