American Gardens: A Tour of the Nation's Finest Private Gardens

Loewer ( Gardens by Design ) and a team of excellent photographers here ferret out 30 exemplary gardens representing all regions of the country (included are a Chicago rose garden, a Maryland grass garden and several desert gardens, to name but a few). They range in size from 50 square feet to five acres, and celebrate native horticultural ingenuity at work within geographic and climatic confines. Assessing each plot by interviewing the gardener responsible for it, Loewer successfully conveys the whys and wherefores of sundry gardening schemesbut falters in capturing and characterizing the individual vision impelling these. Disappointingly, strong-minded floral judgment is reduced to mere matters of fact, despite the potential for colorful portraiture in such a gardener as Charles Goodwin, whose devotion to annuals produced 723 different varieties on his grounds in 14 years. Though Goodwin's methods are evaluated, his story isn't told. The author's horticultural knowledge and discrimination serve him well, but his words wither in a realm ripe with possibilities. (Dec.)