GARDEN PATHS & STEPPING STONES by Tara Dillard

Creating beautiful landscape paths from conception to installation is easy.

Pathways around your home can be the most striking outdoor element, providing a visual and physical guide through your surroundings. Instead of settling for boring straight-line sidewalks, why not create your own geography with paths that add art to necessity!

Let this lush visual resource for gardeners and garden designers inspire you with its 125 different paths that feature styles from very casual to natural trails to elegantly formal walkways.

Do-it-yourself installation instructions cover materials, elements of design, each step of construction, and maintenance tips. The value of your home will increase , and so will the pleasure you receive from walking outdoors, as the ordinary activity of going from one place to another reveals your sense of beauty and character.

Published 2007

THE GARDEN VIEW: Designs for Beautiful Landscapes by Tara Dillard

The garden you've always dreamed of is in sight!

Create a tranquil outdoor haven by learning how to place benches, birdbaths, statues, and unusual plantings along the viewing angles from your house and other line-of-sight areas to the garden.

Why do some gardens look more inviting and peaceful than others?

The reason isn't as obvious as you might think. Master gardeners and landscape architects know that choosing the right plants and keeping them lush and healthy is only part of the answer. Physical layout, plant spacing and height, and thoughtful placement of garden accessories such as benches, statuary, and water features all dramatically impact a garden's ambiance.

Designing a beautiful backyard refuge is simple once you understand the concept of "viewing axis," those vantage points from which a garden will most often be seen Whether you find those views engaging or not is affected by the interplay of balance, form, and color. Look out your windows and doors and what do you see? Graceful and joyous vistas, or mumbled visions of uninspired plantings? It's important to pay careful attention to these views in order to create a complementary style for both house and garden.

Your overall design should reflect multiple axes, as most gardens are seen from more than one vantage point.

Whether you're planning a new garden or redesigning an existing one, you can give it maximum appeal by following this expert advice.

Published 2005

BEAUTIFUL by DESIGN: Stunning Blueprints for Harmonious Gardens by Tara Dillard

Give any garden a lovely finishing touch using focal points.

Create a beautiful, harmonious garden by learning how to display focal points in a pleasing location, at the perfect height, and in an eye-catching way. Find out how to choose a theme, make a splash with color, add garden art, and more. From trompe l'oeil illusions to enfilade, a view through to a view, every idea here is achievable and attractive.

What makes a garden special?

Focal points, using anything from plants to statues, that capture the eye and make a strong first impression. Using a wealth of inspiring color photographs and detailed garden plans, horticulturist Tara Dillard reveals how to create elegant focal-point arrangements that will lend character to any garden.

Deciding on locations for focal points is easy if you look outside through your garden view windows. After all, why put a bench or birdfeeder where you'll never see it from the house? Then apply this rule: include only one focal point per garden area. Use the plans throughout Beautiful by Design to further help you with effective focal-point placement.

Architectural, interior design, and focal-point styles are all interrelated and should be coordinated. If you choose something lackluster to display, your entire garden will also look dull. Remember gardens are about contrasts in color, form, and texture. Try adding something unexpected in a witty way. A tall copper light fixture that does double duty as a trellis, for example, becomes a lovely, yet subtle, garden feature.

.....You'll have fun along the path to perfection in your stunning garden.

Published 2005

PATIO & STONE A SUNSET DESIGN GUIDE

INSPIRATION + EXPERT ADVICE Includes Landscape Design Software

All the latest ideas on design and materials, along with essential landscaping advice from landscaping professionals, so that you can create unique outdoor living spaces.

Expert designers. Experienced garden design and landscaping professionals guide you in creating the patio you want on a budget you can afford.

Real-world solutions. Pro-designed patios and garden stonework show the best ways to pull all the elements together to create a cohesive, comfortable outdoor space.

At a glance. Clear, concise charts make it easy to choose materials based on appearance, durability, ease of installation, and price.

Go green. The latest information on green materials and landscaping techniques.

INTERACTIVE DVD
Included. Interactive design software that is professional, yet easy-to-use.

* Design a backyard with precise tools, then see it from any angle in 3D view.
* Control everything from the dimensions of your space to final choices of materials.
* Create detailed plants to help with permit applications.
* Works for both PC and Mac systems.

Tara Dillard is one of several design experts contributing to this book by Tom Wilhite, published 2009.

PERENNIALS for GEORGIA

With more than 500 color photographs and a wealth of information about the best perennials available for Georgia gardeners, this beautifully illustrated book is sure to meet your needs.

Perennial gardening can be easy, fun and rewarding, as well as economical and not too time-consuming. Organized into 90 accounts, this handy guide to the species, varieties, hybrids and cultivars takes the guesswork out of what to grow in the Peach State. The authors' practical, common-sense advice will help bring color and variety to your garden:
* flower and foliage colors
* height and spread ranges
* blooming periods
* how and when to start your plants
* planting strategies
* light, water and nutrient needs
* choosing the best perennials for different growing conditions.

Published 2007

BEST GARDEN PLANTS for GEORGIA

Are you ever unsure about which plants would best suit the conditions in your garden? This practical, inspiring book will take the guesswork out of choosing the right plants. Gardeners from all over Georgia will find this a useful guide when selecting a wide range of garden plants.

Organized into eight groups, the plants in this book have been selected because they are virtually guaranteed to grow in Georgia. These readily available and attractive plants grow well in our climate and offer the best features for a wide variety of garden situations. Each of the 160 accounts includes:
* height and spread
* flower color and bloom time
* planting information
* recommended varieties
* hardiness zones
* plenty of tips for Georgia gardeners.

Published 2006

LANDSCAPING YOUR HOME

Fine Gardening Design Guides -- Creative Ideas from America's Best Gardeners Tara won the Quill & Trowel award from the Garden Writers Association for her work in this book.

In Landscaping Your Home, some of the best designers in the field show how to do a complete makeover of front, back, and side yards. The book is packed with fresh ideas for entrances, foundation plantings, and pathways, and explains how to use landscaping to better situate a house, thereby increasing its property value. Lavish illustrations make this practical approach to landscaping easy to follow.

Tara Dillard is one of several experts contributing to this book.

Published 2001




GARDENING 'ROUND ATLANTA

What do I plant? Where can I get it? How can I make it grow?

Gardening 'Round Atlanta answers the questions area gardeners ask the most. It's filled with long-time local gardeners' recommendations for plants proven to thrive in the Atlanta area, sources for those plants, and expert planting and growing advice. With Gardening 'Round Atlanta, you'll have all the information you need for success in your Atlanta garden.

Tara Dillard is one of several expert gardeners contributing to this book.

Published 1997

TARA DILLARD BIOGRAPHY

Tara Dillard
Garden Designer Tara Dillard is a nationally recognized garden designer, author, and speaker who has hosted her own television program, The Better Gardening Show, on CBS. After earning degrees in engineering and horticulture, she began designing and installing low-maintenance organic landscapes with an emphasis on the balance between home, garden, and life. An award-winning author of 5 books, including Garden Paths and Stepping Stones, Beautiful by Design, and The Garden View, Tara also writes a newspaper column, magazine articles and maintains a popular blog on her website. Based in Atlanta, GA, she lectures nationally, spreading the message that creating a beautiful landscape will create a beautiful life.
www.taradillard.com