Garden to the Max: Joyful, Visionary, Maximalist Design

Woodard (coauthor, American Roots: Lessons and Inspiration from the Designers Reimagining Our Home Gardens) and photographer Stefko, with nearly 25 years of editorial and commercial experience, have collaborated to create a stunning, exuberant work celebrating maximalist gardens across the United States. Their book is divided into five sections—“Urban Exuberance,” “Dramatic Style,” “Abundant Naturalism,” “Curated Collections,” and “Bold Tropicals.” The work describes each garden, profiles its gardener, offers plant suggestions, and includes sidebars on how to recreate the results. Entries also include instructions for everything from how to make a succulent dish garden to propagating aloes and repotting a cactus. That’s all complemented by a vast array of gorgeous color photos, including garden shots and close-ups of individual plants. Among the beautiful plots found in this book are pollinator gardens, a garden with whimsical Harry Potter–esque features, a patio garden with 300 potted plants, an aquatic playground, a garden highlighting mosses, and tropical gardens in Florida and in northern climates.