Christmas Books I - The "Big" New Books of the Season

If there's a special person in your life who's particularly interested in gardening, garden history, botanical drawing, or the future of gardening, you might want to consider one of these two books as a Christmas present.  Both are packed with big ideas.

Edited by Susan Fraser and Vanessa Bezemer Sellers, Flora Illustrata: Great Works from the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden (New York Botanical Garden and Yale University Press, 2014), this book represents the highlights of more than one million catalogued items and 11 million documents in the garden's renowned collections. Eleven chapters written by a group of international experts explore the vast materials in the library, from European and Medieval and Renaissance Herbals to New World Flora, Early American Horticultural Traditions, American Landscape Theory, and much, much more.

In the preface to the book, the editors note that among the recurring themes throughout the book are the "widespread exchange of botanical and horticultural knowledge ... improved identification and representation of plants ... and the key role of artists, both men and women, in the advancement of botany."

You could spend hours in the library and not see a fraction of what's represented in this book. There are sumptuous illustrations and essays throughout that you'll want to return to again and again. It is, quite simply, a book you'll treasure forever.

An exhibition of some of garden's botanical masterworks is on display at the library from November 15th until January 19, 2015.

From climate change to urban community and roof gardens to reclamation projects and new public parks, things are rapidly changing in the world of landscapes.  In Landscapes of Change: Innovative Designs for Reinvented Sites (Timber Press, 2014) landscape architect Roxi Thoren explores 25 ground-breaking projects from around the world that represent the latest in design strategies.

Much contemporary landscape architecture is focused on pressing social and environmental issues.  In the introduction to the book, Thoren notes that "urban populations have demanded new forms of open space and new connections to natural amenities," and that "undeniable changes in global weather patterns have led to an increased demand for landscapes that are resilient in the face of storms, flooding, or drought."

In each case study, Thoren explores how the design is generated from pre-conditions on the site.  The projects range from the Marco Polo Airport Car Park in Tessara, Italy to Essent Roofgardens in the Netherlands, Teardrop Park in New York City, and Beacon Food Forest in Seattle, Washington.

Beautiful photographs illustrate each project, along with numerous plans that detail how it was constructed. 

This is an important survey of contemporary landscape architecture and its ability to meet environemental and urban challenges that are taking place all over the world.