Saratoga in Bloom: 150 Years of Glorious Gardens [Hardcover]

History, health, and horses, the city's motto, neatly sums up Saratoga's most famous attributes. In this celebration of the region's gardens and the people who create them, photographer and writer Janet Loughrey shows us that horticulture should be added to that list.Saratoga Springs is colorful not only culturally and historically, but also literally. Come spring and summer the historic resort town is filled with lush plantings in the public parks, around private homes from the grandest to the most modest, at the Saratoga Race Course grounds and the Skidmore College campus, and even throughout the business district along Broadway. Rather than discouraging Saratoga's green thumbs, the challenging northern climate only inspires residents to celebrate the return of warm weather and the horse-racing season each year with joyful displays of gardens, fountains, and flower-filled containers of every description. History, health, and horses, the city's motto, neatly sums up Saratoga's most famous attributes. In this celebration of the region's gardens and the people who create them, photographer and writer Janet Loughrey shows us that horticulture should be added to that list.Colorful tour of outstanding public and private gardens in the famous resort town that once rivaled Newport as the nation's social capital. Main avenues and the grounds around the famous race track are lavishly planted, and historic estate gardens are open to the public. In 2007, Saratoga Springs won an America in Bloom national award for its beautification efforts. Includes glimpses into seldom-seen private gardens.