Gravetye Manor: 20 Years’ Work round an Old Manor House

Gravetye Manor is considered, along with nearby Sissinghurst and Great Dixter, one of England’s most famous and exquisite estate gardens. Robinson purchased the Elizabethan-era property in 1885; working for decades to create its renowned gardens. More recently, it has been turned into a luxury destination hotel complete with a Michelin-star restaurant, and renowned British gardener Coward has been working for fourteen years to restore the gardens faithfully to Robinson’s original vision. Pithy and prolific Robinson is widely acknowledged to have been one of the greatest gardeners of all time, known as “the Irishman who taught the British how to garden,” and the pioneer of the naturalistic planting style still emulated today by garden designers including Piet Oudolf and many others. With mentions of specific plants, cultivars, and planting schemes as well as observations of seasonal changes and moods, home gardeners today will relate to Robinson’s charming and entertaining original text and see their own smaller-scale efforts reflected in his own gardening triumphs, failures, and experiments. New color photographs of the current estate gardens show how diligently efforts are being made to restore the house and garden to Robinson’s original vision—to spectacular result.