Product Description

Today’s gardeners have more plants and design ideas to choose from than ever before. But is there something missing in our gardens if they ignore our ties to the past? Denise Wiles Adams has written a remarkable book of history and horticulture that documents the changing plant palette of American gardens. From the colonial era to the pre–World War II period, no region of the country is neglected and no major plant group unrepresented. From a database of more than 25,000 plants and hundreds of antique nursery catalogs, she has distilled a unique survey of American ornamental gardens. Nobody concerned with historic homes and properties can afford to be without it.

Adams’s book is an exhaustive work of primary research, culled from old books and journals, photo albums—even postcards. For each of the more than 1000 plants described, from trees to heirloom roses, she includes their earliest known literature citation as well as quotes from period garden writers that reveal changing opinions and fashions. Stunning images from catalog art, early photographs, and period illustrations provide a visual record of these plants in gardens. Providing context for this wealth of information, the author includes invaluable chapters on how to read the historic landscape as well as background information on design styles and American building types.

Extensive tables provide the reference information to back up the plant descriptions. Appendices list ornamental plants by region and date, so that researchers can quickly determine which plants are typical of any given garden at any given time in American history. Historic plant sources are documented, as well as current-day sources for heirloom plants. Finally, a record of invasive plants provides a cautionary note about those fashionable friends that later proved to be bad neighbors—and that should be avoided in the gardens of the future.

An important resource that will be consulted for generations, Restoring American Gardens is a vital link between gardeners and their predecessors throughout history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105834 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 420 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Horticulturalist and ornamental plant historian Adams hopes "that everyone will choose to garden with heirloom plants." This extensive exploration of the evolution of American gardens will inspire many readers to do just that. Home gardeners will discover untried plants and rediscover familiar ones from a rich historical perspective, while professional and amateur designers alike will find a wealth of practical information on how to approach the historic landscape, document key features, develop a list of appropriate plants and pursue investigations. Furthermore, the book has considerable appeal for non-gardeners, as Adams offers many insights into the development of American domestic culture. Early chapters briskly review the art and science of historic gardens. From there, Adams's enthusiasm is infectious, as she explains techniques for interpreting old garden sites, describes design styles for typical building types and discusses traditions in different geographic regions. The bulk of the volume-the encyclopedia itself-differs from usual plant listings by including incisive design notes and remarks. Whenever possible, Adams quotes original sources, creating a brief historical record for each plant. Antique and contemporary photographs and illustrations support the text and offer glimpses of American gardens of the past. Ample, detailed appendices and a comprehensive bibliography add greater value to what's destined to become an indispensable reference for anyone interested in heirloom ornamentals and their history.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
As the trend to restore or rehabilitate one's garden increases among individuals who possess property endowed with a historic provenance, so, too, does the need for further research into the gardenscapes of earlier eras. Thus, Adams' effort is most timely, and the abundant material on ornamental plants she presents covers more than 1,000 that are considered to be cultural heirlooms--species that most definitely merit conservation. Adams provides information to help determine garden elements that once existed on a given plot of land, and guidance on how to decide on period features suited to the architecture of a given setting. She also scrutinizes traditions relating to geographic regions from coast to coast, and presents extensive appendixes that should gratify the most detail-oriented reader. The home gardener, professional landscape designer, bed-and-breakfast proprietor, and all those who have taken to heart the task of re-creating plantings that are in keeping with a mode of yesteryear will love delving into this satisfying, well-organized, and beautifully produced resource. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Destined to become an indispensable reference for anyone interested in heirloom ornamentals and their history." -- Publisher's Weekly, January 19, 2004

"'American heirloom ornamental plants are ... treasures to be honored and conserved and shared,' Adams writes. I believe the same can be said of this book."
—George Weigel, People Places Plants, Summer 2004 (People Places Plants )

"Restoring American Gardens is a useful addition to a growing body of historic landscape resources and is particularly important for its methodical focus on heirloom plants and their appropriate use."
—Scott Mehaffey, Landscape Architecture, July 2004 (Landscape Architecture )

"This work is packed with information that the history-minded gardener will appreciate."
—Kay Ackerman, Bloomsbury Review, January 2005 (Bloomsbury Review )

'American heirloom ornamental plants are ... treasures to be honored and conserved and shared,' Adams writes. I believe the same can be said of this book. George Weigel, People Places Plants, Summer 2004 (People Places Plants )

Restoring American Gardens is a useful addition to a growing body of historic landscape resources and is particularly important for its methodical focus on heirloom plants and their appropriate use. Scott Mehaffey, Landscape Architecture, July 2004 (Landscape Architecture )

This work is packed with information that the history-minded gardener will appreciate. Kay Ackerman, Bloomsbury Review, January 2005 (Bloomsbury Review )

Customer Reviews

Amazing piece of research, well presented
This is an amazing piece of research and one of the few books whose appendices are a "must read".

The bok is about American ornamental plant history - the story of garden plants from their introduction, usually from Europe, or from the local fields and forests. It answers questions such as "Who first cultivated it in America?", "How was it used?", "Who propagated or sold it?" and "Why was it popular?".

The writer consulted over 300 seed and nursery catalogues from all over the US and ended up with a data base of over 25,000 different taxa.

The first chapter of the book looks at the historical detail of the garden landscape and it is illustrated with well-selected photographs, many taken from postcards. The second chapter links the gardens to the architectural styles from different time periods and the third chapter looks at the way garden styles evolved in different regions of the country. The largest part of the book is a catalogue of over 1000 heirloom plants - trees, shrubs, vines, perennials and roses that were offered for sale between 1719 - 1939. For each plant there is given common names, family, date of introduction, earliest American citation, zones and description, taken from the garden writers of history.

This book presents a vast amount of material and it's a treasure trove for the garden historian. Even the most casual reader will enjoy the historical and botanical illustrations. It really is a treat to find such a well-organized work of scholarship that is so readable and attractively presented.

A treasure trove of information on heirloom ornamentals
Gardeners who enjoy a healthy dose of gardening history in their guides will find Denise Wiles Adams' Restoring American Gardens a treasure trove of information on heirloom ornamentals from 1640-1940. Small color photos of each plant abound, but it's the paragraphs of description for each, including garden design notes and special remarks, which sets this apart from competitors.

Restored my interest
I had a heritage garden to restore and needed some information on the types of plants grown around the 1800's. This book was the perfect answer to all my questions.

The format is perfect for getting the pertinent data without having to read through pages of trivia. Although at the end of each plant story there is a remark section that does give you something historically interesting. Among other things you are given the introduction date, zone, description, earliest american citation, design notes, and more. There are some modern pictures of the plants but they are not really necessary. I liked seeing the old drawings and photos. The book is divided by plant groupings: vines, annuals, tropicals, etc, which made it easy for me to find a plant for the area I was working on.

The one area of the book that didn't work for me was the Historic Commercial Plant Sources. The information may have been pertinent but it was laid out in such a way that I spent more time trying to figure out the "code" than I did in gaining any knowledge.

That aside, this is a wonderful book that I will be using a lot as I do more historic garden designs.