Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : the garden world and the world of gardens -- Sacred landscapes from Delphi to Yosemite -- Hunting parks to amusement parks -- Ancient Roman gardens and their types -- Islamic and Mughal gardens -- Western medieval gardens : from cloister to suburban backyard -- The Renaissance recovery of antique garden forms and usages -- The Paragone of art and nature in the Renaissance and later -- The botanical garden, the arboretum and the cabinet of curiosities -- Garden as theatre -- The garden of 'betweenity' : between Andr�e Le N�otre and William Kent -- Leaping the ha-ha; or, how the larger landscape invaded the garden -- The role of the 'natural' garden from 'Capability' Brown to Dan Kiley -- The Chinese garden and the collaboration of the arts -- Follies, fabriques and picturesque play -- The invention of the public park -- National parks and international exhibition gardens -- Japanese gardens and their legacy to the West -- Arts and crafts gardens : the artist back in the garden -- The prose and poetry of modern landscape architecture -- The once and future garden.