The New York Botanical Garden

This handsome tome, designed with proud living room display in mind, traces the evolution of the famed New York Botanical Garden with lively text, photographs and historical documents. First established in 1891, the 250-acre garden has served as a verdant, much-beloved oasis within the bustling city, and here proves every bit as stunning as those Europeon gardens from which it drew inspiration. From the Victorian-style crystal palace with ""eleven interconnected glasshouse galleries,"" to the single giant sequoia planted as an impressive ambassador from the West Coast, editors Long and Skillion leave no leaf unturned. Broad sections covering ""The Garden Today,"" ""The Research Collections"" and ""The Garden's Reach"" are generously subdivided by exhibit, including the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden and the Rock Garden, an overview of seasonal exhibitions, a look at the tree and shrub collections and a brief survey of architecture; also included are ""A Treasury of Botanical Knowledge"" and a look at the garden's educational and research facilities. Stunning photographs capture the garden's many delights-including the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, which ""displays more than three thousand roses representing all the types of roses grown throughout history,"" rare blue gentians imported from the Western Caucasus and home-grown pleasures like the spring blossoms on cherry trees. Just in time for the holidays, this beautiful volume will provide a much-needed winter fix for gardeners frustrated by frigid evenings.