The most celebrated gardens of the South, all of them open to visitors, are portrayed through 200 exquisite color photographs and a lively, informative text.

The author, Laura C. Martin, who has traveled to each of the thirty-two gardens featured, is a delightful guide leading readers on a fabulous tour along the Atlantic seaboard from Virginia to Florida and west to Mississippi. Along the way are trips to an astonishing diversity of gardens, among them the tiny, swept yards of Old Salem, North Carolina, where early settlers grew vegetables and fruits for the table and herbs for seasoning and medicine; the grand gardens of antebellum plantations where live oaks typically drip with Spanish moss; gardens steeped in tradition, such as Thomas Jefferson's Monticello; and strikingly simple, creative plantings of south Florida's Morikami Garden.

Arranged chronologically, the gardens illustrated different periods in the history of the South, from the Elizabethan Gardens dedicated to the lost Colony of Roanoke Island, where the idea of formal sixteenth-century gardens is carried to perfection, to the recent Gardens of Peace in Atlanta, which favor natural plantings and are part of a network of similar gardens in other countries. More than an historical account, the captivating text also includes concise biographies of the families who founded the gardens, lovingly tended them, and then opened them up to the public for everyone to enjoy their beauty. This volume also offers a practical aspect, providing notes that explain how to cultivate some of the outstanding plants thriving in these gardens; travel information; suggested tours; and various seasonal displays.

Illustrating these gardens are several hundred striking color photographs by David Schilling, especially commissioned for this volume. There are also scores of vintage prints, botanical drawings, and illustrations of familiar plants and of animals.

Together the inspiring text and lavish illustrations add up to an unsurpassed treasury of the essence of the South, that is, the southern garden. The volume is a wonderful idea for the home gardener, a gift book for the history buff, a welcome jaunt for the armchair traveler, and an inviting guide for the tourist who may have an opportunity to visit the unique places that the author passionately believes must be the most beautiful on earth.

About the Author and Photographer:

Laura C. Martin, a gifted garden writer, lives in Atlanta where she tends a botanical garden. Gardens of the Heartland was published by Abbeville Press in 1996. She has written several other books about natural subjects, including the Wildflower Meadow Book and Wildflower Folklore and contributes a weekly column on gardening to The Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

David Schilling has photographed gardens extensively, and his work has been published in several books, including The American Man's Garden and Garden Style. He has also contributed to a number of publications, including Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Metropolitan Home, and Veranda.