Victoria Summerley – författare

A captivating portrait of 20 of the greatest British gardens and the lords, ladies and gardeners who own and manage them. Focusing on the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, this stunning book features gardens designed by some of the leading contemporary garden designers from across the world.This beautiful corner of England has a rich tradition of garden making, which is explored in this very personal view by photographer Hugo Rittson-Thomas and journalist Victoria Summerley, both residents of this green pocket with more than its fair share of beautiful and interesting gardens.The gardens: Abbotswood, Ablington Manor, Asthall Manor, Bourton House, Burford Priory, Colesbourne Park, Cornwell Manor, Cotswold Wildlife Park, Daylesford House, Dean Manor, Eastleach House, Eyford House, Kingham Hill House, Rockcliffe, Sarsden, Sezincote, Stowell Park, Upton Wold, Walcot House, and Westwell Manor.Some of the gardens are strictly private, while others are regularly open to visitors, but all can now be savoured and enjoyed along with those who know them best.Tour even more magnificent English gardens with Secret Gardens of East Anglia and Secret Gardens of Somerset.

‘The Secret Gardeners is a WONDERFUL book.  Just beautiful. It will live, page open, on my coffee table.’ Prue Leith (one of the Secret Gardeners)The Secret Gardeners is a captivating photographic portrait of the private gardening passions of 25 of the UKs foremost artists, designers, actors, producers, composers, playwrights, sculptors and musicians.It includes composers Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh; oligarch Evgeny Lebedev; entrepreneur Richard Branson; architect Anish Kapoor; actors Jeremy Irons, Rupert Everett, Griff Rhys Jones and Terry Gilliam; chef Prue Leith; musicians Ozzy Osbourne,Nick Mason and Sting; playwright Julian Fellowes; film director Paul Weiland; and designers Kirstie Allsopp and Cath Kidston.Accompanying meaty essays explaining the owners' inspiration and passion are stunningly-reproduced photographs revealing the beautiful gardens that the public rarely see.Amongst these gardeners you'll find the plantaholics, the scene-changers, the view makers, the weeders, the hot-colour fanatics and those who use their garden to retreat from public life.

London’ s gardeners are twice blessed: not only do they live in one of the world’ s most vibrant capitals, it is also one of the most verdant. Gardens of every imaginable style, shape and size abound on rooftops, within palaces, surrounding churches, behind walls - on every piece of dry land - even if it is floating on or lapped by the river Thames. In Great Gardens of London, Victoria Summerley, Hugo Rittson Thomas and Marianne Majerus collaborate to unearth the most fascinating stories of plants and people inside London’ s most exciting gardens. Some of the gardens are strictly private, while others are regularly open to visitors, but all can now be savoured and enjoyed along with those who know them best. Great Gardens of London is a captivating photographic portrait of the greatest gardens of the capital which are primarily closed to the public or rarely open their gates. It will feature gardens designed by some of the leading contemporary garden designers from across the world. Accompanying the photographs will be essays on the design and planting that explain the designers’ inspiration and passion.

'The Secret Gardeners is a WONDERFUL book. Just beautiful. It will live, page open, on my coffee table.' – Prue LeithThe Secret Gardeners features the private gardens of more than 25 well-known figures from across British culture, including actors, artists, writers, designers and aristocrats. Through intimate interviews and over 300 photographs, it offers a rare look at the outdoor spaces where creativity, comfort and personal expression take root.This updated edition includes four new gardens, including those of Prue Leith, Dominic West and Catherine FitzGerald and Jeremy Clarkson. Returning names include Julian Fellowes, Cath Kidston, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Irons. Each chapter reveals what gardening means to its owner, how their space reflects their personality, and why these green sanctuaries matter so deeply.Photographed by Hugo Rittson-Thomas and written with warmth and insight by Victoria Summerley, this is a book that celebrates the joy of gardening, the importance of private space and the stories that grow behind the garden walls.The Secret Gardeners is the perfect book for anyone who loves gardens and wants to get inside the head of the people who create and care for them.

'The Secret Gardeners is a WONDERFUL book. Just beautiful. It will live, page open, on my coffee table.' – Prue LeithThe Secret Gardeners features the private gardens of more than 25 well-known figures from across British culture, including actors, artists, writers, designers and aristocrats. Through intimate interviews and over 300 photographs, it offers a rare look at the outdoor spaces where creativity, comfort and personal expression take root.This updated edition includes four new gardens, including those of Prue Leith, Dominic West and Catherine FitzGerald and Jeremy Clarkson. Returning names include Julian Fellowes, Cath Kidston, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Irons. Each chapter reveals what gardening means to its owner, how their space reflects their personality, and why these green sanctuaries matter so deeply.Photographed by Hugo Rittson-Thomas and written with warmth and insight by Victoria Summerley, this is a book that celebrates the joy of gardening, the importance of private space and the stories that grow behind the garden walls.The Secret Gardeners is the perfect book for anyone who loves gardens and wants to get inside the head of the people who create and care for them.