NEW PAGES OF BEAUTIFUL GREEN

This week we are celebrating Beautiful Green. It’s the color we naturally think of in Spring, as it begins to emerge from dormancy. We begin with a collection of new books that feature the Beautiful Green of gardens and landscapes, as well as emeralds. We’ve even got a mean green thriller for you.

1. PRIVATE EDENS: BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY GARDENS

Sometimes its a shame that the most elegant of private gardens are kept from the public. Luckily, Jack Staub has revealed them to us in “Private Edens: Beautiful Country Gardens."

The book displays the gardens through excellent writing and photography to give the reader a sense that they’re walking through these gardens, all found in the Northeastern United States, themselves. Pick it up and get lost in the flowers and pathways for an afternoon.

Gibbs Smith (2013)

2. THE GREEN FLORILEGIUM

“The Green Florilegium,” by Hanne Kolind Poulsen, presents gorgeous reproductions of The Green Florilegium, an album of 17th century illustrations. Very little is known about these works, although they are generally attributed to Hans Simon Holtzbecker, a German painter.

Each of the original 178 illustrations were recently restored to their colorful glory. The book also includes an introductory essay and captions with basic information on each flower.

"If you only own one book of botanical illustration, this should be it. An exquisite exploration of the natural world…each of the 400 illustrations is a joy to behold."

--Art of the Times

"The illustrations here are finely wrought and wonderfully colored… Each page is meant to be lingered over in this splendid and sprawling lap garden."

--The New York Times

"Eternally fresh…so beautiful it deserves its own gazebo."

--The Wall Street Journal

Prestel (2013)

3. PLANT RECIPE BOOK: 100 LIVING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ANY ROOM IN ANY SEASON

At some point or another, everyone’s looking for the one decorative element capable of making a room “breathe” - namely, plantlife. They freshen the air, spruce up interiors, and offer a natural beauty impossible to replicate with inorganic pieces.

Baylor Chapman’s “The Plant Recipe Book: 100 Living Arrangements for Any Home in Any Season” is filled with 100 “recipes” for interior plant design and floral arrangement. The book offers advice, instruction, and is illustrated with over 400 photos.

Whether you just bought your first potted plant or you’re a horticultural veteran, this is an essential inclusion in any plant-lover’s library.

"The Plant Recipe Book reads, above all, like a love letter to greenery."

- Food 52

“Required Reading"

- Dwell Magazine

Artisan (2014)

4. THE GARDENER OF VERSAILLES: MY LIFE IN THE WORLD’S GREATEST GARDEN

“The Gardener of Versailles: My Life in the World's Grandest Garden,” by Alain Baraton, is a memoir that beautifully relays the connection between the gardener and the land.

Baraton has been the gardener-in-chief, of Versailles since 1982. The orchards and fields he and his team of 80 gardeners tend were first beloved by France's kings and queens and later by the landmark’s many visitors. It includes about 350,000 trees and thirty miles of walkways on 2,100 acres.

“An exquisite storyteller who works in and lives among the gardens, Baraton immediately engages readers…Baraton has filled his book not only with interesting historical details and human stories of the royals who walked the grounds but with insightful, contemporary tales of wise coworkers and eccentric visitors.

Whether he’s discussing romantic tourists or marveling at bygone gardening techniques, Baraton’s eloquence and intelligence shine in this English translation by Murray. Practically required reading for garden travelers, gardeners, history fans, and even memoir buffs. Readers will wish more of his books were available in translation. Delightful.”

-- Library Journal, Starred Review

Rizolli Ex Libris (2014)

5. FAIRY GARDEN HANDBOOK

Fairies have been a mythical part of gardens thousands of years. “Fairy Garden Handbook,” by Lisa Gardner Walsh, is a delightful book that marries beginner gardening information with fairytale folk lore to inspire magical green thumbs.

The handbook also shows how to make fairy-friendly gardens such as:

• making miniature gardens and terrariums

• butterfly and hummingbird gardens

• rock gardens

• water gardens

• wind chimes and prisms as garden decor

The pictures alone demand a place in your library.

Down East Books (2013)

6. QUIET BEAUTY: THE JAPANESE GARDENS OF NORTH AMERICA

Not all of the best Japanese Gardens are in Japan. The United States and Canada have plenty of beautiful Japanese gardens to show off as well. “Quiet Beauty: The Japanese Gardens of North America,” by Kendall H. Brown, showcases these gardens for the first time.

Featuring an intimate look at twenty-six gardens, with loads of lavish photographs of each, the book documents their style and history.

Some of the gardens featured include:

• Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

• Nitobe Memorial Garden, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC

• Japanese Garden, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, TX

• Garden of the Pine Winds, Denver Botanic Gardena, CO

• Japanese Garden, Montréal Botanical Garden, Québec

• Tenshin’en (Heart of Heaven), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

• Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix, Margaret T. Hance Park, AZ

• Garden of the Pine Wind, Garven Woodland Garden, Hot Springs, AK

"Just flipping through the pages of Quiet Beauty: The Japanese Gardens of North America will instantly lower your blood pressure. "

—The New York Times Book Review

Tuttle Publishing (2013)

7. LOUIS BENECH: TWELVE FRENCH GARDENS

Louis Benech was commissioned, with Pascal Cribier and François Roubaud, to redesign the historic part of the Tuileries gardens. Since then, he has designed and carried out some 300 projects, both public and private, around the world. His work is memorialized in “Louis Benech: Twelve French Gardens,” by journalist Eric Jansen and photographer Eric Sander.

The remarkable gardens featured include the Jardin du Soleil et des Nuages at the Château de Villandry, the Square Nicolas Forestier in inner-city Paris, manor house gardens and exotic urban oases.

While I have little talent in the arena of landscape design, I can certainly recognize someone who does, so I was delighted to discover Louis Benech in the new book of his work, Twelve French Gardens. Whether you are an actual or armchair gardener, Louis Benech Twelve French Gardens is a volume you will enjoy reading as much as ogling.

--Quintessence Lifestyle Blog; October 29, 2013

[The book] provides an excellent introduction to his work, which so deftly combines classic formal garden design with a more relaxed contemporary approach.

--Gardenista Blog; October 11, 2013

Gourcuff Gradenigo (2013)

8. EMERALD: TWENTY-ONE CENTURIES OF JEWELLED OPULENCE AND POWER

“Emerald: Twenty-one Centuries of Jewelled Opulence and Power,” by Joanna Hardy , Jonathan Self, Franca Sozzani, and Hettie Judah, is a lavishly illustrated encyclopedia focused on the most valuable gemstone in the world.

Emeralds are gemstones twenty times more rare than diamonds. Celebrities love their drama. The book features the emerald penchants of actresses like Elizabeth Taylor and Angelina Jolie, as well as royals, like Princess Diana, who have particularly special pieces.

Check out more than thirty of the world's most significant and famous pieces of emerald jewelry. You’ll see pieces that are almost 5,500 years old along with contemporary creations from Cartier, Boucheron, Bulgari, Harry Winston, and more.

The book also tells the green stone’s story, from mine to body, as illustrated with over 400 color plates, including specially commissioned photography.

“In this glittering book, the emerald proves to be a protagonist faceted and bewitching as any human character.”

-- Fast Co.Design

“Pick up a little something sparkly for Jewel Day, even if it's just for the coffee table. Emerald is a pictorial history of the highly coveted green gemstone.”

-- Elle

“An extravagant tome with stunning photos of verdantly bedecked royals, socialites, and movies stars. ”

-- Architectural Digest

Thames & Hudson (2014)

9. GREEN WALLS GREEN ROOFS

Many people today see gearing our architectural sensibilities toward sustainability as our obligation to future generations - but there’s no reason we can’t reap a few benefits in the here-and-now! In “Green Walls Green Roofs,” editor Mandy Herbert compiles an eye-opening array of structures that house, enclose, and amaze, all while mitigating our footprint on Earth.

Our planet’s future is of consequence regardless of nationality or region, and as such the movement towards sustainability is quite international in character. Herbert reflects this in a comprehensive manner, with beautiful examples included from around the globe. If you need some material to get you excited for the world-to-come, look no further than the architectural marvels catalogued in these pages.

Images Publishing Dist Ac (2014)

10. THE EMERALD MILE: THE EPIC STORY OF THE FASTEST RIDE IN HISTORY THROUGH THE HEART OF THE GRAND CANYON

Gripping, epic, and profound, Kevin Fedarko’s "The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon” offers a riveting account of three boaters with a record to beat and a geological disaster to conquer. This is the true story of a few river guides riding a dory down the Colorado River, as it raged higher and meaner than ever, thanks to a record ice melt.  Fedarko’s prose and story-telling deliver at least a few jaw drops per chapter.

Kenton Grua, the story’s courageous captain, battles the storm with an intensity we haven’t seen since Ahab chased his whale, and it makes for a non-fiction book unique in both its excitement and meaning.

Scribner (2013)

Read more about Beautiful Green, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact.

Enter this week’s BN Creative Photo Competition. Our theme this week is Beautiful Green. Deadline is 04.27.14.

Photo Credits: 

1. Photo: By Rob Cardillo.
2. Image Courtesy of Gibbs Smith. Private Edens.
3. Image Courtesy of Prestel. Green Florilegium.
4. Image Courtesy of Artisan. Plant Recipe Book.
5. Image Courtesy of Rizzoli Ex Libris. The Gardener of Versailles.
6. Image Courtesy of Down East Books. Fairy Garden Handbook.
7. Image Courtesy of Tuttle Publishing. Quiet Beauty.
8. Image Courtesy of Gourcuff Gradenigo. Louis Benech: Twelve French Gardens.
9. Image Courtesy of Thames & Hudson. Emerald.
10. Image: Courtesy of Images Publishing Dist. Green Walls Green Roofs.
11. Image Courtesy of Scribner. The Emerald Mile.