First published in 1770, Thomas Whately’s comprehensive study of the English landscape garden became the standard text on the subject both in Britain and abroad. This first modern edition is accompanied by an introduction and commentary, alongside contemporary illustrations of the gardens and places discussed. It makes available to the modern reader a crucial primary source on what is often regarded as this country’s greatest original contribution to the arts.

Norah Lindsay was a major influence on English garden design between the wars. Having developed her skills in her own Oxfordshire garden, she turned professional in 1924 when the collapse of her marriage left her penniless. This magnificent book, lavishly illustrated with historic and modern photographs, celebrates her life and work creating gardens for Nancy Astor, the Prince of Wales and royalty across Europe. It includes a directory of all her clients and the work she undertook for them.

In over 30 years, Sir Roy Strong and his wife Julia Trevelyan Oman created a stunning historical garden at their home, The Laskett in Herefordshire. After his wife's death in 2003, Sir Roy decided to remodel the garden, which had become overgrown and closed in on itself. In a book to inspire fellow gardeners, he records the remaking of The Laskett garden in his own words, accompanied by the before-and-after and action photographs of Clive Boursnell.

From an article published in 1900 on Gregor Mendel’s work on peas by William Bateson, the man who coined the term ‘genetics’, to Toby Musgrave on growing heritage fruit and vegetables in 2012, this anthology brings together the best and most important writing from The Garden, the journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. The selections are in chapters ranging from seasons and the weather to the RHS itself, and are interspersed with vibrant illustrations by Jenny Bowers.

Behind the high walls of the Vatican, beautifully kept gardens offer the Pope a tranquil refuge, fragrant with sweet herbs and cooled by shade trees and fountains. Linda Kooluris Dobbs's photographs give us access to these normally hidden lawns and avenues, grottoes and parterres, with their fine statuary and fountains, and their imposing backdrop – the buildings of the Vatican and the dome of St Peter's. Kildare Dobbs's introductory essay accompanies this collection of over 140 photographs.

In this lavish volume we are treated to a private view of 30 of the most exciting gardens in London. They are as varied as they are beautiful, on rooftops, afloat on the Thames, within palaces, around churches and behind walls. Some are grand and traditional, such as the homes of the Prince of Wales (Clarence House) or the US ambassador (Winfield House), while others are more modest, such as the garden squares.

For thousands of years, people around the world have adopted belief systems that give a key role to the natural world and the trees, fruits and flowers found there. This book explores this complex subject, pointing to similarities and differences, and showing how belief systems often transfer their ideas to the real world, such as the Pure Land gardens of Buddhist Japan. It is richly illustrated with a mix of historical images and photography of contemporary gardens.

England has a richly varied tradition of garden design, and the past ten to fifteen years have been no exception. The leading horticultural writer Tim Richardson has selected 25 gardens that exemplify this latest phase of creativity and innovation. Most are open to the public, and together they cover a wide range of styles, from the Prince of Wales’s traditional garden at Highgrove, through Arabella Lennox-Boyd’s ‘laboratory for design ideas’ at Gresgarth, Lancashire, to Christopher Bradley-Hole’s Modernist garden at Crockmore House in Oxfordshire.