Meaning of the Gardens

Gardens reveal the relationship between culture and nature, yet in the vast library of garden literature this book is the first to focus on what the garden means - on the ecology of garden as idea, place, and action. "The Meaning of Gardens maps out how the garden is perceived, designed, used, and valued. "The Meaning of Gardens probes the social and philosophical importance of the garden to explain why it is central to our individual lives, our society, and our planet. It brings together essays from a variety of disciplines, organizing them around six metaphors special to our time - the garden muses of Faith, Power, Ordering, Cultural Expression Personal Expression, and Healing. Each muse suggests specific inspirations for garden and landscape design. The more than 50 contributing authors are among America's foremost thinkers and writers on the culture of gardens. Designers and scholars Garrett Eckbo, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, Clare Cooper Marcus, Ian McHarg, Charles Lewis, Dean MacCannell, Paul Shepard, Michael Van Valkenberg and Peter Walker, among others, bring years of garden making and critical reflection to the question of what the garden means. In searching for answers, they provide a rich discourse on the art of garden design and the future practice of landscape architecture. They offer new perspectives on the garden at the scale of the domestic and personal as well as at the scale of the community and culture. Mark Francis is Professor of LandscapeFrancis, Mark is the author of 'Meaning of the Gardens' with ISBN 9780262061278 and ISBN 0262061279.