Gardening through the Ages : An Illustrated History of Plants and Their Influence on Garden Styles from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day

Gardening authority Penelope Hobhouse discusses the fascinating ways in which plants have contributed to garden design through the centuries. Exploring plants and flowers as the raw material of the gardener's talent, she examines the relationship between ideas and the availability of certain plants. She also discusses how diverse garden designs reflect different ages and cultures, describing how, in Renaissance Europe, new bulbs and tubers were valued (and used) like works of art, and how the horticultural jewels of the New World were produced by designers backed by enormous wealth. Filled with color & b&w prints, illustrations, & photographs. 10" x 10".