Imagine strolling through one of the world’s finest gardens on the arm of the man who created it – a man who doesn’t mince words about its habitants. In My Garden in Spring (1914), the first of Edward Augustus Bowles’ seasonal trilogy about his garden near London, the master does just that by displaying the warmth and wit that endeared him to everyone he knew. One of the most forward-looking gardeners of his time, Bowles’s garden “design” at Myddelton House emphasized plants, not architecture. In fact, a plant from China could live next to a family heirloom simply given their similar light, soil and water requirements. His book has become a classic in the century since its publication, and his restored gardens remain open to the public.