April 2011, Issue 15
Book Review
Page 14
Reviewed 
The Dolls' House Gardener
by Lionel Barnard and Michael Hinchcliffe
Published by David & Charles in 1999. 176 pages
If you're looking for a way to bring spring to your dollhouse look no further than The Dolls' House Gardener. This beautiful, full-color, oversized book contains plans for eight different gardens in 1:12 scale and all the information you need to create the perfect mini garden for your own dollhouse.
An older book published in the UK, it's a little pricey on online sites such as Amazon, but well worth it if you want step-by-step help in creating fabulous mini garden scenes to scale. You might also score a deal on a copy at a miniatures show.
It begins with a few pages on the Principals of Garden Design, covering scale, site and size. Yes, even connected to the dollhouse your mini garden needs to follow basic rules of location to be both beautiful and realistic.
Other chapters include Basic Tools and Materials, Making the Elements, The Garden Designs as well as a list of suppliers, a bibliography and an index. In addition to beautiful color photographs throughout illustrating different mini gardens, there are also line drawings to offer design ideas and almost every page features a Tip boxed in the outer margin.
Custom Dolls, Houses & Miniatures / CDHM