Royal Gardeners

Book excerpt: Alan Titchmarsh takes us on a fascinating tour through the history of Britains royal gardens from medieval times to the present day. Taking in existing royal gardens as well as many that now only exist in paintings, Alan uncovers the stories behind the gardens and the colourful monarchs who created them. From Hampton Court Palace to Kew Palace and Gardens, to Osborne House and through to the modern day developments at the Prince of Wales' home at Highgrove, Alan takes a highly personal canter through Britains gardening heritage. Fully illustrated with original plans, designs, letters, planting records and full colour diagrams of the major surviving gardens, this is a sumptuous book charting some of the most outstanding gardens in Britain.