A delightful mélange of words and images that explores our passion for gardens.

Throughout history, in all parts of the world, people have created gardens. Why are we so passionate about gardens, and what do they represent? In chapters such as "Shades of Paradise," "Statements and Style," "Gardens for Body and Soul," "Gardeners Rampant," and "Purely for Pleasure," this fabulous collection of prose and visuals explores gardens from many angles, celebrating their sensual, spiritual, aesthetic, social, and even political dimensions. Writers from around the world evoke the garden in its many incarnations, sometimes lightheartedly, sometimes wittily, sometimes expressing regret or sorrow. Whether the selections portray the garden as a restorative retreat, a way to survive, a social showpiece, a bower filled with ghosts, a place to wrestle down weeds, or simply a lovely excuse to spend time in the outdoors, readers will delight in the endless variety of ways humans have carved out a spot for themselves from the natural world. Full-color historical and contemporary images round out the experience beautifully.

Like a garden itself, this lovely volume blooms with heady offerings, providing flowery fantasies, patches of wildness, sensuous surprises, and satisfaction for the soul.