The Story of Gardening: A cultural history of famous gardens from around the world

"The story of gardening, traced through almost three millennia to the 21st century, is not just one story but an infinite number-as many as there have been gardeners. And it can be told in infinite ways..." Penelope Hobhouse, one of the most prolific and talented garden authors of our time, wrote. She started her story from the origins of gardening: the records and remains of the gardens and parks of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia, our heritage: ancient Greece and Roman gardens. She then moved on to the gardens of Islam: heavenly beauty, earthly delight, the medieval gardens of Christendom, the flowering of European gardens during Renaissance, the English landscape gardens, the Eclectic gardens in 19th century and gardens in America. Penelope also explored gardens of China: a timeless tradition, the long history of Chinese gardening and its links with the landscape and painting, and Japanese style: its essential elements of design and its influence on the rest of the world, and the discussions on a time of change from Naturalism to Modernism (1870 to 1950), and today and tomorrow: a world of opportunities. Penelope Hobhouse limited and concentrated the scope of her book to "gardening for pleasure," excluding "crops"-agriculture and functional productive horticulture, and "Hobby gardening"-prize dahlias, alpine troughs and bonsai-all fields for the enthusiasms of experts. "Story of Gardening" has 468 pages and many dazzling color interior photos and a very useful comparative time chart of garden development in all cultures. It is a must-have for all gardeners. Gang Chen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Author of "LEED GA Exam Guide," "Architectural Practice Simplified," "Planting Design Illustrated," and other books on various LEED exams, architecture, and landscape architecture