The Curious Gardeners: Obsession and Diversity in 45 British Gardens

Gardening Is for the Birds, and for Anglophiles Guy Cooper and Gordon Taylor, landscape designers at the top of their game, take readers on a grand tour, tooling about the English countryside in a 1960s Alvis coupe, just as they did with viewers during six BBC Two episodes. The Curious Gardeners: Obsession and Diversity in 45 British Gardens samples the richness of this series. The authors drove from the North Sea to the coast of Cornwall, taking in an array of gardens on vast formal estates and in more intimate settings. Exploring traditional methods and modern twists alike, they highlight the unexpected, including a desert garden in Norfolk, tropical delights in Cornwall, water gardens, ponds, moats, waterfalls, hermitages, sculpture and even a tree cathedral. Their perceptive and witty observations pay tribute to the gardeners and their delightful creations. 150 color photos. (Jan. 15)