Author(s): Monty Don

Gardening

'If I have learned only one thing from my travels around the world it is that no garden is an island. Context is everything.' From the floating gardens of the Amazon to the alpine flower meadows of Norway, from modest domestic gardens right in the heart of Havana to Monet's world-famous Giverny, Monty Don visits every continent and looks at some of the most beautiful, intriguing or unusual gardens in the world. Whether looking at minimalist gardens in Mexico which, to some, may feel more architecture than garden, or the romantic beauty of a traditional English garden, each one is placed in context. Horticultural preconceptions are abandoned and Monty is constantly surprised by the unexpected locations where gardens thrive. As Monty Don travels around the world, he approaches each garden with the questions: Why do people garden? Is the definition of a garden universal? And what makes each garden special?