This book offers a store of garden plans inspired by some of the most bewitching and famous gardens in the world, ranging from the borders of Gertrude Jekyll with their painterly drifts of colour to Frank Lloyd Wright's abstract patterns and pure lines. All can be realized in the smallest of spaces, all are practical to maintain, yet all are woven from the dreams of great garden-makers.David Stuart looks at the history and inspiration behind designs created by influential gardeners such as Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst, Lawrence Johnston at Hidcote, Rosemary Verey at Barnsley House and Piet Oudolf at Hummelo, then provides contemporary adaptations of their gardens. His extensive knowledge of period plants and their use in gardens of the past enables him to include historical classics such as a seventeenth-century baroque parterre at Het Loo and a meditation garden created in sixteenth-century Japan.Although many of the original designs are quite grand, David Stuart has focused on elements that can be used to make lovely gardens on a much smaller scale. Each design is a recipe that garden owners can easily follow or adapt for their own space. Clear planting plans, instructions on building, laying out, planting and caring for the garden, and a 'shopping list' of suitable plants show you how. Read Less