Gardens of Obsession

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How would you describe the garden of your dreams? Gordon Taylor and Guy Cooper have found more than 150 gardens that could be called visionary, magical, beautiful, mysterious, witty, and bizarre. They are located in countries as diverse as Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Belgium, Italy, Mexico, and Australia. Some are based on myths and allegories from the ancient world; others grew out of a passion for a single type of plant. Some reflect high culture; others are folksy or kitsch. Ideas have taken on a new life as extravagant topiaries in Ecuador, a formal Renaissance garden in France, giant wooden hands rising from a small hillside garden in California, and a garden of 1500 roses in Somerset planted in order of their introduction into western Europe. Each of these gardens is an extraordinary example of a person's innermost, all-consuming fantasy come to life. 192 pages, 165 color illus., 9 x 11. NEW IN PAPERBACK