There are thousands of British gardens open to the public. Of these, Patrick Taylor has chosen the most distinctive 100, selected for beauty, pleasure, and British horticultural tradition. The great traditional gardens of Hidcote and Stourhead are included, as are a variety of lesser-known but mesmerizingly lovely spots throughout Britain. Even in the southwest, the climates vary significantly. Tresco Abby on the Isles of Scilly (accessible by ferry or helicopter from Penzance), for example, has a most impressive collection of subtropical plants. Agaves, yuccas and aeoniums line the rocky hills of this garden planted by Augustus Smith in 1834 on Tresco's sunny slopes. Behind windbreaks of Monterey Pine, palms sway and luxuriant exotics thrive. Then there's the landscape park at Stourhead, still in the southwest but light-years apart in climate and style. Dating back to 1741, these 40 acres of garden are an icon of 18th century English landscape style, with classical structures like the Temple of Apollo, the domed and pillared Pantheon, and numerous statures situated among magnificent trees, a lake, and grassy banks. There are brilliant Japanese maples in Gloucesterchire's Westonbirt, fabulous topiary and yew hedges in the garden at Plas Brondanw, Wales, a noble example of formal gardens at York's Castle Howard, and great undulating beds of peonies, Himalayan poppies, and pink rhododendron to be seen in Scotland's Branklyn Garden. All in all, Taylor's guide to British gardens provides a quality reference for garden connoisseurs and a beautiful way to get to know Britain for travelers and horticultural novices. --Stephanie Gold