Lost gardens explores Sydney's rich and diverse gardening heritage, much of which has lost to our growing need for real estate. Presented in this beautifully designed book is a history of Sydney's lost gardens and garden styles, from the native bush and significant early colonial gardens to corporate rooftop gardens and threatened gardens of today. This sumptuous publication is lavishly illustrated with over 170 full-colour images and will charm anyone with an interest in gardens and the environment.

A romantic illustrated journey through forty captivating gardens lost to time. All over the world, once-flourishing horticultural spaces have been abandoned and forgotten. From the once-crumbling grandeur of the Villa d’Este and the magic of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, to the sculptural surrealism of Las Pozas and the colourful rebirth of Le Jardin Majorelle, there are countless gardens around the world with fascinating stories to tell. Author and journalist Sandra Lawrence takes readers on a tour of 40 horticultural gems from around the world that have been lost either through neglect, abandonment or destruction. Many have been consigned to history, never to be seen again, while others have been revived and restored by the care and dedication of new owners and communities. These marvels of horticulture take many forms: stately homes, floating allotments, roof gardens and more. But all of them have one thing in common: the romance of paradise lost. Featuring commissioned illustrations of each garden by renowned artist Lucille Clerc, this book is a celebration of our love of nature, and the importance of keeping these oases of green alive and well – if not in reality, then at least on the page. These charming gardens are brought back to life, including: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, England Las Pozas, Mexico Le Jardin Majorelle, Morocco The Garden of Dreams, Nepal Villa d’Este, Italy Paleis Het Loo, Netherlands Crowninshield Garden, USA Discover the remarkable stories behind the creation, decline and occasional rebirth of these astonishing spaces, and meet the people and societies that first created and enjoyed them. The perfect gift for garden lovers, armchair travellers and cultural enthusiasts.

The Garden of Ideas tells an inspiring and engaging story of Australian garden design. From the imaginings of emigrant garden-makers of the late eighteenth century to the concerns of twenty-first-century gardeners, this book charts its way across four centuries through a handsome and satisfying fusion of images and text. The Garden of Ideas is embellished with an unparalleled array of images - paintings, drawings, prints, plans, and photographs - each richly evocative of their time and most never previously published. Unearthed from around Australia, and many from overseas, these images carry the story of Australian garden style down the years, in the process criss-crossing social and cultural history across the wide extremes of our continent. Richard Aitken, whose book Botanical Riches was published in 2006 to popular and critical acclaim, brings a lifetime of experience to The Garden of Ideas. He achieves fresh insights and presents our passion for garden-making with wit and flair. The Garden of Ideas is a valuable source book for the sophisticated gardener and an indispensable companion for the garden lover.

Whether on the ground or in the mind gardens carry meaning. They reflect social and aesthetic values and may express hope, anticipation or grief. Throughout history they have provided a means of physical survival. In creating and maintaining gardens people construe and construct a relationship with their environment. But there is no single meaning carried in the word ‘garden’: as idea and practice it reflects cultural differences in beliefs, values and social organisation. It embodies personal, community even national ways of seeing and being in the world. There are ten essays in Gardens of History and Imagination, each of which examines the role of gardens and gardening in the settlement of New South Wales and in growing a colony and a state. They explore the significance of gardens for the health of the colony, for its economy, for the construction of social order and moral worth. No less do they reveal the significance of forming and reforming personal identities in this process. For the immigrants gardening was an act of settlement; it was also a statement of possession for individuals and for Britain. For a long time it was with memories of ‘home’, often selective and idealised, that settlers made gardens but as the colony developed its own character so did gardening possibilities and practices.

A beautifully illustrated daily planner that reveals the exquisiteness and charm of Sydney's lost gardens. This planner flaunts gorgeous images that are sure to provide daily inspiration

"Whether a small plot in the backyard of an inner-urban home or a capital city's sprawling botanic garden, Australians have long desired a patch of dirt to plough or enjoy. 'Reading the garden' explores our deep affection for gardens and gardening and illuminates their numerous meanings and uses from European settlement to the late twentieth century."--Cover.

The Florilegium Society at The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney was formed in 2005 to create a unique collection of contemporary botanical paintings of significant plants that represent the history of the living collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust.This beautifully produced book is a celebration of 200 years of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney,showcasing the botanical richness of these Gardens through the eyes of 64 exceptional Australianand international botanical artists. The stunning botanical paintings are presented chronologicallyaccording to the date of each species' introduction to the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney and its BlueMountains Garden, Mt Tomah and the Australian Garden, Mt Annan. With paintings of indigenousAustralian plants as well as more exotic species from Asia, the Americas, Africa and Europe, TheFlorilegium truly reflects the diversity of the three Gardens.Each painting is accompanied by a botanical description written by Louisa Murray and a historicoverview by Colleen Morris detailing the discovery of the featured species, its historic and culturalsignificance and introduction to the Gardens. With a foreword by Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE, prefaceby Dr Brett Summerell, RBG Sydney Director of Science and Conservation, and an introductory essayby Beverly Allen.The accompanying exhibition of the same name runs from February - August 2018 in the ShirleySherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.'The standard of the plant portraits is so high and the text so illuminating that this will make amemorable book.'Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE