Noel Kingsbury

Books

Here’s a list of books I’ve had published – latest or more important at the top. If you want to buy a book from amazon.com (in the USA) please click here. If you want to buy a book from amazon.co.uk please click here.

• Hybrid – The History and Science of Plant Breeding

  University of Chicago Press, 2009
  • "Monumental" in the words of one critic. But very much designed to be a readable background to some of the most important issues of the day – how we feed the world.

• Natural Garden Style

  Merrell, 2009.

  • "This book, like his others, is well organized, based in scientific research, aware of its historical context in the long line of proponents of naturalistic gardening going back to William Robinson in England and Karl Foerster in Germany, and generous in its use of photographic examples of the work of many of today's notable garden designers…. I expect any new work by Noel Kingsbury to be a thoroughly enjoyable, nonstop read, and this one maintains his high standard."

    From A "How To" Book of Big Ideas, August 2, 2009, blog by James R. Golden (View from Federal Twist)

• Seedheads

  Timber Press, 2006
  • "contemporary garden guru Noel Kingsbury offers an appealing blueprint for a new kind of all-year-round garden…. brilliantly captured by Jo Whitworth’s photographs". Christopher Stocks, The Independent on Sunday, 22.Oct.2006.

• Planting Design: Gardens in Time and Space

  (with Piet Oudolf) Terra/Timber, 2005
  • "this is something of a manifesto as well as a good ‘how-to’ book, and should be on the shelves of every practising landscape and garden designer…. highly readable but learned and rigorous…uses examples that are both sublimely beautiful and inspiring." Philip Nixon in The Garden, April 2006.

• VISTA: the culture and politics of the garden.

  A collection of essays co-edited with Tim Richardson. Frances Lincoln, 2005

  • "Vista achieves two laudable aims set out by its two editors: to be questioning and to make the academic accessible". Toby Musgrave in Gardens Illustrated, 2005

    "Vista is a fascinating collection of essays" Katie Campbell, Garden Design Journal, Feb.2006.

• The New Perennial Garden

  Frances Lincoln, 1996
  • Widely recognised as a classic on planting design, and used on many garden design courses. Readers and students have said how useful the plant variety tables are for helping them choose plants.

• Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls

  Co-authored with Nigel Dunnett, Timber Press, 2008
  • The first, and still only comprehensive, book in English on the subject. This is the second edition.

• Gardens by Design

  Pavilion/Timber, 2006
  • "If there is a book that could sell the contemporary and innovative style of gardening to the gardening traditionalist then this is it." Roger Platts in The Garden, Sept.2006

• Designing with Plants

  (with Piet Oudolf) Conran Octopus/Timber, 1999
  • The first book I wrote about Piet Oudolf’s work, explaining his plant-focused approach to garden design.

• Natural Gardening for Small spaces

  Frances Lincoln/Timber, 2003

• Architectural Plants

  Mitchell Beazley,1996
  • The first book that came out on the whole "big n' bold leaf" look. Still quite a stylish looking book, as well as packed with information. Shame the publishers didn’t try harder selling it.

• The Ultimate Planting Planner

  Ward Lock, 1996
  • A basic introduction to all aspects of planting design, rather than the wild look I am usually associated with. It sold well, despite very old-fashioned design. This is one of the few books around on planting design, as opposed to garden design.

• Bold Leaved Plants

  Ryland and Peters, 2000

• Grasses

  Ryland and Peters, 2000

• Design and Plant a Mixed Border

  Ward Lock, 1997

• Plants to transform your garden

  Ward Lock, 1998

• Gardener's Factfile

  Conran Octopus, 1999

• The Indoor Garden

  Headline, 1994

• The Wildflower Gardener

  Conran Octopus, 1994