Secret Gardens of Somerset

Secret Gardens of Somerset offers a personal tour of 20 of the UK’s most beguiling gardens in this much-loved area of southern England, defined by its distinctive horticulture, rolling hills, picturesque villages and traditional English landscape.

Abigail Willis and Clive Boursnell give you privileged access to 20 gardens, from a highly productive working flower farm to very personal private retreats, revealing their history, design and plant collections, in the company of their devoted owners and head gardeners.

In the footsteps of artists and trend-setters - from Victorian designers such as Harold Peto, to planting visionary, Gertrude Jekyll as well as contemporary pioneer Piet Oudolf -we find a series of stunning country gardens of different sizes and atmospheres. Explore the bountiful snowdrops of East Lambrook Manor, the naturalistic Oudolf Field at Hauser & Wirth, and get an insider’s view of the World’s Best Boutique Hotel, The Newt.

This is a celebration of rich landscapes, exemplary gardens and the owners who shaped them: a secret glimpse into Somerset’s most beautiful spaces. Now in paperback.

The gardens: The American Museum and Gardens, Barley Wood Walled Garden, Batcombe House, The Bishop’s Palace, Common Farm, Cothay Manor, East Lambrook Manor, Elworthy Cottage, Forest Lodge, Greencombe Gardens, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Hestercombe, Iford Manor, Kilver Court, Midney Gardens, Milton Lodge gardens, The Newt in Somerset, Stoberry House, Westbrook House, and Yeo Valley Organic Garden.

Abigail Willis pursued a career in the art world before turning to writing and gardening. She is author of the popular guidebook Museums & Galleries of London, now in its sixth edition, and has combined her love of the capital and gardens in The London Garden Book A-Z. Her most recent book, The Remarkable Case of Dr Wardand other Amazing Gardening Innovations, explores how our gardens, and the way we garden in them, have been changed by fifty ideas and innovations. Abigail lives and gardens in Somerset with her husband.