Monty Don

"One of the things that has always moved me, and this has often been said by people who are grieving, is that the rhythm of the seasons is a huge comforter. In the bleakest , you trust that spring will come, that the blossom will appear."

"... Two years ago, I was filming in Madrid for my BBC series on Spanish gardens and was struck by the dogs garden] at , designed by Álvaro Sampedro. Dogs had been very much a part of that design. I thought it was fun and nicely done and, when I got home to Longmeadow, my garden in , it made me think about the ways my dogs use the garden and how they react to it."

"For the Japanese especially, gardens are an essential part of their cultural identity and their history can be measured out in them. In a land of earthquakes and s, gardens are often more durable — and more easily repaired — than buildings. That is not to say that they are easy for the Western visitor to understand or appreciate. Of all the countries I have visited, Japan remains the most enigmatic, drawing you just so close but no further. The cultural divide in the garden — as in almost all other walks of life — remain huge."