"Garden tourism is all the go. Green-thumbed travellers dig it, as it were. There seems to be nothing more convivial than pottering about grand estates, especially while overseas." - Susan Kurosawa, The Australian newspaper* This garden-lover''s guide to England is both a valuable travel resource and inspiring coffee-table book for those who adore exploring and strolling through charming garden destinations and horticulturally inspired hideaways* An excellent book for those who also enjoy an engaging narrative grafted with comprehensive, technical detail, including a collection of the little-known and extraordinary stories surrounding famed Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Monk''s House, and Heligan* Is organised thematically into ''gardens'' and ''places to dine, drink and stay'' (surrounded by the best botanical spaces), with sections broken down by season, popular flower types, and region, to both cater to a wider range of experiences and for user-friendly itinerary planning* Filled with beautiful photographs throughout, showcases many of England''s best public and private gardens, historic, classic and iconic gardens, secret and little-known gardens, writers'' gardens, kitchen gardens, walled gardens, rose gardens, grand estates, restored or contemporary spaces, floral shows, beautifully landscaped expanses, and much more* Lists important information about how to choose the best time of year to visit; the most beautiful garden destinations to visit with detailed itineraries; where best to see springflowers, tulips, wisteria, rhododendrons, roses, dahlias, among many others* Includes a valuable index of wonderful places and activities to be inspired by, from courses and workshops on topiary and garden embroidery to museums and galleries that offer botanical exhibitions, along with specialist nurseries, gardens stores and other garden resources, entries on floral arrangements, memorable garden tours, and DIY garden trails for those who prefer an independent experience* Taps into a fast-growing new market for illustrated travel books that are tailored toward the the horticultural traveller itineraries. The latest tourism statistics indicate that Garden Tourism is now one of the world''s fastest growing travel sectors--considered to be the second-fastest growing tourism sector after Food Tourism. (Over a third of world travellers visit a garden on their trips, according to the Garden Tourism Report by Richard Benfield.) There is nothing lovelier than England in June, when it''s in full blossom, when the sun is sinking down behind the hedgerows and the Queen Elizabeth rose, with its palest of pale pink petals, is unfolding into glorious summer bloom. Nothing lifts the spirit more than a glorious meander through an English garden in full floraison.
The sweetly scented gardens and gentle landscapes of this great country have long drawn horticultural fans and Anglophiles searching for its natural idylls, made so redolent in literature, film, photography, poetry and song. Every summer, people from all over the world travel to England to stay at charming guest houses with bucolic gardens, drink at country pubs with flower-decked beer gardens, wander from gate to gate on garden tours, shop at stores for irresistible garden tools and seeds, and dine at cafés and restaurants with floral-themed interiors. Now, this beautiful new book by bestselling author Janelle McCulloch - part guidebook and part armchair delight for garden lovers - shows you where to find these wonderful garden destinations, from the celebrated and famous to the secret and little-known. It also details the private estates that only open several times a year; the ones that tend to go under the travel radar. Elegantly designed and illustrated, the pages within are also packed full of spectacular botanical-inspired hideaways to stay, linger, shop, dine and drink at, from garden-inspired restaurants to garden-enhanced hotels. It''s the perfect gift for any garden lover and shows you how to make your next visit to England a truly memorable one.