Greater perfections

Gardening is usually thought of as a practical activity, but this book explores the conceptual basis of garden art.

Taking a broad view of gardens as landscape architecture, it examines the meaning of "garden" and its relationship to other interventions into the natural world, offering an account of the role of representation in garden art itself.

The book draws on many different historical traditions and archival materials, and undertakes one main historical excursus - into the late-17th century and the figure of John Evelyn.