Few cities can boast the rich history and diversity of gardens as the Nation s Capital. City of Gardens provides a guide to 30 public gardens in the Washington area - a look at the traditional and the contemporary; the manicured and the naturalized; the aesthetic and the practical; national treasures and national parks. These gardens range from kitchen garden to historic showplace, from arboretum to downtown pocket garden. This newest guide in Capital"s popular Washington Weekends series offers natives and visitors a rich array of treks through DC s gardens, with up-close and in-depth looks at the plants, the plans, and the personalities that shape them. It is an insider s guide to these remarkable spaces, highlighting designs and designers, new cultivars and native species, garden ornament and sculpture, greenhouse and gift shop attractions, garden trivia and historic tidbits. Web sites and directions tell visitors exactly how and why to visit each. Illustrated with spectacular black-and-white photographs, "City of Gardens" is a regional travel guide written by a highly knowledgeable garden-lover for all who love plants and gardens, botany and horticulture, and landscape architecture in a city rich in all. Barbara Seeber captures the essence of each individual garden, and her enthusiasm shines through in each chapter, making this is a garden feast - much more than a guide book!