Garden to the Max

“Teresa Woodard guides the reader on an exquisite road trip across America showcasing how gardening to the max can transform public and private spaces. With incredible storytelling and eyepopping photography, Garden to the Max is a maximalist journey into bold and innovative ways to create beautiful and vibrant places. Prepare to be inspired!”

“Gardening is rarely a casual occupation. As an art form, creating great gardens throughout history has resulted from of a sort of manic obsession. In Garden to the Max, Teresa Woodard captures the best diverse American examples of this passionate occupation. Gardens, and gardening are ascendant once again, especially in this post-pandemic world, and Woodard realizes importantly that gardens are best understood as self-portraits of their creators.”

“To enter the pages of Garden to the Max is to enter realms of enchantment and personal expression. Enjoy each visit, absorb each space, and relax in the pleasure of each gardener’s passionate creation!”

“The vibrant gardens in Garden to the Max, and the stories of the extraordinary gardeners who created them, bring to mind one word — EXUBERANT! Vastly different in style, each garden embodies their creator’s passion for color, creativity, innovative use of space and above all PLANTS!… all with a Maximalist’s embrace of abundance. Those that appreciate bold style partnered with good design will enjoy this book as much as I did. The wonderfully worded text describing the gardens and lessons from their creators, together with the spectacular photography, illustrate perfectly that good design comes in all forms and knows no bounds.”

“Gardens are as much about the people who create them as the plants that grow in them and the concepts behind them. Teresa Woodard expertly captures all of it in Garden to the Max, a book that celebrates exuberance and no-holds-barred gardening in a way that will inspire even the most timid gardener. And, the stories of 20 creative and joyful gardens and their gardeners are brought to life through Bob Stefko’s stunning photography.”

“Garden to the Max is an amazing distillation of American horticulture that details the creativity of home gardeners throughout the country.  Each garden is designed with a dramatic flair that captures each individual’s personal approaches to plant collecting, design, and creating spaces with ecological capacity.  This book captures the “best-of-the-best” in American design with the Mountsier-Hardie garden of geometric whimsy; JP Malocsay’s pollinator wonderland perched above Pittsburgh; Irvin Ettien’s tropical oasis in the heart of Indiana, and the iconic work of Lauren Springer at high elevations in Colorado.  This work will inspire every gardener who believes that gardening is a dynamic act of artistic and personal expression.”