For the People's Pleasure: Australia's Botanic Gardens (1988)

Second-Hand (Hardcover)

Excellent condition

For the People's Pleasure is a stunning presentation of fourteen of Australia's most highly prized botanic gardens

With 300 superb colour photographs, this book captures the great diversity and beauty of our botanic gardens: the lush, vibrant colours of the tropical north, the delicate beauty of the desert regions and the elegant splendour of the more formal gardens.

Australia was settled by Europeans 200 years ago, at a time when they were becoming increasingly aware of the pressing need for parks and gardens in their cities. In  Australia the early British colonists were given a rare opportunity to develop botanic gardens as an integral part of their cities. This, and the discovery of Australia's  enormous variety of unusual and hitherto unknown plant life, led to the development of some of the world's most spectacular botanic gardens.

Australia's early botanic gardens maintained strong links with the 'mother garden' in England, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, upon which they were modelled. In the 1870s and 1880s, though the Australian gardens began to emerge as notable entities in their own right, both for the beauty of their design and settings and for their scientific role. Australia's flora aroused intense interest and curiosity in European botanic circles, making the botanical role of our early botanic gardens of prime importance.

Today, with a heightened awareness of the environment and ecology, our botanic gardens are creating a great deal of interest, and new gardens specialising in
indigenous flora are being established throughout the country.

For the People's Pleasure is a magnificent book which brings to life the breathtaking beauty of our most treasured gardens, and is a fitting tribute to the brilliance and vision of the people who created them.