FOR those who want to know the who, why and wherefor of the history of Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens there's a new book to satisfy their curiosity.

The curator and head gardener of the west Dorset tourist attraction has written a new book on the development and restoration of the award winning 18th century woodland valley garden.

The Abbotsbury Gardens Story, by Stephen Griffith, is published as the gardens celebrate 250 years since they were first conceived by the first Countess of Ilchester as a kitchen garden for Abbotsbury Castle.

Today in a unique, sheltered micro-climate next to the Jurassic coast, thousands of choice and rare plants thrive in what has a deserved reputation as a “plantsman’s garden”.

Stephen, who has worked at Abbotsbury for 25 years, painstakingly researched the history of the gardens and the fascinating lives and times of the family which has owned them since 1765.

Stephen says: “I wanted to tell the gardens’ story, past and present, its influencers and its struggles.

“In trying to unravel the history I discovered all sorts on interesting anecdotes, untold stories and connections with the present owner’s ancestors.

“It is also very much a personal reflection of the challenges and changes over the years from the point of view of a head gardener. A good garden never stands still and no doubt there will be even more changes in future.”

The book is being officially launched at a buffet lunch at the Colonial Restaurant at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens on Friday December 4.

Mr Griffith will be on hand to chat about the book and will give a tour of the gardens, weather permitting, to the invited guests.

The Abbotsbury Gardens Story, by Stephen Griffith and with a foreword by Roy Lancaster, is available from Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens online at abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk/gardens/ and selected outlets, from £9.99.

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens is winner of the 2012 HHA/Christie’s Garden of the Year award. They were established in 1765 by Elizabeth, the first Countess of Ilchester, as a kitchen garden for her nearby castle. They are now among the best-known gardens in Britain, Grade 1 Listed by English Heritage and filled with rare and exotic plants from across the world.

Stephen Griffith has been the curator of Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens for the last 25 years. He has masterminded the garden’s renaissance following a great storm in 1990. It is divided into a series of zones, geographical, such as Mediterranean and Himalayan, or time-based like the new Jurassic swamp.