Garden - by Phaidon Editors (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A richly illustrated survey celebrating humankind's enduring relationship with the garden, explored throughout art, science, history, and culture. Garden takes readers on a journey across continents and cultures to discover the endless ways artists and image-makers have found inspiration in gardens and horticulture throughout history. With more than 300 entries, this comprehensive and stunning visual survey showcases the diversity of the garden from all over the world -- from the garden of Eden and the grandeur of the English landscape garden to Japanese Zen gardens and the humble vegetable plot. Spanning a wide range of styles and media -- art, illustrations, and sculptures to photography, film stills, and textiles -- Garden follows a visually arresting sequence, with works, regardless of period, thoughtfully paired, and features large-scale images, accessible texts, and reference information, including a glossary, illustrated timeline, and biographies. Offering a comprehensive introduction to the subject, Garden features work by a diverse range of both lesser-known and iconic artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Roberto Burle Marx, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Gertrude Jekyll, Claude Monet, Marianne North, Crispijn de Passe, William Robinson, Alma Thomas, and Howard Sooley, among others, including a variety of surprising examples that will appeal to specialists as well as the general reader. Aimed at a wide audience, this book has diverse appeal -- from artists, designers, and art historians to garden enthusiasts, horticulturists, and everyone interested in the natural world around them."--

Book Synopsis

Winner of the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries 2025 Award of Excellence in Series

As seen in The New York Times, NPR.org, Gardens Illustrated, and AD Pro

A richly illustrated survey celebrating humankind's enduring relationship with the garden, explored throughout art, science, history, and culture

Garden takes readers on a journey across continents and cultures to discover the endless ways artists and image-makers have found inspiration in gardens and horticulture throughout history. With more than 300 entries, this comprehensive and stunning visual survey showcases the diversity of the garden from all over the world - from the garden of Eden and the grandeur of the English landscape garden to Japanese Zen gardens and the humble vegetable plot.

Spanning a wide range of styles and media - art, illustrations, and sculptures to photography, film stills, and textiles - Garden follows a visually arresting sequence, with works, regardless of period, thoughtfully paired, and features large-scale images, accessible texts, and reference information, including a glossary, illustrated timeline, and biographies.

Offering a comprehensive introduction to the subject, Garden features work by a diverse range of both lesser-known and iconic artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Roberto Burle Marx, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Gertrude Jekyll, Claude Monet, Marianne North, Crispijn de Passe, William Robinson, Alma Thomas, and Howard Sooley, among others, including a variety of surprising examples that will appeal to specialists as well as the general reader.

Aimed at a wide audience, this book has diverse appeal - from artists, designers, and art historians to garden enthusiasts, horticulturists, and everyone interested in the natural world around them.

Review Quotes

'Whether you're tenderly tending dozens of acres, coaxing blooms from a cramped window box, or struggling to keep a solitary succulent alive, [this book] offers plenty of lush inspiration from around the world.' - New York Times

'Great care has gone into the selection of the images - deciding on the relationships of one to another must have been a monumental task. But this is not just a book filled with great pictures; the writing is an essential component, and once you have done an initial exploration of its pages, it is an engaging and informative read.' - Gardens Illustrated

'A wide-ranging survey that spans millennia, continents, and multiple art forms - and could keep you happily engaged for hours.' - NPR.org

'Green thumbs will savor the visual timeline of 16th-century pruning tools and 17th-century watering pots as much as an 18th-century glimpse into London's Physic Garden and an Uncle Sam poster encouraging gardening to slash food costs during World War I.' - AD PRO

'Takes you to some of the world's most important horticultural displays with vibrant, full-page images bound in a collectible coffee table book.' - Global Traveler

'Luxurious.' - The Real Dirt, A Garden Club of America Publication

'[This] expansive tome showcases the immense breadth and imagination in gardens of all shapes and sizes.' - Colossal

'A richly illustrated survey celebrating humankind's enduring relationship with the garden.' - ASPIRE Design and Home

'Endlessly fascinating ... This technicolor tome explores the global diversity of gardens.' - Palm Beach Illustrated

'Beautifully produced ... Each vibrantly printed image is reflected upon historically, culturally, and in terms of what's growing.' - Woman Around Town

'This superb book shows how the garden has been a source of inspiration to makers and artists for thousands of years. The images collected are not only ravishing, but sometimes wonderfully surprising.' - Anna Pavord, writer and panel advisor to Garden

'Along with the enlightening descriptions of the images, the unexpected way these vibrant images are presented will have broad appeal.' - Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries

About the Author

Phaidon Editors

Matthew Biggs, a graduate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, was a well-known British gardener, broadcaster, and author of 15 gardening and plant related books. He was a frequent panel member on BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time and author of the children's book A Home for Every Plant, also published by Phaidon.

Advisory panel: Richard Aitken, Matthew Biggs, Tania Compton, Madison Cox, Brent Elliott, Annie Guilfoyle, Noel Kingsbury, Abra Lee, Colleen Morris, Toby Musgrave, Polly Nicholson, Kristine Paulus, Anna Pavord, Carrie Rebora Barratt, Georgina Reid, Gill Saunders, Ina Sperl, Thaïsa Way, Clare Willsdon, and Yue Zhuang

Texts by: Richard Aitken, Giovanni Aloi, Sara Bader, Matthew Biggs, Tim Cooke, Brent Elliott, Diane Fortenberry, Tom Furness, Noel Kingsbury, Colleen Morris, Toby Musgrave, Kristine Paulus, Gill Saunders, James Smith, David Trigg, Alice Vincent, and Martin Walters