Yes, it's Thursday and time for a Style Source Faves segment - and today we're looking at outdoor style.  Outdoor style as in garden style.

I love beautiful gardens.  When I'm traveling, invariably, I'm more interested in the gardens than the castles, cathedrals, villas, etc.  It's not that I don't like the buildings - I do.  But it's the gardens that transfix me. 

Versailles?  Sure, it's opulent and incredible; but the gardens...  they're what I go to see time and time again.  The Villa San Michele on Capri?  Beautiful and serene,  and with it's setting on the peak, it's easy to see why  Tiberius chose the spot to build his own villa.  But again, it's the heart-stopping gardens that get me...  beauty brought to life.

So today, four books - four beautiful books to charm and delight you:

              

                 


Gardens in Time, by Jacques Bosser, photography by Alain Le Toquin

In Search of Paradise: Great Gardens of the World, by Penelope Hobhouse

Sun-Drenched Gardens: The Mediterranean Style, by Jan Smithen, photography by Lucinda Lewis

New Gardens in Provence: 30 Contemporary Creations, by Louisa Jones, photography by Bruno Suet

Just flipping through the books is enough to inspire even the most "garden-challenged" among us!

(All can be purchased at Amazon.)