10 MOST BEAUTIFUL GARDENING BOOKS

The most beautiful new garden books have arrived, so spring is off to a wonderful start.  A few of the books feature rare views of private gardens, while others openly tout the work of famed garden designers.

Some books offer info and cultivating guidance, while others offer history. “The Photographer in the Garden,” certainly one of the best new garden books this year, was featured earlier Photographers in Gardens Part 1 & Part 2.

This crop of new books offer different approaches. From seaside gardens to formal gardens to desert gardens, there’s incredible variety to tempt you. There are famous gardens that you can visit in several books as well as several books with gardens that no one has ever photographed before.

Begin your springtime armchair garden swoons below.

1. DREAMSCAPES: INSPIRATION AND BEAUTY IN GARDENS NEAR AND FAR

“Dreamscapes: Inspiration and Beauty in Gardens Near and Far,” by award-winning photographer Claire Takacs, is a stunning collection of over 60 of the world's most beautiful gardens. Gardens created by well-known designers such as Brandon Tyson, Paul Bangay, and Fernando Martos, among others.

Gardens featured include the Welsh garden Dyffryn Fernant; Australia's Cloudehill; Martha Stewart's private garden, Skylands; the beautiful Edwardian idyll of Bryan's Ground in Herefordshire; the former home of Vita Sackville-West, Long Barn in Kent; the naturalistic French garden of Le Jardin Plume in Normandy; Piet Oudolf's Hummelo in the Netherlands; Hermannshof in Germany at the forefront of planting design; and Kenrokuen one of Japan's most beautiful public gardens.

Hardie Grant

2. THE PRIVATE GARDENS OFSMI LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

“The Private Gardens of SMI Landscape Architecture” showcases the work of  SMI Landscape Architecture. The book, edited by Jorge Sánchez, a principal of the firm, illustrates the firm’s gardening philosophy and style, incorporating a “botanic garden” approach with exotic planting and elements of classical European design to create beautiful, usable spaces as well as restored and preserved heritage landscapes.  

This book presents 15 new gardens, never before published in any book, that show the range of the firm’s work.

Many of the projects are in Palm Beach, with both newly designed and historic gardens.

Merrell Publishers

3. PRIVATE ITALIAN GARDENS

"Private Italian Gardens," by Paolo Pejrone, with photos by Dario Fusaro, is a must-have for garden lovers. It features 13 incredible specially commissioned gardens that have never before seen by an the public.They are owned by well-known Italian families, such as the Agnellis, and they were all created by one of Italy’s most renowned landscape designers, Paolo Pejrone.

The gardens are located in different regions of Italy, from the cool Alpine region of Piedmont to the heat of the Italian Riviera, Tuscany, Rome, Corsica, and the Mediterranean island of Isola d’Elba.

With stunning specially commissioned photographs, this volume offers readers the rare opportunity to enter these exquisite private spaces—and to delve into the idyllic beauty of Italian garden design.

Publishing

4. OXFORD COLLEGE GARDENS

“Oxford College Gardens,” by Tim Richardson, with photos by,‎ ANDREW LAWSON, is a revised and updated edition of the original best-seller. The gardens at Oxford College are primarily there for the pleasure of 25,000 students, their families, and faculty. There are more than 30 colleges at Oxford, each with its own unique garden. Founded in 1621, the university's Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in Britain, and it holds one of the most diverse plant collections in the world. It has inspired Lewis Caroll, among other authors.

"This is a book to be savored; sketching out a history of Oxford, its text is as lively and informative as its photographs are absorbing." - The New York Times

Frances Lincoln

5. OUT EAST: HOUSES AND GARDENS OF THE HAMPTONS

"Out East: Houses and Gardens of the Hamptons," by Jennifer Ash Rudick,‎ with photos by Tria Giovan, chronicles the glorious seaside gardens of the South Fork of Long Island, NY, an area known as “The Hamptons.” World class architects and designers tapped into the natural beauty of beaches, from Southampton to Montauk, and created extraordinary gardens, verandas, lakeside pavilions, farmhouses, and converted barns. Southampton resident Jennifer Ash Rudick takes us through more than 30 of these beautiful places.

Tria Giovan is a Sag Harbor-based photographer specializing in interiors and still lifes. Her work has appeared in books and in Coastal Living, Esquire, House Beautiful, Travel & Leisure, and Veranda.  

Vendome Press

6. DESERT GARDENS OF STEVE MARTINO

"Desert Gardens of Steve Martino," a new book by Caren Yglesias , with photos by‎ Steve Gunther, surveys 21 gardens by the esteemed landscape architect. Martino, whose work is known for blending  colorful, man-made elements with native plants to create spectacular desert gardens in California and the Southwest.

The photos show off Martino’s designs, with the interplay of light and shadow, the colors, extraordinary diversity of plants, beautiful buildings and outdoor furnishings.

The Monacelli Press

7. BEAUTIFUL GARDENS AROUND THE WORLD

Visit more than 80 Beautiful Gardens Around the World! This stunning new gardening book offers glimpses of Butchart Gardens (Canada), Gardens of Versailles (France), Fin Garden (Iran), Gardens at the Bay (Singapore), English Garden (Germany), Desert Botanical Gardens (United States), and the Majorelle Garden (Morocco), to name a few.

From Japanese gardens, to English landscape gardens, to Mughal gardens, to French formal gardens, to water gardens, and more, leaf through pages that are sure to rev up your springtime.

Publications International, Ltd.

8. PEONIES: BEAUTIFUL VARIETIES FOR HOME & GARDEN

"Peonies: Beautiful Varieties for Home & Garden," by Jane Eastoe, with photos by Georgianna Lane, dazzles us with over 60 varieties of the lushly petaled flower. From Shawnee Chief to Top Brass, there’s an eclectic selection of specimens to consider. Some are bred for visual drama, while others are cultivated for their fragrance. The book also offers commentary on each bloom, and easy-to-follow growing advice.

Gibbs Smith

9. FLORET FARM’S CUT FLOWER GARDEN: GROW, HARVEST, AND ARRANGE STUNNING SEASONAL BLOOMS

"Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms," by Floret founder Erin Benzakein,‎ & Julie Chai, with photos by‎ Michele M. Waite, is equal parts instruction and inspiration. With gorgeous photography and breathtaking arrangements, the book is organized by season, offering a beautiful guide to growing, harvesting, and arranging.

Chronicle Books

10. THE ROCKEFELLER FAMILY GARDENS: AN AMERICAN LEGACY

"The Rockefeller Family Gardens: An American Legacy," by Larry Lederman,‎ Cynthia Bronson Altman,‎ Todd Forrest,‎ & Cassie Banning, takes us on a rare photographic tour through the Rockefeller family gardens in the Hudson Valley and Maine.

While the Rockefeller family is known for their extraordinary philanthropy, much of it to protect unspoiled wild landscapes, they refined their passion for natural beauty to created some of the most exquisite private gardens.  

One garden at Kykuit, their estate in New York’s Hudson Valley, is of formal Beaux-Arts design, as directed by John D. Rockefeller Jr., with an extensive collection of 20th century sculpture, added later by Nelson A. Rockefeller. The other Kykuit garden is a small Japanese garden.

This book also tours the garden at Eyrie, the family summer retreat in Seal Harbor, Maine. The garden here, commissioned by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and designed by noted garden designer Beatrix Farrand, is a walled garden inspired by Asian aesthetics.

Larry Lederman’s photos are breathtaking.

The Monacelli Press

Read more about In the Garden in Photographers in Gardens: Part 1, Photographer In Garden: Part II and  Magnum In The Garden.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Claire Takacs. “Dreamscapes: Inspiration and Beauty in Gardens Near and Far.” Book by Claire Takacs. Courtesy of Hardie Grant.
2. Image: “The Private Gardens of SMI Landscape Architecture.”  Book by Claire Takacs. Courtesy of Hardie Grant.
3. Image: “The Private Gardens of SMI Landscape Architecture.” Book edited by Jorge Sánchez. Courtesy of Merrell Publishers.
4. Image: “Private Italian Gardens.” Book by Paolo Pejrone and‎ Dario Fusaro. Courtesy of Electa Publishing.
5. Image: “Oxford College Gardens.” Book by Tim Richardson and ‎Andrew Lawson. Courtesy of Frances Lincoln.
6. Image: “Out East: Houses and Gardens of the Hamptons.” Book by Jennifer Ash Rudick and  Tria Giovan. Courtesy of  Vendome Press.
7. Image: “Desert Gardens of Steve Martino.” Book by Caren Yglesias and Steve Gunther. Courtesy of The Monacelli Press.
8. Image: “Beautiful Gardens Around the World.” Book edited by Publications International. Courtesy of Publications International.
9. Image: “Peonies: Beautiful Varieties for Home & Garden.” Book by Jane Eastoe and Georgianna Lane. Courtesy of Gibbs Smith.
10. Image: “Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms.” Book by Erin Benzakein,‎ Julie Chai and Michele M. Waite. Courtesy of Chronicle Books.
11. Image: “The Rockefeller Family Gardens: An American Legacy.” Book by Larry Lederman,‎ Cynthia Bronson Altman,‎ Todd Forrest,‎ Cassie Banning. Courtesy of The Monacelli Press.
12. Image: by Larry Lederman. “The Rockefeller Family Gardens: An American Legacy.” Book by Larry Lederman,‎ Cynthia Bronson Altman,‎ Todd Forrest,‎ Cassie Banning. Courtesy of The Monacelli Press.
13. Image: by Tria Giovan.“Out East: Houses and Gardens of the Hamptons.” Book by Jennifer Ash Rudick and  Tria Giovan. Courtesy of  Vendome Press.
14. Image: “Desert Gardens of Steve Martino.” Book by Caren Yglesias and Steve Gunther. Courtesy of The Monacelli Press.