Hydrangeas: Cape Cod and the Islands Hardcover – Import, 20 April 2012

This is a smaller book, not a large coffee table one. Still, the photographs are current, gorgeous and inspiring. It is a feast for the eyes to see Cape Cod & the Islands and Hydrangeas together.My only complaint is so many of them are too small!! Even with space leftover on the page, the photographs are too small. I'm glad I bought this book but wish both the photographs and the size of the book were much bigger.

This book is a cute addition to my enormous collection but it doesn't name most of the varieties of hydrangeas pictured. I think the photography is mediocre. The cover is the nicest photo of them all. If I had flipped through it in person first, I wouldn't have purchased.

Love looking at this book on my coffee table! Not only the Hydrangeas my favorite flower but so are the Islands!I used to live there and the book brings back such fond memories!

What an exceptional book! As both an avid hydrangea gardener and a Cape Cod and Islands lover, this book sings to a very delightful tune. Congruent with the plants and the settings themselves, this book is pure eye-candy--beware, visual overload will quickly ensue!The author Joan Harrison, who is the founding president of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society, has done a remarkable job of showing hydrangeas in all sorts of settings across the region: private residences, businesses, parks, ferry terminals, beaches, weddings, and more. She is quick to use a variety of hydrangeas in her photographs (which I really appreciate since often-times the diversity of the hydrangea world goes unsung): macrophylla mopheads of all colors, macrophylla lacecaps of all colors, arborescens, paniculatas, oakleafs, and climbers. Her commentary is brief but this book is really about the pictures anyway. But the few words peppered throughout are useful, succinct, and appropriate. I especially appreciate the references to places like Heritage Gardens, Hydrangea Farm Nursery, Wychmere Harbor, the Wequasset Resort, and others as high-quality, public, or semi-public viewing places for these glorious shrubs. For anyone interested in buying hydrangeas, the author not only writes about some good plant nurseries on the Cape and Islands, but actually takes pictures of those places so you can see what you are buying before you ever get there!For anyone who has had the privilege of visiting Cape Cod, Nantucket, and/or Martha's Vineyard during the months of July and August, this book makes for a surprisingly exceptional souvenir. While the plants are the stars of the show, there are just as many beaches, harbors, boats, shingled houses, and landmarks "in the background" so to speak that make this book all the more delightful. Within only a few pages, this became my #1 favorite book of all time! SIX stars!

The quality of the photos were just ok. The book was smaller than I was expecting as well. I am sure the original pictures the book used were stunning but they just didn’t translate as well in print form.