Gardens by the Sea

The mix of sensuous sea air and rolling landscapes of flora and rock produce incredibly evocative gardens. Whether wild and rambling, sprouting naturally from the surrounding landscape, or a formally designed property punctuated with sculpture, oceanside gardens are infused with romance and beauty and filled with some of the most exceptional examples of horticultural art in the world. Author Alexandra d’Arnoux understands the pairing of the man-made and the shore. Her highly successful Family Houses by the Sea is a concert of retreat and natural splendor; here she visits, with Bruno de Laubadère and celebrated photographer Erica Lennard, talented creators and their masterful gardens along the shores of the United States, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

Gardens by the Sea gives an unprecedented view of these gardens, some never before open to the public eye. With creations along the coasts of New England and California and exotic gardens in Europe, each scene is vibrant in detail. In Tunisia, we visit a garden of sand; in Rhode Island, we relax in a garden of grasses; a Buddha holds court beneath a climbing rose in Malibu; in Normandy, a tower peeks above the palms. Each garden in the book is a fresh fantasy, a trip to a very special place.

Gardens by the Sea is lush with more than 250 photographs—at once poetic and striking—that set you in the midst of these inspiring places of splendor and grace, the perfect ambition for any gardener and tantalizing sanctuary for any beauty lover.