Dunhill and Freedman, who also collaborated on Glorious Gardens to Visit in and around New York, go west this time, choosing 65 choice spots from more than 180 surveyed not far from the city (and, of course, some inside it). Their commentary is pointed, informative, sometimes funny. "Asilomar's spiritual environment is as assiduously pruned as its landscape," they say of a dune and pine stretch in the Monterey neighborhood, while in the haven of an "agroecological research center" run by the University of California-Santa Cruz, "200 varieties of acacias and eucalyptus burst with frilly, fluffy, fuzzy fruits," and "a tiger-striped cat snoozes on a Salvation Army sofa." These two are writers. They stir the senses and make you want even more than is provided, bringing to mind future trips and the various rewards of the long-lasting California growing season. They also vividly evoke gardeners--like Grace Marchant, "an ex-Hollywood stuntwoman who retired to San Francisco in 1950 when the Filbert Street area was a city dump. She hauled off the debris and began planting." The rewards of gardening are human, as well as horticultural, and this guide is better than a guide--it's a stimulus. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The authors provide descriptions of 65 gardens within three hours of San Francisco in a personal style--which is appropriate, for many of these gardens are personal gardens, requiring appointments to visit. Dunhill, a writer and lecturer about gardens, and coauthor Freedman collaborated on a similar guide to gardens in and around New York City, Glorious Gardents To Visit: 61 Gardens Within 3 Hours of New York City (Potter, dist. by Crown, 1989). The listings are arranged by region: San Francisco; East Bay and Sacramento area; Marin County; the Peninsula; and Monterey/Carmel. Each listing includes hours, admission fees, disability access, facilities, and events. Detailed instructions are given for reaching each garden by car or public transit. The gardens described range from stairstep gardens along streets in San Francisco to native plant research gardens, from university farms to wild areas, and they include sculpture gardens, water gardens, and commercial nurseries. For area libraries and extensive garden guide collections.
- Carol Cubberley, Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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