Lakewold Gardens is one of the great gardens of the Northwest, marrying classical European garden design with modernist scale and perspective, and a distinctly Northwest appreciation of majestic native tress and woodland beauty. Lakewold's pleasures are many, from its pronounced seasonality to its harmony of formal and informal gardens to its astounding number of rare plants. It is a gardener's garden, with lessons and surprises for new and experienced gardeners alike.

Lakewold was the private garden of Eulalie Wagner. She began developing the 10-acre garden in 1938. Wagner was very much an in-the-dirt gardener and her vision and hard work touches every grass, plant, tree, and lichen. Along the way, she received invaluable guidance from famed landscape architect and lifelong friend Thomas Church, whose influence can also be seen throughout the garden. The beautiful and creative designs that they formed remain intact and well maintained today, as do many original plantings and collections.

Lakewold was opened to the public in 1989. Its mission is to conserve the gardens for the future while educating the public. This tribute to the garden and its creators is richly illustrated with beautiful garden pictures from each season, and from before Eulalie Wagner, through the decades of her tenure, and up to the present.

Ronald Fields is a Lakewold docent and Washington State Master Gardener.

"Before the advent of instant lawns and formulaic landscapes, gardeners created living works of art; Lakewold is one such creation. This collection of tranquil photographs and reflective essays is an affectionate tribute to the horticultural artistry of Eulalie Wagner." -Linda Chalker-Scott, author of The Informed Gardener and The Informed Gardener Blooms Again

"'Lakewold, near Tacoma, is one of the great estate gardens of the Pacific Northwest. This modest and elegant book contains insightful essays by horticultural authorities and a leading garden historian complimented by a wonderful collection of archival and modern photographs." -David C. Streatfield, University of Washington