Anybody who has spent time with British landscape designer Arne Maynard knows that he likes to think big. A new book, The Gardens of Arne Maynard (Merrell, $67), demonstrates this fact via a wealth of sumptuous photographs of grand-scale designs Maynard has created in both Europe and America.

But the volume also shows how Maynard thinks small. An admired fixture in the design world—he authored a column for the English magazine Gardens Illustrated and several previous books—Maynard writes engagingly about minor choices that end up having a profound affect on outdoor spaces.

In the introduction, he describes numerous early horticultural discoveries and revelations about layout. Other sections illuminate his ability to strike a balance between the seemingly uncultivated and the obviously manicured. But some of most interesting parts focus on the importance of developing a sense of place. The ability to read landscape, house, and environ before endeavoring to create a garden is a Maynard speciality that comes through brilliantly in this exciting new book.