Smith, whose works include the John A. Sibley Horticultural Center at Callaway Gardens in Georgia and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas, has written an expansive volume filled with projects designed to teach a landscape architect how to conceive of projects artistically. The first part features detailed exercises for developing creative thinking, building a visual vocabulary, and learning how to draw, sketch and paint as methods for brainstorming. These lessons are accompanied by chapters on various artists and their methods and Winterthur Garden as an example of the garden conceived as art. The second half of the book is devoted to in-depth chapters on the design process used in Peirce's Woods at Longwood Gardens, the Tropical Mosaic Garden in Naples, Florida, and the New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods. The volume is heavily illustrated with color photos and drawings. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)