cloth, 463 pp., $65.00
Carlos March, a successful Spanish banker, expresses his thoughts on a variety of subjects in this beautifully illustrated work. As a passionate gardener, March relates his theories about gardening and describes the influence of natural surroundings on a site’s design. He states: “The development of a garden in space and time is determined by four factors: the economy (the standard of living), the population, aesthetic sensitivity, and climate change.” The original design of the site focused on the residence; it had “curved lines, the concept of compact masses, pyramidal perspectives and the adaption to the surrounding terrain.” A few years later, the plan was revised to create a dam and reservoir. This addition allowed for greater expansion of the garden grounds and an opportunity to create a vista and lake view. March takes the reader through these eventual changes to the landscape. Gorgeous photographs of mass plantings of varieties and cultivars in the design make powerful statements; the drifts of roses, ground cover, shrubs, and aquatic plants are carefully identified and recorded in this volume.
— Marilyn K. Alaimo, garden writer and volunteer, Chicago Botanic Garden