Books by Carol Smith

Gardening on a Gradient: Designing and Establishing Sloping Gardens is a complete guide to tackling one of a garden designerΓÇÖs biggest challenges. Whatever the size or the gradient, creating a garden on a sloping site presents lots of conflicting possibilities and potentially expensive choices. Whether home gardener or professional designer, this accessible book will guide you through the challenge, from the initial garden site assessment and survey, right through the design process to the final stages of planting. Step-by-step instructions and explanative diagrams offer readers practical solutions and tried-and-tested methods, as well as inspiration and some novel ideas drawn from sloping gardens around the UK.

Val is a young boy living with his mother; his father is gone. In the woods near his home, he meets a giant spruce tree. Spruce, the giant Sitka spruce tree is steadfast; his roots are planted deep in the earth just as his values are planted deep in his spirit. Their friendship matures and endures until the time of Spruce's death. The story combines real life intertwining with the fantasy world that takes place in Wonder Woods. In the fantasy world, a near-fatal rafting trip happens where they are rescued by an Indian chief. Big Chief Yellow Bird is like an angel unaware who appears when Val and his cousins are in danger or in need of guidance in Wonder Woods. Adventure, danger, death, grief, disappointment, victory, and heroism are portrayed in this tale. There are real-life explanations for the fantasies that occur in the woods. Throughout the story, signs of Val's father slowly returning home are emerging.

Devastated by the shocking news that an old school friend, Suzy Palmer, faces execution in Louisiana for the murder of her children, London rabbi, Deborah Hirsch, enlists the aid of her former classmates in an attempt to get her off. She can't be anything but innocent; the Suzy they've known and loved all these years could never hurt a fly.Aided by Miss Holbrook, Suzy's former art teacher, the friends unite to prove Suzy's innocence. Back and forth across thirty years they slowly piece together what happened.And even more shocking than Suzy's plight is the knowledge that one of their number has betrayed her.

When Rose sees Joe in an Oxford bar, for her it is instant infatuation. He is everything she could ever want: gifted musician, wit and high achiever. In her mind, at least, they are ideally matched and a burning desire for him takes hold. Fate, however, has other plans and Joe has no intention of settling down. All Rose will ever be to him is part of his student past. Instead he embarks on a dazzling career which takes him abroad for a number of years, leaving Rose alone with shattered dreams.She knows what true happiness can be like. Her parents have always been very well married, and the late arrival of her kid sister, Lily, helped make the family complete. But when Joe returns and falls for Lily, unaware that Rose still has feelings for him, a dangerous rivalry ensues . . . one that can only lead to murder.

Bestselling author Anna Kovac has just bought the house of her dreams in New York. But the horror of September 11th, and the need for peace to finish her latest novel, leads her to crave a change of scene and so she arranges a four-month house-swap with the mysterious Don Sutherland, an ex-Yalie who is prepared to loan her his villa in Tuscany while he lives in her apartment.Delighted by her good fortune, Anna arrives in Tuscany with two friends. After a blissful few weeks she calls home and her friend Larry Atwood assures her that, although no one has seen the mysterious Mr Sutherland, the house seems fine. But then Anna tries to access her bank account and her details have been wiped. All her savings have disappeared. She calls her house and discovers it has been put up for sale. Then she hears that Larry has fallen from the scaffolding outside her building and been killed. Anna returns to New York to discover that someone has ruthlessly erased all evidence of her life there. Someone has taken her identity...

Introduces a visual approach to planting design. Instead of relying heavily on plant knowledge, this title provides a practical, hands-on method for the design of planting, so that the final garden suits your needs and style. It sets out the principles of planting design, and introduces the nine plant shapes and a selection of appropriate plants.