The National Trust has the finest collection of gardens ever assembled under one ownership - the greatest in number, diversity, historic importance and quality. Taken together they contain the world's most important collection of cultivated plants, disti nguished for their beauty, rarity, historical interest and scientific value. this edition has been substantially revised to showcase superb new photography and to introduce recently acquired properties, such as Sheringham Park in Norfolk or Wordsworth House in Cumbria, along with fascinating pratical gardening guides from the trust's expert head gardeners. Stephen Lacey paints a vivid picture of individual trust gardens through historical and horticultural perspectives. He gives his personal take, describing the present state of each and placing it firmly within the context of gardening history in Britain. All the major periods are represented: a knot garden from a 1640 design at Moseley Old Hall in Staffordshire; magnificent eighteenth-century landscapes such as 'Capability' Brown's at Petworth in Sussex; Victorian Gardens like Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire, with its wealth of new plants introduced from all over the world; and the famous plantsmen's gardens of the last century, such as Nymans in Sussex, Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, and Hidcote in Gloucestershire.