The Inspired Garden

February 15, 2009
This lushly photographed book allows readers to take a summertime ramble through the backyard gardens of New England artists, the gardens handsomely captured by Trueworthy at the peak of their glory. Plant close-ups and landscape shots (along with nice shots of the artists in situ) are intermixed superbly. Whether or not the artists' own installations, also on display, will inspire readers to become sculptors, painters, or metalworkers, the blooms, groundcovers, hedges, and pathways are sure to inspire horticulture, especially in the colder USDA hardiness zones. Paolini provides extensive narrative about each of the artists and their concepts of design for their work and their gardens. (It's worth your life to figure out where in New England the artists live, but readers who don't just skim the text will discover that most are residents of Maine or New Hampshire.) This is not a practical guide: there are no indexes or formatting by specific location, type of garden, or plants. Readers will need to turn elsewhere for instructions on plant selection and care. Yet, ironically, this book may prove to be the real gardening muse. Strongly recommended for all public libraries serving USDA zones 3 through 6, maybe even 7!Margaret Heilbrun, "Library Journal"

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