One of my favorite books is the National Geographic Guide to America’s Public Gardens. This gorgeous paperback covers 300 of the best gardens in the U.S. and Canada.
The book includes grand estates, quirky topiaries, and period piece or heritage gardens.
The book is organized by region and includes full contact information for each garden. Originally published in 1998 it’s still a useful guide for any garden loving traveler.
While you can borrow this book from many public libraries, it’s most useful if you take it along when you travel.
Available from Amazon – originally $25 but now about half price.
Gardens Across America – Coming soon
A new comprehensive guide to public gardens is scheduled to be published in August 2005. Gardens Across America: The American Horticultural Society’s Guide to American Public Gardens and Arboreta by John Russell and Thomas S. Spencer is a 640 page paperback covering 2000 publicly accessible gardens across America.
According to the publisher:
“Each entry in this state-by-state guide contains such basic information as hours of operation and directions as well as a listing of activities, educational programs, and any unique botanical features. Gardens are also indexed by type (Japanese, children’s etc.) and by designer; another index lists plant species and where they can be found. Twenty-four pages of color plates round out this portable directory of America’s public gardens.”
Pre-order available from Amazon
