"Shrouded in Light" Book Release Lecture and Party!

July 24, 2024 Kevin Williams , Manager of Horticulture

The new book "Shrouded in Light: Naturalistic Planting Inspired by Wild Shrublands" by Kevin Philip Williams and Michael Guidi has been internationally hailed as a game-changer in how we perceive not only shrublands but also the intersection of naturalistic garden design, art, and culture.

“Every now and again, maybe once in a decade, a genuinely revolutionary garden book comes along. This is one.” - Noel Kingsbury, Gardens Illustrated

Shrublands exist all around us, thriving in almost any environmental condition, from the desiccating sunshine of the endless sagebrush steppe to the deep, shaded tranquility of moist forests. These diverse and inspiring ecosystems serve as perfect models for our gardens. Beyond their inherent beauty, they provide nurturing habitats and demonstrate resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Come party (and learn!) with the authors as they invite you to work, live and play with shrubs by exploring a glorious spectrum of wild shrublands and the philosophies and design strategies behind translating these magnificent plant communities into your home garden.

Books will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation, along with stickers, posters and other shrubby merch! Register for the event.

This event is the official Denver Botanic Gardens’ book launch and lecture, immediately preceding the Shrub-a-Dub-Dub Book Tour of the UK.

Books are also available for purchase at the Shop at the Gardens.

Gallery

Michael Guidi and Kevin Philip Williams. Photo: Scott Dressel-Martin

The heavy white blooms of Ceanothus cuneatus (buckbrush) contrasting against maroon cliffs and slowly following the curve of the land in Angeles National Forest, CA. Photo: Bryant Baker

Coastal sage scrub above Big Sur, California

Orange Diplacus aurantiacus (sticky monkey-flower) and silver Artemisia californica (California sagebrush) against the subtler textures of Frangula californica (coffeeberry) and Baccharis pilularis (coyote brush). Big Sur, CA. Photo: Michael Guidi

Muted shades in Saco Heath Preserve, ME: Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry), Rhododendron canadense (rhodora), Rhododendron groenlandicum (labrador tea), Kalmia angustifolia (sheep laurel), Chamaedaphne calyculata (leatherleaf). Photo:Michael Guidi

Carnegiea gigantea (saguaro), Fouquieria splendens (ocotillo) and Stenocereus thurberi (organ pipe cactus) among a landscape of Encelia farinosa (brittlebush), Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) and Parkinsonia florida (blue palo verde). Photo: Michael Guidi

Bands of Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana (mountain big sagebrush) with the upright flowered Eriogonum umbellatum (sulphurflower buckwheat) and airy pink Geranium viscosissimum (sticky geranium). Gore Range near Silverthorne, CO. Photo: Michael Guidi