Adventures of a Narrative Gardener: Creating a Landscape of Memory

2021 New England Society Book Award winner

The Adventures of a Narrative Gardener is an entirely new kind of garden book, rather than a homage to contemporary gardens, a survey of historic gardens or a "how-to" manual. Through a careful mix of rich visual imagery and memoir, author Ronald Lee Fleming brings to life the garden he has created at Bellevue House, Newport, and explains his many sources, many of which hold deeply personal memories.

Ron Fleming is the founder and president of The Townscape Institute, a nonprofit public interest planning organization based in Cambridge, Mass. As an urban planner and designer, preservation advocate, civic leader, thought leader and change agent, Fleming’s lifetime of work focuses on creating livable and sustainable cities, towns, and neighborhoods. The author of six books, he was founding chairman of the Cambridge Municipal Arts Council, is Chair Emeritus of Scenic America, and has served many other cultural and civic organizations. His philanthropic work to support initiatives to beautify and improve communities led Newport to declare “Ron Fleming Day,” noting: “Mr. Fleming is a recognized authority in the role of art in creating vibrant, livable places, adding luster to Newport’s worldwide reputation as a showcase of art and architecture.”