Stretching from the Mediterranean coast at Menton to the hinterland above Nice and the lushness of Provence, the Riviera is striking in its diversity. This is a celebration of the extraordinary gardens of this region and of the eclectic mixture of writers, artists, botanists and celebrities who have loved and tended them. Matisse and Van Gogh found inspiration here, as did Jean Cocteau, Coco Chanel and Somerset Maugham. Families such as the Rothschilds and the Vanderbilts employed dozens of gardeners to nurture their plants and their exotic pets. The book contains more than 100 colour photographs, taken by the author, of the region's gardens which thrive on the Riviera today. Vivian Russell's first book, Dream Gardens, won the Lakeland Book of the Year award.