Thirty gardens open to visitors are illustrated in 215 specially commissioned, dazzling photographs and described in a lively, informative text.

From the notable gardens at Cranbrook in Michigan, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, to the extravagant displays of color at Cantigny, near Chicago, to a simple prairie garden where a nearly extinct landscape is preserved, this captivating history and traveler's guide lavishly portrays for the first time the diverse gardens of America's midwestern regions.

The author, Laura C. Martin, leads readers on a memorable tour of the celebrated gardens of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, and Kentucky. The variety is astounding, ranging from gardens that feature spectacular beds of flowers and magnificent trees to those with more modest plantings that are important for their key in the development of gardening in the heartland.

Included are the illustrious Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, a world-renowned botanical garden; Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio, one of the most heralded estates and garden landscapes in the Midwest; the awesome Minnesota Landscape Arboretum near Minneapolis, where an impressive collection of trees may be seen; and Old World Wisconsin, one of the nation's largest living museums, where heirloom flowers and vegetables are cultivated, to name only a few examples. As the author writes, "Each garden is a world unto itself worthy of visiting time and again."

Arranged by type of garden from botanical and historical to parks, great estates, and arboretums, the narrative traces the history and design of the gardens with an emphasis on the dedicated people who created them. The text also guides the visitor to outstanding areas and plant collections in each garden.

Supplementing the narrative, the appendices provide practical advice for the traveler, from suggested tours to seasonal displays; notes about cultivating some of the gardens' inviting plants; and tips for the garden photographer.

The garden tour is profusely illustrated in color by a prize-winning photographer, Allen Rokach, who visited the gardens in several seasons. Thirty-five vintage pictures in black-and-white illustrate their history.

The pleasures of the heartland's gardens have never before been so brilliantly displayed. For the midwesterner and the newcomer alike, this essential treasury is a delight for lovers of gardens everywhere.

About the Author and Photographer:

Laura C. Martin has written many books on nature and gardening, including Abbeville's Handmade Gifts from a Country Garden and Southern Gardens. She makes her home in Atlanta, where she is a featured columnist for the Atlanta Constitution on crafts and gardening.

Allen Rokach, director of the Center For Nature Photography in New York, is a well known horticultural photographer. In 1993, he won the Garden Writer's Association of America award of the year for Focus on Flowers. He is currently on the staff of Southern Living magazine.