A new series of books covering the history of gardens, from the medieval period through to the outbreak of the First World War. Beautifully illustrated in full colour, these attractive volumes provide an insight into the garden fashions of different periods and how garden design was influenced by the social and economic developments of the time. The focus is on the outdoor spaces of the common people as well as those of the well-to-do, and an informative section covers popular plants, new botanical introductions, developments in garden equipment and furniture, and influential gardeners of each period. This is followed by a simple guide to recreating particular features for yourself, to evoke the feel of a particular period. Medieval Gardens charts the evolution of our earliest gardens, from the rows of culinary and medicinal herbs tended by monks, to the earliest secular pleasure gardens, enclosed within castle walls. These were spaces for private conversations and outdoor games, often with raised beds and turf seats and perhaps a mound for surveying the countryside beyond. Still enclosed within wall were the 'pleasure parks' that covered many acres of land.