When we think of outdoor living, we remember the special times -- a family picnic under the shade of an old oak, a Sunday morning spent harvesting ripe strawberries, quiet moments reading on the porch, a late afternoon dip in the pool. Across America, homeowners are discovering the potential of outdoor living by transforming their yards into thoughtfully designed rooms furnished with plants, pools and garden structures. The key to enjoying outdoor living to its fullest is customizing a space to meet with personal needs. In Outdoor Living Gardens, readers are taken on a tour of homes in locations as diverse as the American heartland and the French countryside, the Florida coast and the Connecticut hills. More than 250 photographs depict imaginative and stylish design strategies that homeowners have used to create outdoor rooms that serve a variety of needs, from entertaining to gardening. Each chapter of Outdoor Living Gardens, addresses a unique design challenge of a property. Included is advice on landscaping and selecting plantings that harmonize with different styles of homes, ways to add special touches that extend a welcome to visitors and ideas for swimming pools, gazebos and old-fashioned wrap-around porches. This wide selection of homes and yards embodies the House Beautiful style and approach to living outdoors. For those with a gardening spirit and others who wish simply to create a pleasant environment in which to relax outdoors, Outdoor Living Gardens, will inspire, delight and inform.