This year marks the 30th anniversary of Gardens Illustrated. Set up in April 1993, it features some of the most remarkable gardens worldwide, shot by some of the best photographers around. To mark the celebration we asked some of our longstanding photographers to look back over the gardens they have photographed and pick out their favourite image. The results are below, a snapshot of the history and beauty of the gardens and plants we've featured.
To mark our 30th anniversary, we picked out the landmark moments in horticulture over the last 30 years. Don't miss our round up of our favourite ever covers.
Richard Bloom
From May 2018
'The Transylvanian wildflower meadows shoot in Romania was a unique and very special experience, it felt like going back in time several hundred years. The villages, landscape and farming methods unchanged from medieval times and the spectacular wildflower meadows, a glimpse of how things may have looked in Britain all those years ago. A tapestry of wildflowers stretching as far as the eye can see, many familiar from our own countryside but many more that I’d never encountered before, beautifully photogenic plants such as Salvia nutans and the orchid Neotinea ustulata. And thanks to my knowledgeable guide, botanist Dr. John Akeroyd I was able to photograph these exquisite plants in the best locations.'
Read about the wildflower meadows
Claire Takacs
From July 2020
'Every shoot for Gardens Illustrated has been so special and memorable for the people and places I have been lucky enough to visit. So, it’s very hard to pick just one! However, shooting the Lur garden, just outside of San Sebastián encapsulated all the joys of my work. The garden was amazing, beautiful, and so unique, with a surprise at each turn, with wonderful, generous, and entertaining owners Iñigo Segurola Arregui and formerly Juan Iriarte Aguirrezaba.
It was full of atmosphere and feeling, as though a whole world was contained there and unlike any other garden I’d visited, created with pure heart, skill, passion, and unbounded creativity. I stayed two nights and shared delicious fresh and simple meals, fish on the BBQ and fresh tomatoes. Even their four dogs joined in. I’d changed my flights to get good weather, and it certainly rewarded me. The morning was particularly stunning with a slight mist breaking through the sun.
This picture was taken on my second magical morning at the Lur garden, with a very slight mist in the distance and dew on the grass. It was stunning watching the light come up from behind the mountain and start to illuminate the garden. It was perfectly calm and still, and the ideal conditions to capture the reflections in their beautiful circular pond, the Mirror Garden.'
Read more about the Lur garden
Andrea Jones
From April 2005
'It’s such a privilege photographing gardens professionally and being permitted to access them at the quietest times. This was a private garden in the Hamptons, New York, with grounds designed by Doug Reed of Reed Hilderbrand, a tireless advocate for culturally significant landscapes. The plane trees had been crown raised, their lower limbs selectively removed to give the impression of a troupe of dancers lining the swerving driveway. This was no accident, one of the owners was a notable choreographer. The tree surgeons had been instructed to create a feeling of movement with their boughs. Having recce’d the day before my shoot, I arrived before dawn in readiness for the first golden rays. It was a glorious text book moment as the light streamed through the foliage, as I had hoped. This magical memory stayed with me - so did the name of the tree surgeons as ‘Picasso of Trees’ was emblazoned on their van. The photograph was taken on 6 x 7 cm film using a Mamiya RB67 - not a digital camera!'
Here's a snapshot of the feature
Marianne Majerus
From July 2017
'I photographed the garden at Coughton Court, designed by Christina Williams, through the seasons and was fascinated by how the garden had changed each visit. I especially love the long borders and the rose garden for the way Christina combines roses and perennials. Even though it is a contemporary garden, Christina has created an atmosphere very much in tune with the surrounding historic buildings. I was in the garden before sunrise when the border emerged in the soft early morning light enhancing the pastel hues of the planting. With bold repetition of colour and texture, the planting holds its own against the silhouette of the church.'
Jason Ingram
The Plant Issue 2019
'To try and pull out one feature from so many spectacular gardens I have photographed for the magazine over the years is a very hard task indeed. I had wanted to see Jimi Blake’s garden, Hunting Brook, for many years before actually shooting there, his planting is exquisite and I felt incredibly inspired by the location. This image was shot at the break of day and I was aware that this grouping of trees would act as the perfect diffuser so I could shoot directly into the light, the layers, textures and pops of colour made the perfect shot for me.'
Read more about Jimi Blake and Hunting Brook
Andrew Montgomery
From December 2022
'The sequence of images this photograph was selected from was actually photographed from outside Bex Partridge’s studio with the camera looking in. Some of her dried flowers were resting against the old glass window. The soft refraction of the glass along with some cobwebs and dust gave the flowers a lovely soft watercolour feel. These were some of my favourite images from the shoot!'
Read about Bex Partridge and drying flowers
Clive Nichols
From December 2022
'Winter is one of my favourite seasons to shoot gardens, especially when the temperature dial drops below freezing and the skies are crystal clear. I live on the eastern edge of the Cotswolds and one of the best winter gardens in the area is the Old Rectory at Quinton, near Northampton. Elegantly designed by Anouska Feiler of Bestique, the garden looks amazing when dusted with hoar frost at sunrise. The design around the Rectory is based on a cross which relates to the nearby church. An elegant allee of hornbeams runs down the central axis of the garden to an elegant wood-framed glasshouse. This shot encapsulates everything that I love about this garden in winter with its amazing ‘bone’ structure.'
Eva Nemeth
From November 2021
I particularly enjoyed working with Alison Jenkins on her Pots of Style series photographed for Gardens Illustrated in 2020. Garden photography is a rather solitary type of photography which suits my personality. However, photographing Alison’s pots confirmed how much I love working alongside creative people. This is a memorable series also because shortly after our first shoot, lockdown happened and threw unexpected challenges at us but we managed to work on despite some new type of difficulties. I also enjoy photographing seasonal change, returning to the same garden and photographing each season. Capturing Alison’s wonderful choice of plants for each season alongside seeing her own garden change was a particular treat.'
Discover Alison's Pots of Style series.
Annaïck Guitteny
From April 2023
"No matter how well a garden shoot is planned and the forecast checked, there is always a little doubt when I set off: are things going to work out as I wish? Even more so, when the garden is abroad. But I was utterly mesmerised when I arrived at Les Jardins du Mont des Recollets and discovered Emmanuel’s glorious meadows, the bulbs combinations working so well together. I arrived just as the sun was setting down and managed to capture a few images before nightfall, including this image where the colour of the daffodils echoes the sunset shining across the lake."
Read more about remarkable French gardens to visit
Rachel Warne
September 2015
'Over all the years I’ve been shooting still one the most profound and memorable gardens I’ve photographed was Deryck Body’s. His garden and way of life was very special. When we arrived he wasn’t quite sure who would be interest in him or his garden. I was immediately taken by his charm, a humble person who truly loved his garden and loved to make things, a real craftsmen’s, a rare gem. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a shoot where a homemade pie was presented to me baked from scratch like it was nothing, whilst telling me his late wife was the better cook! His dahlias were his pride and joy, a wonderful spectacle. The funniest moment was being face to face with a rogue sheep in the border. Of course, I took the picture first while she had her beady eye on the Dahlias! I soon showed her Deryck's hand crafted gate.'
Read about Deryck Body's garden