In Our Back Yards: The Gardens of the Texas Coastal Bend is the first book to celebrate their successes. From the Live Oak Peninsula to shores of Baffin Bay, from the dunes of the coast to the caliche of the deep brush country, we are treated to a tour of gardens public and private, tiny and stately, manicured and wild, all of which, no matter

what the size or style, reflect the gardener's love for the natural beauty of the Coastal Bend. We are privileged to be their guests, hear their stories, and learn something of their secrets as they open their garden gates to the team of John Watson, Carole Peterson, and Deanna Payne.

In Our Back Yards: The Gardens of the Texas Coastal Bend is an 11x8 1/2 hardcover, clothbound book featuring more than 128 pages of full-color photographs, natural histories, and landscaping and gardening information. More than 50 public and private gardens are represented in 200 full-color photographs carefully chosen from more

than 4,000 images.

JOHN WATSON, principal photographer and project coordinator, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Corpus Christi Botanical Garden and Nature Center. He is a certified Master Gardener, and is completing his MFA in Photography at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi.CAROLE PETERSON, Project Editor, is Director of Workforce Development in the Office of Community Outreach Programs at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi. She has an extensive professional writing and editing background.DEANNA PAYNE, Scheduling Coordinator, also sits on the Board of Directors of the CCBG&NC. She is responsible for the hundreds of personal contacts and phone calls necessary to arrange appointments to visit and photograph the many gardens nominated for the book.