Life in the Garden

Description

This is Bunny Williams’ most ambitious book to date. Inviting us into her impressive grounds with charming personal anecdotes, expert advice, and hundreds of stunning photographs–printed on two different speciality stocks–Bunny Williams illustrates every aspect of the gardens surrounding her eighteenth-century manor house in Northwestern Connecticut in different lights and seasons. A popular stop on the Garden Conservancy circuit, Williams’ property boasts a parterre garden,year-round conservatory, extensive vegetable garden, orchard, woodlands, an aviary with exotic fowl, and a rustic poolside Greek Revival–style folly. Each section of the garden is accompanied by adirectory of featured plants—from native ferns and succulents to a wide variety of flowering specimens. Throughout, the revered designer shows us how she incorporates nature in her interiors: in stunning floral arrangements, unique tablescapes, and elaborate holiday vignettes—where a rescued bird’s nest commands as much attention as a prized collector’s item. Whether in the intentional juxtaposition of high and low, or the considered placement of a garden bench to appreciate aparticular view, home and garden together reflect the epitome of Bunny Williams’ inimitable style. Review: So many beautiful ideas - There are so many beautiful pictures in this book to give you inspiration in your garden. I really love it! I really love that she writes about the history of her garden, when she began it and why she put things in certain places. It is not a how to book at all. It is completely about her personal garden and I absolutely love it! Review: Utterly gorgeous!! Garden heaven!! - This is a stunning book in so many ways! And if you are a lover of great gardens, started from scratch, developed over many years, by an owner who has far more passion than experience … you’ll love Bunny’s garden, story and ability to make it so relatable! Now - to the book itself - it’s enormous! And very heavy! It would make a fantastic gift. And most importantly it’s beautifully designed … every single page is carefully thought through and every picture is stunning. And the writing is wonderful … it takes you through Bunny’s entire gardening journey, together with her beloved husband and later her children. She includes her hand drawn map of the garden early in the book so that readers can visualise what she’s describing, enabling the pictures to become really relevant and helpful. And they use two types of paper throughout, so that you differentiate between the writing and the photographs, it’s very carefully thought through. It’s a passion project that can be treated as an incredibly beautiful coffee table book … or an amazingly detailed account that can give both aspiring or experienced gardeners a real understanding of how they built their garden and why. Or both! I can’t recommend it highly enough.