Garden Visit and Travel Guide

An incredibly full and informative guide to gardens to visit in Europe and America, with additional information on the history of garden design. It's thoughtfully put together and easy to use, and displays an infectious passion for the subject. Its simple no-fuss style makes it speedy to access and although there's a lot to read it's broken down well into manageable chunks. The main event is the garden finder, which is organised by country with maps, and is further subdivided into English counties. There's a useful amount of information about each garden and cross-referencing is thorough.

SPECIAL FEATURES

History of Garden Design is a comprehensive, scholarly ramble around the subject taken from English Garden Design by Tom Turner, one of the site authors. Text links are given to each garden and the main historical players.

UK Style Diagrams has notes on 14 different styles of garden design since 1650, from French or high baroque, through to the arts and crafts movement, abstract and postmodern design. Key dates and examples are given.

Index of Garden Designers lists nearly 40 of historical interest, with brief introductions to their style and inspiration, key dates, published works, and links to associated gardens.

Garden Travel gives appreciative suggestions for hotels and guesthouses with gardens or historical connections, and provides links to tour operators and other useful contacts.

Info and Links is an eclectic but typically instructive mix of information on everything from garden restoration to using the internet via garden photography and botanic gardens.