Around the World in 80 Gardens - presented by Monty Don

Around the World in 80 Gardens - Monty Don, BBC Publications

The visually stunning BBC television series - Around the World in 80 Gardens - is currently enthralling gardeners all over the country. Presented by Monty Don, the programmes take us on a journey to some of the world’s most celebrated gardens, large and small, ancient and modern, grand and humble.

The tie-in book to accompany the series is just as enchanting and is a lovely way to preserve the memory of all those fabulous gardens visited in the series. In his book - “Around the World in 80 Gardens’ - Monty describes his incredible journey searching for the world’s 80 most inspirational gardens, taking us under the skin of the countries and people behind such sumptuous creations as the Taj Mahal and Alhambra and entertaining us with all manner of garden styles and heritage.

I think what is most appealing about this book, apart from its stunning illustrations which in every way mirror the visual television series, is the fresh approach taken by Monty in describing the gardens he visits.

He admits in the introduction that he has travelled relatively little and this is probably where the success of the book lies for we are treated to such delights as Clara’s Garden, Santiago and The Floating Gardens of the Amazon, through fresh eyes. Through each description his excitement and experiences shine through making each section a thoroughly enjoyable read. His amazing level of observation is striking too, so that at the end of each visit I actually felt I had been there with him, such is the careful detail he records.

Monty Don is the main presenter of BBC2s perennially popular gardening series, Gardeners’ World and is one of the UK’s most respected gardeners and garden writers. In ‘Around the World in 80 Gardens’ he brings us a vivid account of travel, adventure, beauty and the pursuit of knowledge. It is definitely a ‘must-have’ both for the coffee table and the garden bookshelf.

For those of us who cannot visit the 80 gardens ourselves this book is the next best thing. It is readable, entertaining and full of adventure and is bound to stimulate enthusiastic personal goals to visit at least several of the wonderful places he visits for ourselves. I really lost myself in this book - a real tonic!