The Plant Book for Dumbarton Oaks was prepared as a resource for those charged with maintenance of the gardens following their acquisition by Harvard University in 1941. Beatrix Farrand here explains the reasoning behind her plan for each of the gardens and stipulates how each should be cared for in order that its basic character remain intact. Her resourceful suggestions for alternative plantings, her rigorous strictures concerning pruning and replacement, her exposition of the overall concept that underlies each detail, and the plant lists that accompany her discussion of each garden make this a volume of interest to every student, practitioner, and lover of landscape design.

The Plant Book for Dumbarton Oaks was prepared by Beatrix Farrand as a resource for those charged with maintenance of the Dumbarton Oaks Gardens following their acquisition by Harvard University in 1941. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gardens, and in conjunction with the Farrand’s 150th birthday, this new edition contains updated commentary and new contemporary and historical photography, showing the gardens in all their current beauty and as they were conceived and created. Accompanying the original plant lists, Farrand’s text carefully explains the reasoning behind her plan for each of the gardens and shares how each should be cared for in order that its basic character should remain intact. While she provides suggestions for alternative plantings, strictures concerning pruning and replacement, and exposition of the overall concept that underlies each detail, Jonathan Kavalier’s thoughtful commentary provides context for changes that have affected new plant choices for the gardens, such as new, disease resistant cultivars and recognition that some plants are now considered invasive. This book is an excellent companion to a stroll through the garden for any lover of plants and landscape architecture, and any fan of Farrand’s garden design.

Garden as Art: Beatrix Farrand at Dumbarton Oaks features essays and photographs of this remarkable landscape as a living and breathing work of art. Published on the occasion of the centennial of the Dumbarton Oaks Gardens in 2021, the book illuminates the stewardship of one of the most beautiful gardens on earth.

Edited by Thaïsa Way, this volume includes essays from scholars and practitioners as well as photographs by landscape photographer Sahar Coston-Hardy. The essays place the garden in the context of its historical surroundings, explore its archival significance, and reflect on its effects on the world of contemporary design. Accompanying the essays is a collection of newly commissioned photographs by Coston-Hardy that document the seasons and growth in the gardens over the course of a year and that invite the reader to contemplate the art of garden design and the remarkable beauty of the natural world. Archival images of the gardens offer a chronicle of evolving design concepts as well as illustrate how gardens change over time as living works of art. Garden as Art offers an inspiring view of a place that has been remarkably influential in design and the art of landscape architecture.