In the 1760’s the taste for English gardens spread all over Europe and reached Central Europe as well as the lands of the Habsburg Monarchy. Analysis of the books owned by the aristocrats who had English parks designed and whose libraries are known to us shows how printed garden models were transmitted. The printed texts enable us to understand the very diverse contexts of the reception of garden literature and how the topic became a knowledge field of its own. The libraries in question contained very few English books. However, the documents show that France played the role of intermediary and that Saxon publishers held a strong commercial position : two important factors that determined the spread of garden books. The printed books finally enable us to grasp a range of social practices associated with English gardens and the books describing them : they were used as a means of representation to increase one’s reputation, they were instrumental to the building of a professional milieu and they helped spreading a cultural practice (designing gardens) beyond the elite milieu.