All over the world, once-flourishing horticultural spaces have been abandoned and forgotten. From the once-crumbling grandeur of the Villa d’Este and the magic of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, to the sculptural surrealism of Las Pozas and the colourful rebirth of Le Jardin Majorelle, there are countless gardens around the world with fascinating stories to tell.

Author and journalist Sandra Lawrence takes readers on a tour of forty horticultural gems from around the world that have been lost either through neglect, abandonment or destruction. Many have been consigned to history, never to be seen again, while others have been revived and restored by the care and dedication of new owners and communities. These marvels of horticulture take many forms: stately homes, floating allotments, roof gardens and more. But all of them have one thing in common: the romance of paradise lost.

Featuring commissioned illustrations of each garden by renowned artist Lucille Clerc, this book is a celebration of our love of nature, and the importance of keeping these oases of green alive and well – if not in reality, then at least on the page. The gardens brought back to life by Lawrence, include: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, England; Las Pozas, Mexico; Le Jardin Majorelle, Morocco; The Garden of Dreams, Nepal; Villa d’Este, Italy; Paleis Het Loo, Netherlands, and Crowninshield Garden, USA.

Discover the remarkable stories behind the creation, decline and occasional rebirth of these astonishing spaces, and meet the people and societies that first created and enjoyed them.

Sandra Lawrence is an author and journalist and has written about gardens for, among others, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, English Garden, LandScape, Garden News, Modern Gardens, Hortus and British Heritage. Her seventeen books include The Witch’s Garden (2019), The Magic of Mushrooms (2022) and Anthology of Amazing Women (2018). She is also the author of Miss Willmott’s Ghosts (2022), a biography of the Edwardian plantswoman Ellen Ann Willmott, whose ruined garden fuelled Lawrence’s childhood love of treasure hunting in lost gardens.

Lost Gardens of the World (Quarto) will be released on the 3rd of October, 2024.