The lush oases pictured in Luxury Private Gardens, the newest title in teNeues' brilliant Luxury Books series, veer between the pleasantly inspirational and oppressively beautiful. In other words, while looking at it made us want to rush outside and start planting things, it also made us despair of ever creating anything one tenth as attractive as the private paradises portrayed between its covers. Much better, we feel, to simply sit back, mix a drink, read the damned book and let someone else do the digging, pruning, weeding and whatnot. But we digress.

Even the most lavish gardens in these pages displaying "the highest standards of horticultural excellence" are founded on simplicity, the book assures us: "Stripped down to their bare essentials, they are like a well-cut couturier's gown - nothing but an utterly simple response to the unadorned landscape or the naked human body they are designed to fit." The incredible Villa d'Este in Lake Como, Italy (where part of Casino Royale was filmed) pictured on the cover, with its elegant, elaborate parterres doesn't exactly scream simplicity to us, but we could stare at it all day. See the gallery for a luxe garden tour.

Loll Designs makes outdoor furnishings that have the look of wood Adirondack chairs and other classic designs but are actually HDPE outdoor resin. The furniture is made of recycled plastic and stainless steel hardware. They also have tables and storage options that are "designed to last longer than you." This park bench sells for $1449 and the company is currently offering free shipping on orders over $500.

It's not often that you get to tour a mansion in Beverly Hills but this weekend is the Showcase weekend for the Beverly Hills Garden and Design Showcase. The event takes place at the Greystone Estate and you can tour the mansion estate rooms decorated by American Society of Interior Designers LA Chapter and invited guest designers. Pretty on the outside too, the estate features gardens created by world renowned and celebrity landscape designers. This weekend's events include wine tasting, glass blowing, floral arranging and more. Tickets are $25 for the Showcase this weekend. I'm hoping to check out the house tour sometime in the next few weeks and promise to bring back lots of pictures.