My Devonshire Year

There are few people better acquainted with the West Country than Johnny Kingdom. His knowledge of local wildlife is second to none, but he’s also a fount of knowledge when it comes to all the old stories that get passed down from generation to generation. West Country Tales is a charming collection of these local myths and legends, interwoven with many more anecdotes from Johnny himself and his forbears and friends.

The atmospheric West Country landscape lends itself perfectly to dramatic tales of eerie hauntings and ghostly happenings, daring smugglers and dashing highwaymen, and many have heard of – or might even have seen – the modern-day legend that is the Beast of Exmoor. But what about the Flying Fish of Exmoor, a slippery catch of Johnny’s that sailed up and over a bridge into the back seat of a passing open-top car, never to be seen again? Gently humorous and wonderfully evocative, it’s only a matter of time before some of Johnny’s own tales weave their way into West Country lore.

This is the third in a series of books celebrating the finest gardens in Britain and follows on from the best-selling ‘The Cotswold’s Finest Gardens’ and ‘The Finest Gardens in Wales’. The Finest Gardens of the South West is an inspirational celebration of the very best gardens in the West Country of England, covering an area from Cornwall to the Wiltshire and Hampshire borders.

Using informative, evocative text and stunning imagery, garden writer and broadcaster Tony Russell captures the very essence of the fifty finest gardens within this region and explores their history, design, plants and personalities. The diversity of gardens to be found in the South West and within this book is truly astonishing. Within these pages you will find gardens full of subtropical plants, such as Tresco on the Isles of Scilly and Overbeck’s in Devon, modern-day creations at The Eden Project and University of Bristol Botanic Garden, historical restorations at The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Hestercombe in Somerset and botanically important gardens such as the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Rosemoor and Trewithen in Cornwall.

All the gardens featured within this book allow public access at some time during each year. The Finest Gardens of the South West is quite simply one of the finest books on the subject and essential reading for anyone interested in visiting and understanding gardens. Just like its predecessors, it will undoubtedly become a best-selling classic, a book that works equally as well on the coffee table or as a faithful companion in the car.