A striking and elegant coffee-table book highlighting heritage
landscape design in California.
California's diverse vernacular and designed landscapes have roots in
the late 1700s Spanish colonization of what was then called Alta
California. The state also has a unique endemic flora and rich
botanical history from both the Indigenous people's "protoagriculture"
and plant introductions that continue to this day. For many people,
however, the concept of landscape is associated with gardens, especially
estate gardens. Yet landscape design reaches far beyond the elite
circles of private estates; California Eden: Heritage Landscapes of the
Golden State showcases a wide range of landscapes from the professional
to the vernacular through exceptional essays by distinguished landscape
historians. Entries highlight famous and beloved estate gardens but also
more frequently overlooked landscapes such as shopping malls,
streetscapes, sports venues, and vernacular sites. From a military
installation on the California-Mexico border to the campus of Stanford
University and the Japanese American gardens of San Diego, the essays
speak to design as well as the challenges of historic preservation of
these-often ephemeral places. As elegant as it is informative,
California Eden is an essential book for anyone who is passionate
about plants.
