“I am constantly exploring new ways to seamlessly integrate modernist sensibilities with other timeless styles. Private Paradise: Contemporary American Gardens by Charlotte Frieze offers so many inspiring spaces where hard and soft, smooth and textured, and organic and architectural elements are juxtaposed to create beautiful compositions that strike a balance.”
—Kate Webster, landscape designer
“As a busy architect and passionate gardener, I often find myself using gardening as therapy, which can result in an unplanned meandering of weeding, planting and pruning! To keep from wrecking things, I glance at Plant-Driven Design: Creating Gardens That Honor Plants, Place, and Spirit for inspiration and guidance. Its pages feature gorgeous plant combinations and sophisticated horticultural knowledge.”
—Bonnie Bridges, architect
“Working with famed English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens at the turn of the last century, Gertrude Jekyll’s painterly attention to color, texture and garden ambience beautifully complemented his Arts and Crafts style. Together, they earned their place in the pantheon of the design world, and Jekyll continues to influence garden design today. Illustrated in Gertrude Jekyll and the Country House Garden, her approach inspires me to see gardens in the same way I see interiors, as complex and vibrant spaces.”
—Paul Wiseman, interior designer
“My favorite garden book is Gardens of Marrakesh by Angelica Gray. I’m inspired by the color and ‘hidden garden’ feel of these beautiful spaces. Jardin Majorelle, which Gray restored for Yves Saint Laurent, is a huge influence on me as I work to achieve the same feeling of oasis in my own San Francisco garden!”
—Dara Rosenfeld, interior designer
“I love Ulf Nordfjell: Fourteen Gardens because of the way he combines Modernism with romantic meadows and perennial plantings. Perennials are all about coming back to life with a fresh start in the spring, when everything is light and green. Nordfjell’s gardens are also a nod to his Scandinavian roots—seeing them integrated into Nordic nature makes me a little homesick!”
—Ive Haugeland, landscape architect