Stately Gardening: The Changing Role of the Gardener

Written in a lively style and illustrated with archive material and specially-shot photography, Stately Gardening will open the present-day visitor’s eyes to how the creation and maintenance of historic gardens and parks have changed over the years, giving them a first-hand insight from owners and staff, then and now.

In the past when houses needed to grow their own fresh produce and cut flowers, and labor was plentiful, several dozen garden staff were often employed to maintain the immaculate flower borders, productive kitchen gardens and landscaped parkland.
Drawing on archive material, personal anecdote from present owners and their staff and featuring inspiring photographs and line drawings, Stately Gardening describes how nowadays small dedicated teams of gardeners, aided by modern technology, sustain historic gardens and, in some cases, rediscover and restore them to their former glory.

Stately Gardening Then and Now is part of a completely new series published by VisitBritain Publishing in association with the Historic Houses Association.