The majesty of the Hudson River has captivated both artists and visitors for generations, and the gardens along its banks have a special character. Those created for the Gilded Age estates are more formal; private gardens respond directly to the rolling landscape and mature forests. The area is a crucible for the development of American landscape design since the major figures—Alexander Jackson Downing, Frederick Law Olmsted, Beatrix Farrand, and Fletcher Steele—all worked in the Hudson Valley.
Gardens of the Hudson Valley focuses on the historic landscape and how gardens have been integrated into it. Photographers Steve Gross and Susan Daly have selected twenty-five gardens between Yonkers and Hudson, including famous estate gardens like Kykuit, Boscobel, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and Olana (all open to the public) and private gardens that combine sweeping views and lush plantings.
Garden writers Susan Lowry and Nancy Berner describe each of the gardens in detail, focusing on the history of the site and the strategies for design and plant materials.
Praise for GARDENS OF THE HUDSON VALLEY:
“The region that inspired a legendary school of landscape painting has been fertile ground for green-thumbed talents too. Gardens of the Hudson Valley features more than two dozen designs – some present-day (Amy Goldman’s handsome vegetable patch), others a century old (the Vanderbilt estate’s Italianate loggia). An index highlights 14 gardens open to the public.” – Elle Décor
“Verdant greenery abounds in Gardens of the Hudson Valley, a new photographic portrait of the region's lush private landscapes. The luxurious volume chronicles 25 gardens chosen to give "a sense of place and convey the romance of the landscape" abutting the majestic Hudson River in New York state. Photographers Steve Gross and Susan Daley selected gardens from Yonkers up the river to the town of Hudson, including famous formal estate gardens like Kykuit, Boscobel, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and Olana, along with smaller, more naturalistic plots that combine sweeping views and lush plantings. Each of the gardens tells a story about the people who made them, and collectively they evoke "the grace and grandeur of the Hudson River landscape" underscoring the central role the Hudson Valley played in the birth of an American garden tradition.” – Luxist.com
“Each of the gardens in this book – some public, some private – tells a story about the people who made them…The gardens along the banks of the Hudson have a special character. Here are 25 gardens, from Yonkers to Hudson, including famous estate gardens (Kykuit, Boscobel, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and Olana, all open to the public) and private gardens that combine sweeping views and lush plantings. This is the perfect holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. Buy it now, read it, and wrap it later!” – Hudson Valley News
