"Allen Paterson charts Kew's history, from private pleasure ground to tourist destination and conservation organisation. The story includes a cast of royalty, scientists, gardeners and landscape designers, artists and architects fascinated by plants in all their incredible diversity." "This stunning cerebration of Kew's first 250 years features photographs of its horticultural splendours and curiosities, its iconic glasshouses, pavilions and temples, its sweeping vistas and its hidden corners, as well as its sumptuous sister garden at Wakehurst Place in Sussex."--BOOK JACKET.