pbThis beautifully revised and updated classic takes a fresh look at the English country house garden, starting with the owners and the stories behind the making of the gardens./bbrbrbGlorious photographs/b capture the gardens at their finest moments through the seasons, and ab sparkling and erudite text /bpresents btwenty-five gardens - some grand, some personal, some celebrated, some never-before-photographed/b - to explore why this garden style has been so very enduring and influential.brbr There is something special about the English country house garden: from its bquiet verdant lawns /bto its bhigh yew hedges/b, this is a style much-desired and copied around the world. The English country house is most often conceived as ab private, intimate place, a getaway from working life/b. A pergola, a sundial, a croquet lawn, a herbaceous border of soft planting; here is a space to wander and relax, to share secrets, and above all to enjoy afternoon tea. But even the most peaceful of gardens also take passion and hard work to create. brbr From the Victorian grandeur of bTyntesfield /band bCragside/b, to the Arts & Crafts simplicity of bRodmarton Manor/b and bCharleston/b; from bScampston/b, in the same family since the 17th century, to new gardens by Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart-Smith; and with favourites such as bHidcote /band bGreat Dixter/b alongside new discoveries, this book will be a delicious treat for garden-lovers. /p