THE AMERICAN WOODLAND GARDEN Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest. Text and Photography by Rick Darke. Timber Press, Inc. Publisher.

Trees, beautiful trees, photographed by Rick Darke, fill the pages of this book. Trees with halos of sunlight, trees rising up out of mist, trees with snow at their base and ice on their limbs, trees cloaked in floral finery and in autumn foliage, all are found in these pages.

When you design a woodland garden, don’t forget to incorporate layers and four-season interest. Bark textures, like the peeling bark of birches, either the tan of river birch or the white of canoe birch, are elements to consider.

His layers end at ground level with a section on wildflowers. Trilliums, foamflowers, violas, false hellebore and culver’s root span seasons on the woodland floor. Plan your shade garden with the help of Rick Darke’s suggestions.

Grab this book and take a walk in the woods without leaving your chair. It is a winner, even if it hadn’t received these three national awards: American Horticulture Society Book Award; Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award; and National Arbor Day Foundation Certificate of Merit.