Filmed in 2023, the gardener and broadcaster Monty Don OBE spent 7 weeks in Spain, visiting 50 gardens in April, May, June and October. The result was a beautiful, inspiring series, bringing some of the country’s most beautiful private and urban gardens, community projects and parks to our screens.
Don’s new book, Spanish Gardens features some of the gardens from the series and some that weren’t shown. The book follows his journey, starting in Madrid and working his way north through the verdant gardens of Galicia, the Basque country and Barcelona, after which he headed south to the rugged tropical climes of Mallorca, Alicante, Andalucia, Malaga, and Seville. The series and the book reveal how Spain has evolved from the darker days after the civil war to its successful transition to democracy over fifty years ago, tracing those changes through its gardens – from the more conventional gardens created after the war to the rich and inventive approaches of contemporary designers.
“We visited over 50 gardens right across Spain and it was fascinating. I learned a huge amount and it was incredibly beautiful and tremendously inspiring. It’s all here in the book”, said Monty Don.
Spanish Gardens was photographed by Derry Moore, who is known for his images of gardens, houses, and architectural interiors and also for his portraits. His photographs have been reproduced in numerous magazines including Architectural Digest, Vogue, Town and Country, Men’s Vogue and Nest and has published over a dozen books, notably Evening Ragas: A Photographer in India, The Dream Come True (Great Houses of Los Angeles), The Englishman’s Room, Rooms, Inside the House of Lords, Great Gardens of Italy and An English Room and Horses: Portraits by Derry Moore. His most recent book is In the Shadow of the Raj, which was published by Prestel in 2017.
A leading garden writer and broadcaster, Monty Don OBE, has been lead presenter of Gardeners’ World since 2003 and since 2011 the programme has come from his own garden, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire. He has written a weekly gardening column for the Daily Mail since 2004, and published over 20 books, including the bestsellers Down to Earth, Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs, and My Garden World. Japanese Gardens, his book with Derry Moore, was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award.
Spanish Gardens (BBC Books) will be released on the 7th of November, 2024.