In this study, Margrethe Floryan traces the development of the Russian garden tradition during Catherine's reign in the dual context of Russian roots and Western influence. Through the eyes of eighteenth-century poets, painters, and scholars, she reconstructs the appearance of the eighteenth-century parks and recreates the sensual experiences of their visitors. In the final section of the book, she traces the history of individual gardens up to the present day.

Some were neglected during the Soviet period, others transformed as monumental parks or recreational areas. Today, Russia's citizens have re-awakened to the garden traditions of their Imperial past. The text is accompanied by more than a hundred illustrations, many of which have never before been published in the West.