June 22, 2025
Summer is when this Texas gardener retreats indoors, out of the Death Star’s glare, to catch up on stacks of garden book reading. I just finished an exuberant hardback that delivered hours of vicarious garden-visiting pleasure. With a title that promises more, more, more, Garden to the Max: Joyful, Visionary, Maximalist Design by Teresa Woodard lives up to its billing. It celebrates 20 more-is-more gardeners — those who can always squeeze in one more plant or pursue a design vision to its boldest expression.
In Teresa’s view, maximalist gardening is not about having the biggest or most expensive whatever. It’s about wringing every drop of potential from your space to showcase the plants you love, layering in color and pattern, and embracing the joy of gardening.
The featured gardens vary as much as the gardeners themselves: an urban courtyard crammed with tropicals, a desert nativescape in glorious bloom, a serene moss garden, a fantastical twiggery, to name a few. While some appealed to me more than others, all are interesting because the passion of the gardener is fully on display. No one is holding back here.
As the author, Teresa is a gifted storyteller. I first admired her voice in American Roots, which she co-authored. Photographer Bob Stefko’s images are beautiful, and you could happily page through the book on visuals alone. But it’s Teresa’s essays that help you understand what inspired each garden owner to create these unique spaces and keep at it year after year.
The gardens are organized into sections titled Urban Exuberance, Dramatic Style, Abundant Naturalism, Curated Collections, and Bold Tropicals. (I’ve been fortunate to visit two of the gardens: Lauren Springer’s in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Jim Charlier‘s in Buffalo, New York, pictured above. I’m hopeful that Jim’s “Wizard’s Wonderland,” as Teresa calls it, will be included on the Buffalo Fling in July 2026.) Each garden chapter concludes with a page of plants from the garden and a takeaway lesson on topics like overwintering tender plants, how to incorporate more color, and curating container collections.
The book design also has maximalist flair. Each section opens with a bold floral illustration and jewel-toned paper, and every gardener has a full-page portrait of them interacting with their garden against a colorful backdrop. I love seeing the gardener behind the garden, and these portraits add warmth and personality.
If you’re craving inspiration or just want to immerse yourself in creative, more-is-more gardens from all across the country, Garden to the Max is your summer joyride.
Photos taken from Garden to the Max© Copyright 2025 by Teresa Woodard, photographs by Bob Stefko. Published by Timber Press, Portland, OR. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Disclosure: Timber Press sent me Garden to the Max, and I reviewed it at my own discretion and without any compensation. This post, as with everything at Digging, is my personal opinion.
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Digging Deeper
My new book, Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State, is available for pre-order at Amazon and other online book sellers. It’ll be released on October 14th, and while that’s several months away, pre-orders are tremendously helpful in getting my book noticed by readers and reviewers. Please consider pre-ordering if you’d like to read it this fall; more info here. Thank you for your support!
Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here!
All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
