Top
A romantic journey through forty captivating gardens lost to time.
All over the world, once-flourishing horticultural spaces have been abandoned and forgotten. From the once-crumbling grandeur of the Villa d’Este and the magic of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, to the sculptural surrealism of Las Pozas and the colourful rebirth of Le Jardin Majorelle, there are countless gardens around the world with fascinating stories to tell.
Author and journalist Sandra Lawrence takes readers on a tour of 40 horticultural gems from around the world that have been lost either through neglect, abandonment or destruction. Many have been consigned to history, never to be seen again, while others have been revived and restored by the care and dedication of new owners and communities. These marvels of horticulture take many forms: stately homes, floating allotments, roof gardens and more. But all of them have one thing in common: the romance of paradise lost.
Featuring one bespoke illustration of each garden by renowned artist Lucille Clerc, this book is a written celebration of our love of nature, and the importance of keeping these oases of green alive and well – if not in reality, then at least on the page.
These charming gardens are brought back to life, including:
Discover the remarkable stories behind the creation, decline and occasional rebirth of these astonishing spaces, and meet the people and societies that first created and enjoyed them.
The perfect gift for garden lovers, armchair travellers and cultural enthusiasts.
Sandra Lawrence is an author and journalist and has written about gardens for, among others, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, English Garden, LandScape, Garden News, Modern Gardens, Hortus and British Heritage. Her seventeen books include The Witch’s Garden (2019), The Magic of Mushrooms (2022) and Anthology of Amazing Women (2018). She is also the author of Miss Willmott’s Ghosts (2022), a biography of Edwardian plantswoman Ellen Ann Willmott, whose ruined garden fuelled Sandra’s own childhood fantasies of treasure hunting in lost gardens.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Villa Adriana
Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz
Les Hortillonnages
Casa Vicens
The Garden of Dreams
Grand Illusions
Larchill Arcadian Garden
Paleis Het Loo
To-in Teien
Schönbrunn Palace Mazes
The Italian Garden at Great Ambrook
Yuanmingyuan Park
Little Acorns
Las Pozas
Villa Gregoriana
Warley Place
Paronella Park
Crowninshield Garden
Baghs of Khajuraho
Fontana Rosa
Hermits
Sacro Bosco
Weatherstons
The Watergardens
Murs á Pêches
Le Jardin Majorelle
Living Sculpture
Seifersdorfer Tal
Gardens of the Nations
Kensington Roof Gardens
Cougar Annie’s Garden
Painshill Landscape Garden
Le Jardin d’Agronomie Tropicale
Villa d’Este
The Lost Garden Un-mourned
Poplar Forest
Plantation Garden
Arboretun Oleksandriya
Madinat al-Zahra
The Hawkstone Follies
The Language of Death
Wah Bagh
Dewstow
The Banned and the Beautiful
Arkadia Park
Le Jardin du Lautaret
Visiting
Index
The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
Need Help? Copyright © 1999-2026
