You all know a successful garden when you see one, and it’s what designer Craig Bergmann has been practicing for the past 40 years or so. Now, in The Art of Fine Gardening (The Monacelli Press, 2025), you can pick up inspiration to do what Bergmann does in all of his gardens; integrate architecture, plant knowledge and design into one coherent whole. Profiles of more than 20 Bergmann gardens will show you how
plant selection, and especially native plants, spark emotional responses; and how to transfer architectural features of the site into the garden. While many of the gardens are traditional in style, in keeping with North Shore of Chicago ethic, you’ll find that Bergmann’s ideas can be successful on any site, anywhere in the world.
When we think of Japanese gardens, most of us tend to conjure up mental images of the country’s most famous gardens. Today, there’s a new style of Japanese garden, anchored in the traditional, but responding to the 21st century lifestyle. In The Modern Japanese Garden, (Timber Press, 2025), writer and longtime Japan resident Stephen Mansfield takes readers on a tour of more than 40 gardens, none of them private residences, that showcase contemporary gardens
throughout the country. As write Pico Iyer explains in a Foreword to the book, “This deeply illuminating and learned book reminds us of an ‘eternal modern’ in which even amidst concrete and glass — on top of a busy train station! — the twenty-first century Japanese garden imports much of the quiet and grace of a landscape designed 500 years ago.” You’ll encounter new kinds of gravel gardens, stone placement, and planting design that take you to new heights but also ground you in the symbolism of ancient times. A book you won’t want to miss!
There are tons of books on roses, but this book is the one you’ll want to keep forever. Roses in the Garden (Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2-25) by author and photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo takes you on a personal journey from her childhood in Vietnam to 11 of the world’s most famous rose gardens; a profile of each includes numerous rose photos and surrounding landscapes, with an essay on the history and
status of each. You’ll encounter roses you know and many you do not. In the back of the book, there’s a selected list of roses featured throughout, a list of rose nurseries in Europe and the U.S., and a selection of books that any rose lover would find useful. A great gift for anyone who loves roses (and who does not?)
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