Victoria Summerley - The Secret Gardeners: The Fabulous Garden Retreats of Britain’s National Treasures

A bust of Prince Albert stands on the steps of the stable yard in Evgeny Lebedevs garden at Stud House, formerly the residence of the Master of the Horse at Hampton Court. Evgeny, the London-based Russian owner of The London Evening Standard and The Independent newspapers, and the TV channel London Live, commissioned Lady Salisbury to design a garden for him that is traditionally English.

Meeting peoples dogs is always a bit of a distraction too. The conversation usually starts with me asking: Oh, is this a miniature dachshund (Christopher Evans)/wheaten terrier (Cameron and Michael)/Irish wolfhound (Trudie and Sting)/border collie (Julian and Emma Fellowes)/ border terrier (Kirstie Allsopp)? It then continues with a description of the breeds good points, their dogs mischievous habits, and its general lovableness (usually rated by its fond owner as 11/10).

When planning this book, Hugo Rittson Thomas and I did not set out to feature famous people who had lovely gardens. Our original concept was a book on artists gardens, looking at how those who had some training or background in the visual arts organised their outdoor spaces.

We came up with the idea over lunch at Hugos house in Oxfordshire. Hugo studied fine art at Central St Martins and Goldsmiths in London, and his wife, Silka, is a curator and contemporary art consultant, so we were looking for a project that combined art and gardens. We were all very enthusiastic about the idea, but realised that it might have a broader appeal if we included people who were involved in the performance arts as well.

Im often asked how I choose the gardens for my books. The answer is that I dont Hugo does. I have a power of veto if I feel strongly that a garden shouldnt be included for some reason (perhaps because its too well known), but Hugo is the one who persuades people to open their gates and let us in.

How he does this, I have no idea. I am firmly of the belief that Hugo could persuade St Peter to open the gates of heaven if Frances Lincoln, our publishers, decided to commission a book on the Garden of Eden. I suspect that bucketloads of charm comes into it, plus a lot of dogged persistence, because most people even if they are household names are a little bit nervous about having their gardens photographed and discussed in print.

Indeed, some of the gardens Hugo photographed didnt make it into the book because the owners decided they wanted to remain anonymous. Others were more relaxed about the photographs, but horrified when I pitched up, because they thought I would expect them to have a degree in horticulture. But I dont know any Latin names! was a constant refrain, along with the classic garden owners lament: You should have been here last week, it looked wonderful then.

The individuals in this book may have names that are familiar to most of us, but they are just like any other garden owners. They wage daily battles with slugs or rabbits or deer; they cant remember the name of the rose that takes pride of place on the pergola; they have weeds in the vegetable patch; they plant something that doesnt do well and have to replace it with something else. But above all, they love their gardens.

When I talked to Trudie Styler, a film producer and Stings wife, she called me from New York, and we spent over an hour and a half on the phone chatting about her garden in Wiltshire. I apologised for taking up so much of her time, but she told me it was wonderful to talk about the garden with someone who had visited it and knew what she was referring to.

Cath Kidston sat me down in her kitchen and made me a cup of tea while we discussed her garden, and then insisted that I went upstairs to her bedroom no, dont worry about taking off your shoes to see how the central axis that runs through it works.

Talking of kitchens, the one belonging to Prue Leith chef, restaurateur, novelist and Great British Bake Off judge was almost as much of an attraction as her garden, filled as it was with delicious-looking food. I visited just after Christmas, and the whole time we were talking about the garden, I was dying to ask how she had used up the turkey leftovers.

People often ask me which are my favourite gardens. Its a very easy question to answer: my favourites are those where the owners give me tea, or a glass of wine, or even (if Im very lucky) lunch. This may sound like a joke, but I have found that people who offer hospitality tend to be more forthcoming about their gardens too, and that gives me a greater insight into what they are trying to achieve.