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A richly illustrated survey celebrating humankind's enduring relationship with the garden, explored throughout art, science, history, and culture
Garden takes readers on a journey across continents and cultures to discover the endless ways artists and image-makers have found inspiration in gardens and horticulture throughout history. With more than 300 entries, this comprehensive and stunning visual survey showcases the diversity of the garden from all over the world – from the Garden of Eden and the grandeur of the English landscape garden to Japanese Zen gardens and the humble vegetable plot.
Spanning a wide range of styles and media – art, illustrations, and sculptures to photography, film stills, and textiles – Garden follows a visually arresting sequence, with works, regardless of period, thoughtfully paired, and features large-scale images, accessible texts, and reference information, including a glossary, illustrated timeline, and biographies.
Offering a comprehensive introduction to the subject, Garden features work by a diverse range of both lesser-known and iconic artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Roberto Burle Marx, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Gertrude Jekyll, Claude Monet, Marianne North, Crispijn de Passe, William Robinson, Alma Thomas, and Howard Sooley, among others, including a variety of surprising examples that will appeal to specialists as well as the general reader.
Aimed at a wide audience, this book has diverse appeal – from artists, designers, and art historians to garden enthusiasts, horticulturists, and everyone interested in the natural world around them.
Matthew Biggs, a graduate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a well-known British gardener, broadcaster, and author of 15 gardening and plant-related books. He is a panel member on BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time and author of the children's book A Home for Every Plant, also published by Phaidon.
"Whether you're tenderly tending dozens of acres, coaxing blooms from a cramped window box or struggling to keep a solitary succulent alive, [this book] offers plenty of lush inspiration from around the world."
– New York Times
"Great care has gone into the selection of the images – deciding on the relationships of one to another must have been a monumental task. But this is not just a book filled with great pictures; the writing is an essential component, and once you have done an initial exploration of its pages, it is an engaging and informative read."
– Gardens Illustrated
"[This] expansive tome showcases the immense breadth and imagination in gardens of all shapes and sizes."
– Colossal
"A richly illustrated survey celebrating humankind's enduring relationship with the garden."
– ASPIRE Design and Home
"Beautifully produced [...] Each vibrantly printed image is reflected upon historically, culturally, and in terms of what's growing."
– Woman Around Town
"This superb book shows how the garden has been a source of inspiration to makers and artists for thousands of years. The images collected are not only ravishing, but sometimes wonderfully surprising."
– Anna Pavord, writer and panel advisor to Garden
