Hidcote: The Making of a Garden

Noel Kingsbury will chair a conversation between Ethne Clarke, author of Hidcote: The Making of a Garden who will be over from the States for this event, and Glyn Jones, Head Gardener of Hidcote Manor Garden, to celebrate the launch of the book.

Hidcote, created in the Cotswolds by Major Lawrence Johnston, a Henry James American whose circle of friends included Edith Wharton and Bernard Berenson, is one of the most influential English gardens of the twentieth century.

Originally published in 1989, Clarke's book was the first biography of Johnston; in this updated edition published by WW Norton and Company, Clarke freshly illuminates the creation of the garden and presents Johnston's life in the context of the period that set the seal on England's pre-eminence in garden design and plantsmanship. In addition to seasonal lists of plants closely associated with Hidcote, the book also features new information about Johnston's other major work, Serre de la Madonne in the south of France, now a French national monument.

Noel Kingsbury will ask Ethne to reveal her discoveries into the history of this iconic garden, while Glyn Jones will talk about the Trust's plans for the future. They will also discuss why Hidcote has become such an icon of Englishness.

The event will offer an opportunity to buy a copy of the book prior to the book's general release on 3rd July.

• Talks and Literature