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Huntington Library Press

The Botanical Gardens at the Huntington

Second Edition
Updated by the Director and Curators, Principal Photography by Don Normark
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$24.95, £14.95 paperback
978-0-87328-215-4
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192 pages, 8-1/2 x 11 inches, 270 Color photographs
June 2006, Available worldwide
Categories: California & the West; Landscape Architecture

"a beautiful keepsake . . . and a great gift for garden lovers."—Lili Singer, The Los Angeles Times
PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION: "An armchair expedition through one of Southern California's greatest public gardens.... An outstanding tribute."—The Southern California Gardener

"[The Huntington Botanical Gardens are] arguably the finest extant example of Southern California's golden age of horticulture, a period that lasted from the late 19th century through the 1920s."—Horticulture

"In page after page of color photographs by Don Normark, the history of the garden and essays on the theme gardens and special collections come to vivid life. Normark is particularly adept at capturing the moods of the various landscapes, from the serene Japanese Garden to the prickly Desert Garden, which holds the world's largest collection of cactuses."—San Diego Union-Tribune
The Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, are a remarkable showcase of exotic plants from all over the world, and this lavishly illustrated volume depicts many of the most unusual and beautiful specimens. The introduction tells the fascinating story of Henry E. Huntington's development, during the first two decades of the twentieth century, from railroad and real-estate magnate to one of Southern California's leading philanthropists, and the transformation of his self-supporting working ranch into a world-class botanical garden.

Today the 206-acre estate comprises fifteen specialized gardens filled with 20,000 different kinds of plants, with as many as 1,800 rose species and cultivars, 1,200 camellia cultivars, and 5,000 cacti and succulents. Themed gardens are devoted to roses, camellias, subtropical, Australian, and jungle plants, as well as palms, bamboo, and water lilies. Especially popular with visitors are the desert and Japanese gardens. The book presents a comprehensive look at these astonishingly diverse plantings, from towering landmark trees to minuscule rare desert succulents, many pictured in the book's 270 color photographs.
The photography of Don Normark has appeared for many years in Sunset and other magazines, and in gallery and museum shows nationwide. His work is also represented in many permanent collections, including those of the Brooklyn Museum and George Eastman House.