The Quiet American Gardener

The Quiet American Gardener is the story of how one man turned a Cotswold farm into one of the best-known and most influential gardens in Britain.

Creative and artistic

Although Lawrence Johnston was an American he created a seminally English garden at Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire.

He was passionate about design, architecture and plants and travelled all around the world finding unusual varieties of flora and fauna that would bring colour, scent, shape and texture to his garden.

Hidcote was the first property to be taken over by the National Trust on the strength of its garden alone, which is a celebration of Johnston’s creative and artistic mind.

Inspirational garden

Hidcote remains a much-admired and inspirational garden today, which brings pleasure to thousands of people who visit it every year.

The Quiet American Gardener goes behind the scenes to meet the gardeners working to restore Hidcote to the glory of its heyday.