Rescuing Eden : preserving America's historic gardens
(Book)

The rich tradition of landscape design in the United States encompasses both simple eighteenth and early nineteenth century gardens and the lavish estates of the Gilded Age. Over time, and especially in the mid-twentieth-century, much of America's garden heritage was destroyed by creeping development and suburbanization. Thanks to the Garden Conservancy and other garden trusts and associations, this trend has been reversed and today many of these once-threatened treasures have been restored. Thirty gardens are presented, selected for the drama of their original creation and rescue and for their historical and horticultural importance. The gardens range from wonderful to woebegone, from grand estates to suburban plots, Each has its own character, and each has been brought back from the brink through a combination of imagination and tenacity.