Secret Gardens of Santa Fe [Hardcover]

Sydney Leblanc (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1997

Gloriously illustrated, this book goes behind garden walls to reveal 18 of the most beautiful private gardens in North America's second-oldest city, including one of the city's most venerable horticultural treasures, the public Bandelier Garden. The city's ancient cultural heritagethe intermingling of Native American, Latin, and Anglo presencesmakes its influence known here, and gardeners find their creativity in this region where days are hot, nights are cold, and water is precious.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sydney LeBlanc is the author of The Whitney Guide to 20th Century American Architecture. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times.
Charles Mann is a plant specialist and photographer living in Sante Fe. His work has appeared in such publications as Sunset and Fine Gardening, Time Life and Fulcrum.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847820343
• ISBN-13: 978-0847820344
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #812,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Travel > United States > States > New Mexico

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret Gardens of Santa Fe is a stunning portrayal.., November 16, 1999

By 

JoAnne M. Smith (Oakland, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Gardens of Santa Fe (Hardcover)

The photographs, in The Secret Gardens of Santa Fe, offer a glympse of a very special place in the western states. Sydney Leblanc does a fine--brief--job descibing the history of Santa Fe, and the reasons the gardens of this unique area do so well. Charles Mann has the touch when it comes to photography. He captures the mystery, the spectacular colors and design, and the fabulous art that adorns many of the gardens. A terrific book that makes one want to visit New Mexico, and see for one's self the magic of the high desert.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Gardens & Art, April 20, 2007

By 

JJ (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Gardens of Santa Fe (Paperback)

This is a beautiful book for artists and gardeners. Wonderful color combinations in landscapes & hardscapes, all accented with inspiring art pieces. Good text but...the photos say it all! (No offense to the author, I know writing is hard work.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous pictures from a fascinating city, December 13, 2009

By 

Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Gardens of Santa Fe (Paperback)

One of the joys of walking around Santa Fe is catching glimpses -- sometimes much more than a glimpse -- of beautifully planned gardens that enhance this fascinating city. Glancing at the generous pictures in Amazon's "Look Inside" is very helpful, but the images don't really do justice to the superb photography in this book.

Gardening is really tough in Santa Fe and in the county nearby where we have a small garden. We found a number of features in this book that we have adapted to our site, using water from the cannalis on our roof and carefully choosing plants that will thrive in this arid, high desert environment.

One of the neat aspects of this book is that it has also inspired other people in Santa Fe to plant gardens; Patricia Sauthoff, for example, recently described her efforts in an article entitle "Not So Secret Gardens". She writes:

"As I started to look around for a place to plant, I discovered that the options were seemingly endless. There are dirt plots all around downtown, the Railyard, Second Street and Airport Road. These public spaces sometimes have one or two bushes plopped in them but, as anyone who drives around Santa Fe knows, almost no flowers and certainly no food.

"... when I headed out to Payne's Nursery for supplies. Less that $20 and an hour after arriving I was armed with a Buddleia davidii--a butterfly bush, or summer lilac, that is hearty enough to be classified as a weed in two states (just the kind of subversive plant I'm looking for, really)--which attracts both butterflies and bees with its dark blue flowers. I also bought several seed packets, despite being told that it's not really the right time for seeds. The packages of turnips and spinach said to plant them in spring before the final frost, which is about May 15 in Santa Fe, so that was good enough for me. The columbines, which don't bloom until their second year, seemed like a good choice as I remember them growing well in the mountains of Colorado--they are the state flower after all--along with sunflowers. Who doesn't love sunflowers? They're pretty, familiar and seem easy to grow. Plus, I got the giant variety; who wouldn't want to see enormous sunflowers lining the streets of Santa Fe?" [Link in the first Comment.]

It's too soon to tell how successful guerrilla gardening will be in Santa Fe. Success would make a fascinating city even more beautiful. Guerrilla or homeowner, a great book to help the gardener is High and Dry: Gardening with Cold-Hardy Dryland Plants by Robin Nold.

Owners of the gardens in this lovely book have clearly learned the lessons, and Santa Fe is the better for it.

Robert C. Ross 2009