The 100 gardens and landscapes in this book lead us from the worlds of Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville–West to Derek Jarman and the ecologically sensitive gardens of the 21st century. The private garden remained a precious vehicle for new ideas on layout and planting, in cities as well as in the countryside. New public parks were created for growing suburbs, seaside esplanades and especially for the new towns built after 1945.

But the 20th century was eclectic and radical in bringing the landscape’s architects’s vision to places never before considered. This book charts landscapes for model villages, universities, motorways and power stations. It also studies how thoughtful landscaping has rehabilitated some of the most contaminated industrial sites in Britain and how it can regenerate old urban areas or give new settlements a sense of place.

The C20 Society exists to protect all aspects of design, including landscapes as well as buildings. It has been campaigning with the Gardens Trust for more statutory protection to be given to gardens and landscapes. Buying this book will support that campaign.