TWO dedicated horticulturists at Hidcote Manor Gardens have enthused the French so much that a special twinning is to take place in Paris today (Thursday).

Back near the beginning of the last century, British naturalised American Lawrence Johnston founded the beautiful gardens at Hidcote Manor, near Chipping Campden.

About 15 years later he also constructed a spectacular garden in France where he wintered and nurtured the more exotic plants from far-flung parts of the world which were unsuitable for the British climate. Assistant head gardener at Hidcote, Peter Dennis and senior craft gardener David Owen, in their quest for more knowledge of Johnston tracked down his former garden at Menton, near Monte Carlo.

It was privately owned and extremely rundown, however their interest and obvious enthusiasm led to the garden being taken over by the Conservatoire du Littorali, a conservation organisation, and is presently being restored as a national monument.

Now a formal twinning was due to take place at the British Embassy in Paris today, marking special co-operation between gardeners both sides of the channel who will be in attendance.

Mr Dennis said: "We will be going on exchange visits, and sharing research, knowledge and swapping plants.

"It's the culmination of three years of making friends with influential people around the area.

"The French garden was in a dreadful state when we first saw it but underneath was Johnston's basic structure and, amazingly, very many of the original plants from different parts of the world were still surviving."

At Hidcote, as a result of Mr Dennis and Mr Owen's research, exciting work is being planned to restore the garden nearer to how Johnston left it in the 1940s when he left England to spend the rest of his days in France.

Mr Dennis, who lives with his wife and family on site, said: "David and I realised that although Hidcote is an exceptional garden, over the decades it has changed with fashion and often for economical reasons, although Johnston's basic structures remained.

"We felt it had begun to look very much like other great gardens in the Trust and we wanted to claim back its original identity.

"One old lady described it as a 'jewel box' - around every corner were bright stunning colours - nowadays it's all a bit green."

Now long-term plans are afoot to rebuild Hidcote's plant house, restore the rock bank, the glass-covered alpine terrace, the pillar garden and the all-weather tennis courts.

Mr Dennis said: "Johnston loved playing tennis and the all-weather courts, just like the rest of the garden, were hugely revolutionary in their day.

"There was a thatched pavilion which we also want to restore."

Genteel scenes of flappers in their tennis gear volleying in the afternoon sun could be a huge new tourist attraction for the Trust in years to come.