A mogul’s eye for landscaping

Most gardeners must wait for their gardens to mature. Henry E. Huntington didn’t have to. He had the railroad and funds to import big plants from all over the world and pay workers to schlep and install them. Huntington also had William Hertrich, the gardens’ first superintendent, whose knowledge and dedication begat legendary collections of rare plants, including the phenomenal Desert Garden.

All this and more is documented in this informative paperback, revised and expanded from a 1996 edition, with new chapters on the recently completed Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory and Helen and Peter Bing Children’s Garden. (The future Chinese Garden, a work in progress, is mentioned only in one corner of a beautiful map of the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.)

Sections on history, 15 specialty gardens, landmark trees and garden ornaments are liberally embellished with vintage images and botanical illustrations from the library, as well as 270 color photographs. Though no photos, even such fine ones as these, can truly convey the breadth and aura of the Huntington and its gardens, this book is a beautiful keepsake for regular visitors and a great gift for garden lovers who may not be so lucky.

-- Lili Singer