THE BEST GARDENS IN THE US, ACCORDING TO MONTY DON

VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS, MIAMI

An American garden typically pioneering in spirit, Vizcaya is built on marshland. A National Historic Landmark, it was the waterfront estate home of James Deering, a businessman, and was built in 1916. “As a pastiche of an Italian renaissance garden, built on a swamp, Vizcaya has such pizzazz and chutzpah,” says Don.

FEDERAL TWIST, NEW JERSEY

“Creator James Golden calls this the ‘good-for-nothing garden’: I loved his modesty and wit. He had to cut down a wood to make it, the soil is terrible, it has thick snow in winter and is burning hot in summer – and yet it looks as if it’s just fallen into place.”

STEVE MARTINO’S DESERT GARDENS, ARIZONA

“In the desert, the greatest luxury is shade. The shadows cast are often as important a feature as the plants themselves.

According to Martino [the landscape architect] the secret is to balance just four elements – water, tree, chair, wall.”

THE SHEATS GOLDSTEIN RESIDENCE, LOS ANGELES

“The garden of multimillionaire James Goldstein [the ‘NBA superfan’ who bought the residence in 1972] features a giant structure of glass and steel, and a bevy of women draped around his statue – but he’s a talented gardener who has also created a jungle of exotic species over the years.”

THE BLOEDEL RESERVE, SEATTLE

“Parts of this 150-acre forest garden on Bainbridge Island, Washington, were sublime,” says Don. Founders Prentice and Virginia Bloedel worked with rugged land to transform rough-hewn Northwest forest into a harmonious series of curated gardens and structural features.