Customer Reviews

Gardens of the Wine Country

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What an amazing glimpse into the world of Napa Valley Gardening. The author has brilliantly selected a wide variety of gardens, from the traditional Victorian gardens we expect, to the new age ideas of more modern gardeners.Molly says in the introduction that she fell in love with all of the gardens over and over...you can tell. Adding personality to the gardens, by telling us that each garden has the fingerprint of its owner...makes them really come to life...they seem much more like personal playgrounds than showpieces.A lovely book, perfect for anyone's spring/summer coffee table.

This is "the real deal", a focus on the gardens of Napa Valley including both older gardens, in many instances originally established almost a century ago, but with plenty of the best of more recent gardens as well, at least as of the publication date. Many of the oldest wine country names are here, but most of the book shows the best of the more recent gardens. The focus is on the gardens rather than the wineries or homes, specifically identifying plants, locations and wineries, most of which you can visit. Although many are affiliated with wineries, the book shows the best private gardens, all on the beautiful settings of the valley. The range of properties is substantial, from chateaux style to farm house, and the styles of gardening are just as broad. There are formal gardens by Thomas Church, wonderful Jonathan Plant projects and there are beautiful informal gardens featuring primarily grasses. Everywhere are wonderful, mature trees.

The photography is excellent and multiple shoots of many properties allow the book to show both spring, summer and autumn foliage at a single property to allow maximum enjoyment. If a single scene deserves it, and many do, there will be a beautiful, two-page color photo. One writer provided amazing access, garden knowledge and a very good eye and the other is a serious garden editor. Together they achieve a good balance between aesthetics and helpful discussion of what makes each garden successful for its owner. The book begs for an update including more recent gardens and those incorporating more outdoor art for which the region has become famous.

For the average person who has visited the Napa Valley, this book takes you behind closed gates and opens eyes with garden splendor.