Episode Information

Every gardener knows about Hidcote Manor Garden – one of the most celebrated English gardens of the twentieth century and its maker a French-born American who became a British citizen. Lawrence Johnston (1871–1958) was a talented artist and garden architect – but above all, an impassioned plantsman. Despite his long and busy sociable life he left few personal records so his elusive character is best discovered through exploring his gardens. Not many years after acquiring Hidcote, Lawrence Johnston embarked on creating a second garden at Menton in the South of France. Like Hidcote, Jardin Serre de la Madone was a farm that Johnston turned into a magnificent garden. After Johnston’s death in the 1950s Serre passed through the hands of a series of different owners and was nearly lost, but its reputation was kept alive by a handful of enthusiastic garden connoisseurs. At last in 1990 it was officially scheduled by the Minister of Culture as a historic monument – an unprecedented distinction for a garden. Lawrence Johnston’s unique creation is gradually being revealed and restored to its former glory.