A Garden Well Placed

“Xa Tollemache is an innately sensitive garden designer…She reads the scene so beautifully well, embracing the qualities of history, landscape, architecture and people, within her work.” – Fergus Garrett
“We can learn much from her spirit and attitude to garden making and above all, that the garden is ‘well-placed’ to fit the character of the house.” * Society of Garden Designers *
“Through the book’s pages you feel that you are having a cup of coffee with Xa while she tells you about the trials, tribulations and joys of taking on a project such as Helmingham and brings you into her world of the outdoors, fresh air and the country…she is not afraid to admit when she was wrong or lacked knowledge and how she came to learn by her mistakes. The writing style is fluent and interesting and you soon start picking up all sorts of ideas yourself without really realising it.” * Reckless Gardener *
“What makes the book are the stories about how projects came about … where many garden books simply present everything as a completed success story, Lady Tollemache explains in clear and helpful detail how that point was reached.” * Country Life *
“We can learn much from her spirit and attitude to garden making and, above all, that the garden is ‘well placed’ to fit the character of the house.” * Garden Design Journal *
“Beautifully photographed…an escapist book to enjoy by the fireplace while dreaming of a summer trip to England.” – Shannon Young * NorthWest Perennial Alliance (US) *

Xa Tollemache learned how to garden and design gardens at her home, Helmingham Hall in Suffolk. She established her garden design practice in 1996, and one of her first professional designs was the Evening Standard garden for the 1997 Chelsea Flower Show, where she won a Gold Medal. She has since designed two more medal-winning gardens for Chelsea, as well as gardens in the UK, Europe, and the US. She is currently a Member of the Council of the RHS, Chair of the Gardens Committee, a Member of the Horticulture Board, and an RHS Judge.

Fergus Garrett was chosen by Christopher Lloyd as his head gardener at Dixter in 1992. He worked closely with Lloyd until his death in 2006. He is now Chief Executive of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust, and combines his gardening role at Dixter with writing and lecturing. He was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal by the RHS in 2015 and the Victoria Medal of Honour in 2019.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.