In conceiving her Gravel Garden, Beth Chatto embarked on a voyage of discovery. Could she -- on three-quarters of an acre of poor, heavily compacted, gravelly soil -- make a decorative garden where plants would survive without watering, even in times of drought? The story of the creation of the Gravel Garden is one of triumph over adversity, of marvelling at miracles and learning from failures, with fascinating lessons for all gardeners. Beth Chatto treasures her plants and at times it was anguish for her as she watched them struggle against the cruel conditions nature imposes. But her ability to "sort out the most reliable plants for the driest, and the most windswept of sites" and her unrivalled knowledge of plants and how to give them the best start in life made the experiment an unqualified success, while her artist's eye for color, form and shape enabled her to create a garden of great beauty.

Providing the answer to every visitor's question, "How on earth did you do it?" and showing how her principles can be applied on any scale, this book is an essenti