Using ten landscape architectural projects on three continents, Landscapes and Gardens presents the case for green landscapes and public gardens in the city. The authors discuss, through short essays, their approach to public open space, green landscapes, and human-scaled gardens. Highlighting strategies for the design of public landscapes and gardens, the use of appropriate materials and plant species, and how site and climate influence the final design, Landscapes and Gardens is a lush collection of beautiful images of gardens, big and small, providing inspiration for those who love parks, gardens, and gardening.

Long focused on the importance of public space, and specifically ＂green＂ public space, the authors recognize landscape as the primary wish by the public. As programmed elements come and go, the landscape is there for the long term, and can adjust to the changing uses of our public space. Within the landscape, the garden offers meaning as it ties back to the cultural, the natural, and the agricultural. Like the landscapes they inhabit, public gardens must be robust. The design must be bold and simple, retaining the qualities of the garden that we enjoy so much -colors, plant structures, textures, and seasonal changes that delight.

The landscapes and gardens included the book provide examples of strategies by which the balance of robustness and richness can be achieved in gardens set within public parks in the city. The themes employed by Hargreaves Associates promote the garden as a critical element of the public park and cultural landscape, creating public gardens that provide a direct personal connection to nature, quiet respite, and rich inspiration.