Defiant Gardens : Making Gardens in Wartime

Examines gardens of war in the twentieth century, including gardens built behind the trenches in World War I, in the ghettos during World War II, and in Japanese-American internment camps in the US, as well as gardens created by soldiers at their bases and encampments during the Gulf War, Vietnam, Korea and the Second World Wars.

How is it that during a war, one can still find gardens? In the most brutal environments, on both the home front and the battlefield, they continue to flourish. Wartime gardens are dramatic examples of what Kenneth Helphand calls “defiant gardens” — gardens created in extreme social, political, economic, or cultural conditions. Illustrated with archival photos, this remarkable book examines gardens of war in the 20th century, including extraordinary examples built behind the trenches in World War I, in the Warsaw and other ghettos during World War II, and in Japanese-American internment camps, as well as gardens created by soldiers at their bases and encampments during wars in the Persian Gulf, Vietnam, and Korea. Winner of the Environmental Design Research Association award and other honors, Defiant Gardens proves that these man-made constructs are far more than decorative diversions or simple sanctuaries from the stresses of daily life.