Because of the variety of colors, shapes, forms, and textures, there is hardly a more versatile material to combine with living plants in your garden than natural stone, either local or exotic. By way of introduction Jan Kowalczewski Whitner, author of Stonescaping, gives a historical perspective on Asian and Western traditions in the use of stone and its countless potential applications. She then launches into garden plans, techniques, and advice on taking advantage of many kinds of stone--even some now-available artificial stone materials--for paths and steps, walls and terraces, stone-water features, and rock gardens. For example, Whitner diagrams and explains how to make a proper foundation for stone walls, build a stone pergola, lay gravel and stone paths, cut natural stone, and create stone fountains and water features. Readers can duplicate these projects or can use them as a starting place for personalized, customized sites or designs.