Secret Gardens of Somerset offers a personal tour of 20 of the UK’s most beguiling gardens in this much-loved area of southern England, defined by its distinctive horticulture, rolling hills, picturesque villages and the most traditional English landscape.
Abigail Willis and Clive Boursnell give you privileged access to 20 gardens, from a highly productive working flower farm to very personal private retreats, revealing their history, design and plant collections, in the company of their devoted owners and head gardeners.
In the footsteps of artists and trend-setters from Victorian designers such as Harold Peto to planting visionary, Gertrude Jekyll as well as contemporary pioneer Piet Oudolf, we find a series of beguiling country gardens of different sizes and atmospheres, which have shaped the English identity, and in different ways express the ideals of English life.
The gardens: The American Museum and Gardens, Barley Wood Walled Garden, Batcombe House, The Bishop’s Palace, Common Farm, Cothay Manor, East Lambrook Manor, Elworthy Cottage, Forest Lodge, Greencombe Gardens, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Hestercombe, Iford Manor, Kilver Court, Midney Gardens, Milton Lodge gardens, The Newt in Somerset, Stoberry House, Westbrook House, and Yeo Valley Organic Garden.
Most of the gardens included here are privately owned and usually open to the public. Meanwhile, all of these landscapes can now be enjoyed through the eyes of the owners themselves.
Tour even more magnificent English gardens with Secret Gardens of the Cotswolds and Secret Gardens of East Anglia.
Secret Gardens of Somerset is a beautifully photographic record and intimate tour of 20 different stately and informal gardens in Somerset. Due out 15th Sept 2020 from Quarto on their Frances Lincoln imprint, it's 144 pages and will be available in hardcover format.
This is an inspiring and educational book, full of ideas for garden lovers no matter what the scale of their own green spaces. Very few gardeners will have the space to recreate the famous gardens pictured, however, there are so many good takeaways which can be adapted to readers' own gardens. Since the book is absolutely full of color photographs and the text is relatively small and densely packed, the hardcover format is a must.
The gardens represent a wide array of design and execution. The expected stately home gardens are represented, of course, with long alleys of topiary boxwood and formal layouts. What was equally welcome and more unexpected however, were the working farms, informal gardens, cottage gardens, historical landmarks, and a surprising amount of humorous interpretation and unexpected juxtaposition inviting a close look. The Morris mini car as a garden installation absolutely bursting with blooms really made me smile.
Four stars. Lots and lots (and lots) of inspiration. Aesthetically an enjoyable read with some nice takeaways.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
