Peter King Good Gardens Guide (annual publication, usually available in late November)
Regular garden visitors keep this book in the car. They have to. It has the largest number of gardens of any British gardens' guide and, once you get used to the organisation-by-county, it is relatively easy to use. One might regret that there are not more illustrations but since the whole purpose is to provide information, it is better to have a smaller, lighter, cheaper book than a heavily illustrated weighty tome. The text is somewhat marred by poor judgement of design quality and a lack of historical knowledge. Gardens are rated by stars. Most of the two-star gardens are good but the one-star ratings are totally unreliable. Some public parks are included, which is a welcome addition to a book of this type.
