From the medicinal herb gardens established by religious orders, through the Victorian obsession with flowers and plants, to modern gardening trends initiated by experts such as Rosemary Verey, Penelope Hobhouse and Mirian Rothschild, gardening has enabled women to develop their creativity on their own doorsteps. Accompanying a BBC2 television series, this book explores the way in which women have made gardening into an art form. Incorporating photographs and historical prints and illustrations, it celebrates great gardens such as Sissinghurst and Tintinhull, and pays tribute to the talents of women such as Vita Sackville-West and Phyllis Reiss, who designed and planted them.