This book explores the lives, vision, and achievements of 12 very special head gardeners, and, through a series of profiles, examines the various roles of the head gardener today--project manager, conservationist, artist, designer, engineer, historian, scientific investigator, social worker, and PR. Gardening is an art form the English have made their own, and which they have been exporting to the rest of the word for the last three centuries. It is also an important economic contributor to the British economy. Great gardens like Kew and Wisley attract more visitors every year than Stonehenge or the Houses of Parliament. Gardens are hugely important, yet by their very nature they are mutable. What makes them special is the input of the people who look after them--the head gardeners.