Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love

The latest book to come through our doors is from the library, and it is Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love, by Julie Moir Messervy.

We wanted to redo our raised beds as the existing ones are ~20 years old and a configuration that is not all that efficient. Plus we wanted them higher--6-inch high beds are okay for youngsters to weed, but my aching back would be happier with 18-inch high beds.

Once we decided to change out the raised beds, we decided it was time to add the potting shed we've been wanting, and one thing led to another and pretty soon the entire backyard is under discussion.

I Googled looking for books on landscape design and this one sounded excellent, and since my library had a copy, I now have a copy.

I'm not sure I'll walk away from reading this with the ability to design anything really, but the pictures are providing loads of inspiration.

Here's what Amazon blurbed about it:

An Outside-the-Box Guide to Outdoor Living. Let's face it: most of us have the confidence to improve the inside of our homes with a fresh coat of paint, new rugs, furniture, and fixtures. But when it comes to the outside of our most prized possession, we don't know where to start. That's where Julie Moir Messervy's Home Outside comes in. The acclaimed landscape designer walks the reader through the process of turning any property into the home outside you've always dreamed of. Focusing on key concepts like Finding Your Comfort Zone and Placing the Pieces, Messervy presents breathtaking plans for remarkable front and back lawns, entertainment areas, and contemplative retreats, as well as innovative ways to create a better flow between the inside and outside of a house.

Here's one of my favorite pictures. The stuff that dreams are made of...