The Garden At Highgrove [Hardcover]

Most people will know two things about the garden at Highgrove--that it is organic and that, notoriously, the Prince of Wales talks to the plants he grows there. As The Garden at Highgrove lavishly demonstrates, it is a garden of very considerable interest and beauty, blending idiosyncratic touches into the traditional, romantic English country style. Although parts of the garden are laid out on a grand scale, much of it is intimate, forming a series of enclosed, room-like spaces. Evident everywhere is the Prince's respect for nature, from the underlying organic, self-sufficient methodology to the large-scale experiment in the restitution of a species-rich wild flower meadow. (The latter is expected to take at least a hundred years before the true balance of plant types is restored--an indication of the seriousness of purpose.) Although he has had advice and assistance from many leading garden and plant specialists, including Rosemary Verey, Sir Roy Strong and Miriam Rothschild, the Prince's personality, traditional-minded but with what seem to be strong streaks of competitiveness and bloody-mindedness, is everywhere apparent. Another presence, rarely alluded to, also haunts the place. Highgrove is an exemplary garden, and this is a very interesting book, beautifully illustrated and full of lessons in how hand and heart can work together in the garden. --Robin Davidson

Prince Charles is renowned for his views on organic gardening and his passion extends very firmly to his home, Highgrove, deep in the Gloucestershire countryside. A barren landscape bar the grandiose Cedar of Lebanon which initially caught the Prince's eye, it has, since 1980, been transformed by this remarkable, unassuming man into one of the greatest gardens of our time. In close consultation with designers such as Rosemary Verey, Miriam Rothschild and Sir Roy Strong, he has developed a garden that is an important part of Britain's heritage. Totally organically managed, Highgrove is a testament to the Prince's "green" beliefs and a wake-up call to all non-believers - a garden of Eden in the midst of a polluted world. This gloriously illustrated book is full of photographs by renowned photographers Andrew Lawson and Christopher Simon Sykes whose styles perfectly capture the essence of the place from the kitchen gardens to the woodland, the terraces to the wildflower meadows. Accompanied by the expert text of Candida Lycett Green, this is a fitting eulogy giving a readable and enjoyable picture of the thought, work and future hopes for Highgrove by the Prince and his gardeners. - Lucy Watson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Prince of Wales describes how he has created one of the great gardens of our time.

When The Prince of Wales bought Highgrove House in 1981 the surrounds consisted of a brown path which ran around the house, a lawn and a few thorn bushes. Twenty years later, he has transformed the land adjoining the house into several exquisite gardens which embody his gardening ideals and organic principles. With help from some of Britain's finest designers, including The Marchioness of Salisbury, Rosemary Verey, Miriam Rothschild and Sir Roy Strong, the Prince of Wales has created highly individual gardens which have now, with his own ideas, reached maturity.

The Prince of Wales describes the thinking behind each garden, the mistakes and the triumphs, and his plans for the future. Lavishly illustrated with photographs which capture both the scope and detail of each garden, this book will delight and inspire both gardeners and horticulturalists at every level.

The Prince of Wales describes how he spent 11 years turning his Cotswold estate into a model of environmentally benign farming and gardening. He also describes how his gardens have been conceived, developed and planted. Candida Lycett Green has published 12 books, and introduced and edited two volumes of her father, Sir John Betjeman's letters. She has written and presented three television documentaries, including THE FRONT GARDEN and A COTTAGE IN THE COUNTRY. She is a commissioner for English Heritage.