Price : $21.65

Product Description

Garden lovers and discriminating travelers will relish this armchair tour of the most beautiful and interesting gardens around the world. Succinct descriptions with stunning color photos showcase the creations of the worlds outstanding landscape gardeners, architects, and garden designers. From Spains famous gardens of the Moorish Alhambra at Granada to San Diegos Healing Garden, created for patients at the San Diego Childrens Hospital, this lavishly illustrated guide will delight both lovers of natural beauty and hands-on gardeners. Among the many gardens pictured and described in this beautiful volume are

• In the United States and Canada: Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Boscobel in New Yorks Hudson Valley, Williamsburg Gardens in Virginia, Magnolia Plantation and its Gardens near Charleston, South Carolina, Frank Lloyd Wrights Taliesin in Wisconsin, the Toronto Botanical Garden, Pacific Undersea Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia, and many more. . .
• In England: The Japanese Garden in Londons Holland Park, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, Shakespeares Garden in Stratford, Londons Victoria and Albert Museum Gardens, and many more. . .
• In France: The Gardens of Versailles outside Paris, the Garden of Claude Monet at Giverney, Chateau de Vauville in Cherbourg, and many more. . .
• The rest of the world: Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy, Potsdam Gardens near Berlin, Germany, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan, and hundreds more.In addition to photos and a textual description, each entry cites special features such as fountains and architecture, the gardens size in acres, and the names of the gardens designers. The garden descriptions are organized geographically by country. More than 800 breathtaking color photos and illustrations.

  Customer Reviews

  Review date : 2008-11-18
  This a great resource book. However DO NOT attempt to use this book as a travel guide…if you want to see the gardens in this book I urge you to do lots of advance planning before you leave home. I bought this book before a trip to Spain 1 1/2 years ago. I went to the tourist information centers in the cities I visited in order to find out where these gardens were. In many cases, these were private gardens not open to the public or the visiting hours were so limited that it was virtually impossible to visit them. One garden in Granada I was steered to correctly. However, when I got there, I discovered it was closed the entire month of August! (I did peer in through the gates). I wish the tourist information had told me that before I ventured out there.

  On a recent trip to Rio de Janeiro, I had a similar experience with one of the gardens listed. I did find someone who was familiar with it, but it wasn’t open to the casual visitor.

  In conclusion, many of the gardens in this book are not open to the casual visitor, so use it with caution. If you do have your heart set on seeing some of these gardens, plan in advance before leaving home.

  Review date : 2008-05-22
  This was a great Mother’s Day gift any gardener would love. Beautiful pictures of gardens around the world.

  Review date : 2008-04-18
  For garden-lovers a 1,000 page book crammed chockfull with gardens the world over is an enticing prospect - though the suggestion you must all see them before you die is a bit fanciful, and symptomatic of the depersonalized, random consumerism of today’s “must-see”, “must-have” and “must-do” lists. Unfortunately, the book itself is not quite what it could have been. Quantity decidedly triumphed over quality. Photographs are mostly small, often quite crude and grainy, and as often unnaturally, even luridly colored. Many hardly give an impression of a garden at all, but instead focus on detail or architecture. Descriptive entries are brief and superficial. Entries are arranged geographically, from north to south and from west to east, with remarkably confusing results. The accent is very strongly on Europe, the whole of China being despatched in less pages than the Netherlands. If you are looking for a gazetteer to guide you to interesting gardens while planning a travel itinerary, this book might just give you a useful handle. If you are looking for pleasing garden images or indepth information, look elsewhere.

  Review date : 2008-03-24
  This very thick book has beautiful pictures that inspires one to plant a garden & travel the world.

  Review date : 2007-11-25
  To cover 1001 Gardens in 960 pages is an almost impossible mission, yet Rae Spencer-Jones and his 70 contributors accomplished it.

  Every garden listed in “1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die” follows a standard listing format of designers, owners, garden style, size, climate, location and a brief description of the garden. Some of the gardens listed have half-page size color photographs. This book is very useful for you to gain a rough idea of the gardens nearby when you visit a city, it’ll let you know about the existence of a garden and help you decide whether to visit it or not. To this end, I think “1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die” is successful.

  All the gardens are arranged by geographical locations, including North America, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, Africa, New Zealand and Australia. I find the “Climate Classification System,” “Useful Address,” “Garden Directory” at the end of the book very helpful.

  “1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die” has 960 pages and color interior photographs and is a useful quick reference for garden tour!

  Gang Chen, Author of “LEED AP Exam Guide” & “Planting Design Illustrated.” LEED AP, AIA

  

Whether they are green plants, flowering plants, succulents, cacti, grasses or trees, different plants need different kinds of soil and care. Choosing the right pots for your plants is part of this care. Flower pots can be as simple as terracotta pots and saucers, or glazed pots with hand-painted designs on them. How can you find the right pot?

1. Match the style of the pot to the style of your home. A tall, slender pot blends in beautifully with modern decor. Casual, folk art pots fit right in with country style. No matter what the style of your home is, make sure the design of the pot doesn’t outshine the plant.

2. Think about maintenance. Though terracotta pots and planters absorb moisture quickly, they also dry out quickly. Ceramic pots are sealed with glaze. Some glazes are plain and some are crackled. Wooden planters are unsealed and you may have to seal them, and continue to seal them, to prevent fading and splintering.

3. Think about the general location of the plant. Deck pots and container garden pots have to be sturdy enough to withstand weather. Your pots should allow for drainage. Put large saucers under large pots to protect wooden decking. You may also wish to buy hanging plants for your deck or patio.

4. Keep scale in mind. Perhaps you are buying a plant for your coffee table. A pot of chrysanthemums will look right at home on a large table, whereas a small bonsai plant will look right at home on a small table. Place an indoor tree in a tall area that allows for growth.

5. Learn about plant growth. Some plants prefer tight quarters and others prefer large quarters for their spreading root systems. Choose a flower pot that suits this growth. Find out if the plant needs direct or filtered sunlight. Your local flower shop or nursery can advise you on the best pot for your plant.

One final tip. Keep in mind that large pots are hard to move after they are filled with soil. You may wish to buy a rolling plant mover when you buy the pot. And check discount stores for faux stone pots made of plastic or resin. These pots are attractive, lightweight, and last for years.

You may be lucky enough to find flower pots at church rummage sales, local flea markets, and antique shops. Many of these pots are one-of-a kind and you won’t find them again. When you see a pot you love, buy it. (You may be able to talk down the price.) Nothing sets off a plant more than the right flower pot. Happy hunting!

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

Different houseplants make different demands on their environment. Most plants have their requirements expressed by symbols, which you will find on the care tag of most plants. The trick is figuring out what those symbols actually mean.

Most light needs are divided into 3 specific categories: full sun, semi-shade and shade. However, these classifications are not standardized, so variations do exist. In addition, the number of daylight hours also has an effect on the growth of plants. In winter, there is less sunlight and a plant that received more than adequate light during the summer months may be light deprived in the winter. Be flexible. The number of daylight hours also influences the flowering period and the growth of the plant.

There are two distinctions that can be made regarding the growth and flowering habits of houseplants. Some plants will only bloom whiten there are only a few hours of daylight while others bloom only when the day is long. Short-day plants make flower buds when there is less than 12 daylight hours. Long-day plants flower when there are more than 12 daylight hours.

Growers make use of these characteristics by keep plants artificially dark (the poinsettias are brought on early for the Christmas trade) or growing in artificial light in the winter for earlier blooms.

In general, the three light requirements are:

Full Sun the plant tolerates unshaded sunlight for an unlimited number of hours each day. It can be placed in or near a south facing window.

Semi-shade this plant needs a lot of sunlight, but it has to be protected from the strongest rays of the sun. In a south-facing window, blinds should be shading it form direct light. An east facing window, where the sun disappears after about 10 AM, is a good choice as is a west facing window where the plant will receive afternoon sun. This classification is also often called bright, indirect light.

Shade this plant should not be exposed to any direct sunlight, particularly in the summer. A northern exposure is best. This is tricky as you do need some sun, or the plant will not grow.