Product Description

A celebration in words and breathtaking images of thirty-five landscapes created for private clients by today's preeminent designers. This is a time of renewed originality in garden design. The last twenty years have seen a lucky confluence of money and talent lavished on gardening, and the results are surprising, enchanting, sometimes even controversial. The range of possibilities suggested by these thirty-five gardens is extraordinary: from Jacques Wirtz's undulating beech hedges that recede mysteriously into the mist to Penelope Hobhouse's latest interpretation of the traditional English garden, to Martha Schwartz's Texas creation of red, yellow, and pink painted garden rooms.

These hidden masterworks of modern gardening are unlocked for us by the authority, experience, and resources of House & Garden magazine. Every page is an invitation to explore landscapes that have never before been seen by the public--and may never be seen again. International in scope and lavish in its production, this book is the last word on the state of design in the garden world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #153296 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

About the Author
For over a decade, Dominique Browning was the editor in chief of House & Garden. She is the author of Around the House and in the Garden and lives in New York City and Rhode Island.

Customer Reviews

Big book, big gardens, big budgets
This coffee table book features private gardens and estates of the wealthy who have the funds to hire the most talented garden designers in the world to realize their visions. Most of the gardens featured are in the U.S. although a few are in England and Japan. Chapters are divided by varying styles, such as classicism, traditionalism, naturalism, cottage garden, modernism, etc. It is an eclectic collection, from minimalist elegance to lush romantic woodlands. Sculptures, art work, water features and stone work are a feature in many.

Chapter names tout the garden designer which includes such talents as Patrick Chasse, Dan Pearson, Jacques Wirtz, Dan Kiley, Piet Oudolf, Martha Swartz, Sarah Raven, Christian Louboutin, Isabelle Greene, Penelope Hobhouse, Topher Delaney and Steve Martino. The owners of the gardens are rarely mentioned (with the exception of actors Brad Pitt and Tim Curry and a few others). Although the text is often stuffy and oft-putting, the photographs alone are reason enough to purchase the book. This beautiful book is wonderful for garden dreamers who will find gardens such as these unattainable.

A tour around the best gardens in the world
This book is huge and a most for garden reference. It's organized in seven chapters that will impress all kind of taste:

The New Classicism: Magical gardens from places such as NY, Spain, Germany...+
The New Traditionalism: Enchanting pictures from NY, IL, France, Japan...+
The New Naturalism: Beautiful gardens from NY, Idaho, France, Arizona, England.
The Plantsmen: Magnificent proposals from New England, California, The Netherlands...+
Personal Visions: NY, California, and Texas
The Cottage Garden Reinvented: Lovely gardens from England, France and Ireland.
The New Modernism: The best and trendiest gardens of California.

You'll be able to see some of the best gardens from places such as Arizona to Japan. Some of my favorites gardens where from England, The Netherlands and France.

The text is pleasant to read and full of details no only about the flowers portrayed but also to the architect and artist that created such beauty. The balance of text and picture is excellent. The quality of the pictures is excellent, full pages pictures trout the book. House and Gardens did a tremendous job and it's absolutely clear that the took at least ten times the number of pictures in the book since you'll only see the best angle and light possible for each picture.

The only con is the lacks of tropical gardens since most part of the book are focus on the northern hemisphere.

Great Private Gardens of the World
This is a beautiful book anyone would be pleased to have. The quality of the photos is splendid. Most enjoyable.