Life in the Garden: by Bunny Williams

This is Bunny Williams’ most ambitious book to date. Inviting us into her impressive grounds with charming personal anecdotes, expert advice, and hundreds of stunning photographs–printed on two different speciality stocks–Bunny Williams illustrates every aspect of the gardens surrounding her eighteenth-century manor house in Northwestern Connecticut in different lights and seasons. A popular stop on the Garden Conservancy circuit, Williams’ property boasts a parterre garden,year-round conservatory, extensive vegetable garden, orchard, woodlands, an aviary with exotic fowl, and a rustic poolside Greek Revival–style folly. Each section of the garden is accompanied by adirectory of featured plants—from native ferns and succulents to a wide variety of flowering specimens. Throughout, the revered designer shows us how she incorporates nature in her interiors: in stunning floral arrangements, unique tablescapes, and elaborate holiday vignettes—where a rescued bird’s nest commands as much attention as a prized collector’s item. Whether in the intentional juxtaposition of high and low, or the considered placement of a garden bench to appreciate aparticular view, home and garden together reflect the epitome of Bunny Williams’ inimitable style.