Great American Gardens: A Photographic Celebration

A nationwide garden tour is packaged between the covers of this slim, oversized volume. Arranged by section of the country, this book takes the reader through the gardens of New England, the Old South, the plains, and the mountains to the far West. Colonial gardens, hedged and tidy, burst with tulips, pansies, and herbs; classical statuary and clapboard houses, as well as the grandeur of Monticello and Mount Vernon, show both the English and French influences on early American gardens. It moves from the formal and European to the topography-driven gardens and more casual style of the western states. Rock gardens, meadow gardens, and cottage styles are fairly recent developments in American garden history; all are displayed here in glowing color, and in context of housing styles and major public gardens.

The final chapter, "Developing an American Style," introduces the influence of Asian gardens, modernism, naturalism, the ecological garden, and environmental concerns that have changed our gardens in the latter part of this century. This book can be enjoyed as an introduction to American gardens, their history and diversity, or simply as a photographic exploration of beautiful garden style. --Valerie Easton

Book Description
Gardens have always been cherished by Americans, from early colonial dooryard plots brimming with flowering herbs to the spectacular sculptural gardens that grace more formal landscapes today.

All across the United States gardeners have adapted to the demands of local soil and climate conditions to produce amazing combinations of blooms and shrubs.

Here is a visual celebration of every kind of American garden, including such highlights as:
-- A restored rectors garden in New England
-- The grounds of historical sites such as Monticello and Colonial Williamsburg
-- The azalea-filled plantation gardens of Charleston
-- Mission gardens of the West and Southwest
-- Extravagant estate gardens of Vizcaya and Hearst Castle

With more than 84 full-color photographs of North America's most breath-taking gardens, this volume is a tribute to America's unique historical heritage.