This is a complete guide to Beth Chatto's garden in Essex. Chatto believes that the way plants are grouped together is the essence of gardening, and she gives preference to perennials. She chooses her plants as much for their foliage and texture as for their flower colour. The book demonstrates how Chatto has used the natural variations of the garden to create widely differing habitats for the plants - a water garden, sunny open beds and borders, a dry gravelly Mediterranean-style garden and shady walks. Chatto's garden presents gardeners with an opportunity to learn about perennials and how best to grow them in a variety of situations. The book contains specially commissioned photographs and drawings. The author has won ten successive gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and the Victorian Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society.