Immersion: Living and Learning in an Olmsted Garden

(Hardback)

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On a 1902 commission by Boston financier and philanthropist Gardiner Martin Lane and his wife, Emma, Olmsted designed the garden as a series of distinct rooms, forming sequential terraces in an architectural response to the downward sloping topography.

The Water Terrace is positioned high on the oceanside bluff and features a rose-covered pergola, an ocean view shelter, and a stunning, 2800 square foot, five-pool water garden inspired by the sixteenth-century Villa Lante in Viterbo, Italy. From this elevation, a series of granite steps descends through the garden's other rooms: a shady Overlook Terrace, a Lavender Terrace, a white-themed Tea Terrace, a substantial Vegetable Garden, a Crabapple Alle and, finally, a semi-enclosed Rose Garden.

In its prime (1906 - 1935), the Lane garden was featured in Louise Shelton's Beautiful Gardens in America, the November 1907 issue of American Homes and Gardens, and numerous horticultural tours. By 1991, when Nola Anderson and her husband, Jim Mullen, purchased The Chimneys, the garden was in ruins, having not been maintained for nearly forty years. The garden's renewal became Ms. Anderson's three-decade, hands-on personal passion as she rebuilt, restored, and recreated the garden, honoring the original Olmsted intent while completing the design with historic and contemporary plantings that pleased her evolving personal taste. The renewed gardens are, once again, the centerpiece of The Chimneys estate and a vibrant extension of a family home.

Renowned commercial photographer, Clint Clemens was known in the advertising world for his work on the "loud and fast" - particularly luxury cars. Clemens, who had never photographed a garden, volunteered to take a few shots as a personal courtesy to old friends only to find himself drawn to the plants' beauty and splendor. He, like Anderson, became fully immersed. Clemens brought the gardens to life on the page using exotic tools like a Phantom 4 v2 drone, a Roundshot VR gigapan panoramic robotic camera mount, and an assortment of specialized Canon cameras including the 5DS R with 100mm and 180 mm macro lenses to produce a dazzling array of photographs that showcase the garden's stunning seaside setting as well as the constantly changing seasonal displays.

Immersion also includes original plans, photographs, and ephemera from the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution, the Manuscript Division of The Library of Congress, The Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, and other sources. While this gorgeous, full-color volume is primarily the inspiring story of one gardener's growth from a novice to an accomplished designer, it also includes practical tips and "behind the scenes" guidance for design, plant selection, and garden management. No horticultural library will be complete without Nola Anderson's garden memoir.

Reviews

It is an engaging story of accomplishment with an excellent visual record.--Tankare Tankare "Hortus"
We would make it beautiful," Anderson writes in this account of her journey from naive plant lover to expert horticulturalist. Immersion: Living and Learning in an Olmsted Garden is the richly told story of her successes and failures, and the community of gardeners who fostered her growth.--Catherine Talese "Avenue"
Featuring spectacular photography...Immersion chronicles the birth and revival of a little-known garden designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. on a secluded 19th-century estate in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, known as the Chimneys.--Lynn Yaeger "Town & Country"

Author Bio

Nola Anderson was the executive vice-president of a major Boston adverting agency before retiring to dedicate herself to the restoration of an historic property she had purchased with her husband. The Chimneys is a twenty-eight-acre oceanfront estate north of Boston with extensive gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. between 1902 and 1914. Accidentally at first, and then with increasing interest, expertise, and passion, Nola became immersed in the gardens, becoming proficient in their care and, ultimately, their continuing design and management. Before undertaking this monumental project, Nola had never gardened in her life. She also has never written a book.

Clint Clemens' advertising photography has consistently received industry recognition, winning multiple Andy, Clio, and Kelly awards, the latter with a first overall. His photographs have been featured in many magazines including Communication Arts (cover), Lurzer's Archive Magazine, Graphis, Photographis, and Applied Arts. The international diversity of Clemens' clients requires him to travel tens of thousands of miles each year, interpreting their commercial interests with his unique visual acuity. His passion is cars, sports, and literally anything that moves. Clint Clemens' account list over the last several years includes: Jaguar, DHL, Coke, Toyota, Prada, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen, Specialized Bikes, The North Face, Asics, New Balance, Bell Helmets, Harley-Davidson, Chris Craft, Jeep Chrysler, NetJets, Nokia, Men's Journal.