San Antonio College Library

"This book was born from the particular fascination that labyrinths have held for Franco Maria Ricci over the years. Many of them are shown within this copiously illustrated reconnaissance through art, mythology and history in the form of shells, in floor mosaics or impressed on coins, and in miniature paintings or in architectural projects, as well as in gardens."--Jacket flap.

"The world's most exciting and ground-breaking gardens, many of them designed by influential modern landscape designers from around the world, have been beautifully captured by a leading landscape photographer. Accompanied by informative and evocative text, this guide offers a visual source of imaginative ideas that gardeners can adapt to their own space. Thematic chapters capture the essence of each garden--classical and modern, town and country,...

Some are well-loved favorites, visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year; others are tranquil oases of calm known only to a privileged few. Yet each garden has something to teach us about the history of garden design -- and a glimpse of what we can expect from the gardens of tomorrow.

How did a newly introduced plant arrive in a border or in a popular planting scheme? How often have new plants actually influenced and molded the designs in which they were featured? What plants were used to create certain desired effects? The multiplicity of ways in which plants have contributed to garden design is a theme of this far-reaching and absorbing study. Penelope Hobhouse - plantswoman, gardener, designer, and authority on historic gardens...