Adventures in Eden

This is lovely eye candy for those who love elite European gardens. Chapters are divided by region (Ireland, Germany, France, etc.) and each features multiple full page photos of gorgeous private gardens with about a page of text about the history of each garden. Some were especially interesting to me, like a wall of hedges trimmed to look like waves (a lot of these people really love their topiaries). Most were pretty standard (but stunning) high end gardens of the very rich. This will be a fabulous coffee table book for anyone who loves gardens, especially high end ones.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

A wonderful coffee table book for garden lovers. These are some of the most beautiful private gardens Europe has to offer and it's a joy looking at the selected images and reading the introduction for each garden.

I judged this book by its cover featuring undulating boxwoods forming a maze filled with tulip blossoms. Who knew boxwoods could look like that?! Show me more. Plenty of gasps and “Honey, look at this!” comments were to follow. I feel like I embarked upon a cozy tour of lesser-known gardens of the UK and Europe.

Each garden is shared through beautiful photography and just enough text to explain the why, when, how, and highlight of each garden. I feel like I actually was able to escape the confines of my house by immersing myself in these varied, beautiful gardens.

Use this book to escape from COVID-19 fatigue and virtually explore some magnificent gardens. Then, give yourself something to look forward to, as you plan to visit any of these gardens in person, post-virus. I feel my spirits lifted and my mind freed after savoring this book.

5 enthusiastic stars. (I wish it could be published sooner. It is a gift gardeners and travelers could use right now!)

Thanks to NetGalley and Timber Press for this eARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed looking at the 50 gardens within this book. Chapters are set up for each country represented, and it was interesting to see how each one had differences and similarities. I loved seeing the maze style gardens and wondered aloud how do they grow or plan those? I work with older customers that enjoy these larger coffee table books specifically gardens and nature. Having larger photographs in color with less words on those pages makes it easier for them to enjoy so this one will be a grand slam for them! It would be great for armchair travelers or those who have seen such gardens before and want to reminisce. Reading about the author, Mullet is well versed in landscape gardening, lending to her creating amazing garden tours and no doubt helped her create this wonderful journey for all of us through some otherwise off limit treats.

#NetGalley

A gorgeous coffee table book.These beautiful private gardens of Europe are eye candy.A book to go back to again and again .For gardening lovers lovers of beautiful flowers this is a wonderful read.#netgalley#timberpress

This is a gorgeous book (especially to showcase on your coffee table). It walks you through 50 different gardens throughout Europe, and breaks them down by country. Each garden has been photographed beautifully and there wasn't an overwhelming amount of text, which I really liked. Definitely recommend for anyone interested in gardening or just loves gardens!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this opportunity!

A beautiful tour of fifty stately gardens scattered across Europe. Divided by country (England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Italy). each garden is accompanied by a one-page description followed by several pages of beautiful photographs. The gardens range from semi-formal to naturalistic and include many elements of hedges, water features, flower borders and rock features. A great majority are devotees of the Piet Oudolf style (lots of ornamental grasses).

I checked the garden in my own country and, surprise, the first one was the Bramafam which is near my country house and I visited last year. And also visited more than once Villa Bricherasio.
The owners of the two garden are very interesting persons and it was great to read about them in this book.
It was a pleasure to discover these gardens and see the gorgeous pictures.
It's a great book that I loved, highly recommended.

A colourful book focused on beautiful pictures from private gardens around Europe. There is a page long introduction to every garden. It is naturally a great thing to know something about the place, but the pictures are so green and beautiful that I simply couldn’t focus too long on the texts. It is nice that there are gardens from different areas, because different climates (and different people) make different gardens.

I do admire professionally looking gardens perfected to the tiniest details, but my favourites are the natural looking ones. I’m happy to see that both kinds have found their way into the book. It’s rare to get a glimpse of so many private gardens, and I’m happy to see so many people clearly lovingly taking care of their surroundings, but I have to admit some places make me jealous. I would love to have gardens like this. Sadly, I do not have a green thumb, so it’s better just to admire what other people can create. Great book!

I received an advance reader copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Breathtaking garden beauty from all over Europe! Fifty different gardens and landscapes that guaranteed to satisfy all tastes and interests. The pictures truly do an amazing job of capturing the beauty and intimacy not regularly available to the public. The descriptions provide a brief note of inspiration or history that adds to the poignancy of each garden. I lost myself in many of these special places and appreciated the opportunity to experience what would otherwise be unavailable to me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own and freely given.

Another gorgeous coffee table book for gardeners from Timber Press. Not only British gardens but also included is some of the top privately owned European gardens. A short bio accompanies each.

*eArc provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Adventures in Eden is a gorgeous insider's look at 50 private European stately gardens written and curated by Carolyn Mullet. Due out 10th Nov 2020 from Workman Publishing on their Timber Press imprint, it's 332 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a beautifully made and well laid out homage to the horticultural arts. Each of the 50 entries are lavishly illustrated, with many full page color photos. They represent a number of styles and aesthetics - mostly (but not all) on the grand scale. Nevertheless, there are a multitude of good inspirations for scaling down to use in our own domestic gardens.

Five stars. This would make a superlative selection for gardening aficionados, a special gift, students, designers/horticulturists, library use, or as a beautiful coffee-table book to enjoy and revisit. This one has high "re-readability".

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Sublime photography and vivid descriptions really make these 50 private European gardens pop! As a master gardener the use of plantings, knowledge of utilizing climate, symmetry and focal points are fascinating but you needn't be a gardener to enjoy and appreciate this breathtaking book. Immerse yourself.

Lovely photographic details really shine, too, from flowers in tiny rock crevices to evening and morning lighting to snippets of bright man-made colours. Talk about sensory impact!

The owner information and history is helpful and intriguing, adding personality.

When in Europe visiting gardens is always on my list of things to enjoy and wonder at. All of those in the book would be wonderful to stroll for different reasons. We all have individual preferences when it comes to gardens and this is a good variety. Few of us have large spaces to work with but small spaces can be just as impressive...I am inspired to try a few ideas from the book.

Thank you to Timber Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this stunning book. Much appreciated.

My review has been posted on Goodreads and on November 10 will be posted on Amazon, Chapters Indigo and Kobo.

“Adventures in Eden”, by Carolyn Mullet, with it’s gorgeous cover was to be an indulgence for me. The back cover copy implied it would be a walkthrough, from my couch, of some of the most interesting gardens in Europe, up close – intimate. And perhaps, it was in the raising of those hopes, that I was set up for disappointment.

It is, without a doubt, a beautiful coffee table book of 50 lovely gardens. However, I found I couldn’t get to know anyone garden properly. It shows two or three highlights of a garden with a short blurb and then moves on. Some of which are modern, others whimsical, few are so unusual that I hadn’t seen similar in other publications. I felt more like a guide to “what to see” whilst in the area than an intimate get together with each. Equally confusing, the back copy indicates the gardens are off-limits to visitors and the book introduction says they are opened at some point in each year for…visitors?! I haven’t researched it to find out which is correct!

If you’d like to dapple in the gardens of Europe, and hop from spot to spot, this may be the book for you. I enjoy a deeper journey, with a longer and more educational story on each garden and lots more photos. As such, it’s a three out of five on the enJOYment scale.

This book covers 50 gardens across 11 countries/regions in Europe. The book is divided into chapters by country/region with each garden having about a page description and then 5ish pages of photos. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the gardens were all somewhat modern designs with many designed in the 2000s. I was honestly expecting old gardens that have had the same designs for centuries so this was an unexpected treat.

The descriptions are well thought out and not too wordy. They reference both the garden’s owners and the designer, the inspiration behind the garden, key design elements, and featured plants. The pictures are absolutely stunning. The images didn’t load completely clearly on my iPad, but I assume this will not be an issue in the print edition. There were some where I literarily gasped as the beauty and they made me really really really miss Europe. This will be an absolutely lovely coffee table book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Timber Press for the temporary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Growing up in the U.S., I always pictured European gardens to be very formal, with boxwood borders and intricate patterns. This book drove home how silly a notion that was.

Adventures in Eden, by Carolyn Mullet, emphasizes the personal nature of gardening by sharing not only photos of various gardens throughout Europe, but by including summations about the gardeners themselves. The gardens are not overly intimidating to the hobby gardener; in fact, most look very “doable” for the garden enthusiast, as the majority of them appear to be simple, and not overly difficult to maintain.

As we begin to enter the winter doldrums, I always appreciate having a new gardening book on my nightstand, to remind me of what can be accomplished the following spring. I have enjoyed my past few evenings reading through the passages and viewing the photos.

The cover of this book just grabbed me! The combination of color, shape and texture in this view of a garden is amazing! I had to see what else was included. The book focuses on private gardens of Europe, and is organized by country (or region). Each garden highlighted is profiled with a 1-page summary of the garden's history and a description of the garden itself, including names of some of the plants. This is followed by several photos of the garden. The quality of the photos in this review copy is not good, but I assume they will be better in the published book. The selection of gardens in this book demonstrates lots of diversity, from naturalistic to neatly sculpted. It would be a great source of plant combination ideas for any gardener. Or, it would also be a lovely coffee table book for simple browsing.

If you're looking for an unusual travel guide for a trip to Europe (whenever we can travel again), Adventures in Eden is worth a look. Mullet explores famous gardens and hidden gems throughout the continent, from Spain to the Netherlands. Fun reading for armchair travelers, gardeners, and history buffs.

This is a beautiful book. The photographs are wonderful. The author introduces the garden, then provides photographs. This is the opportunity to see lovely, private gardens from your couch. This book is enjoyable every time I read it. It’s a gift to yourself.