Lady Salisbury has been a gardener since, as a child in the 1930s, she cultivated tiny patches of her parents' gardens in Ireland and the West of England. Later, as chatelaine first of Cranborne Manor and then of Hatfield House, she revived two of the great historic gardens of England. Then there the gardens that, as a professional garden designer, she has created for others, notably for the Prince of Wales at Highgrove and for the Museum of Garden History and Cosby Hall in London ('As a gardener who has lived the greater part of her life in Tudor and Stuart houses, to be asked to design a garden for an Elizabethan palace was an enjoyable challenge'). Renowned for her depth of scholarship and her design skill, she has also led the way in as a pioneer of organic gardening ('when I began, in 1948, I was written off as a complete crank'). Now in her eighties, she not only continues to tend her garden in Provence, she is also making a roof garden ('the first I've ever done') for her house in Chelsea, and designing gardens for clients in England, Ireland, Italy and the United States. This book encapsulates her gardening experience.

Author Biography

Derry Moore is known internationally as a photographer of gardens, houses and people. His work regularly appears in magazines including Country Life, Vogue, World of Interiors and Architectural Digest. Lady Salisbury has been a gardener since, as a child in the 1930s, she cultivated tiny patches of her parents' gardens in Ireland and the West of England. Later, as chatelaine first of Cranborne Manor and then of Hatfield House, she revived two of the great historic gardens of England. And then there are the gardens that, as a professional garden designer, she has created for others, notably for the Prince of Wales at Highgrove and for the Museum of Garden History and Cosby Hall in London. Renowned for her depth of scholarship and her design skill, she has also led the way as a pioneer of organic gardening ('when I began, in 1948, I was written off as a complete crank'). From 1971 until 2004 she lived and worked at Hatfield House, where she oversaw the restoration of the garden. Now in her eighties, she not only continues to tend her garden in Provence, she is also making a roof garden ('the first I've ever done') for her house in Chelsea, and designing gardens for clients in England, Ireland, Italy and the United States.