Saratoga in Bloom

Saratoga Springs is colorful not only culturally and historically, but also literally. Come spring and summer the historic resort town is filled with lush plantings in the public parks, around private homes from the grandest to the most modest, at the Saratoga Race Course grounds and the Skidmore College campus, and even throughout the business district along Broadway. Rather than discouraging Saratoga's green thumbs, the challenging northern climate only inspires residents to celebrate the return of warm weather and the horse-racing season each year with joyful displays of gardens, fountains, and flower-filled containers of every description. "History, health, and horses," the city's motto, neatly sums up Saratoga's most famous attributes. In this celebration of the region's gardens and the people who create them, photographer and writer Janet Loughrey shows us that "horticulture" should be added to that list.

By Janet Loughrey