Caroline Holmes lectures regularly for the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, as well as The Arts Society and for The Gardens Trust, nationally and internationally. She is a guest lecturer for the cruise companies Viking and Seabourn, Noble Caledonia and Fred Olsen.
Caroline is the author of 12 books: her latest, Where the wildness pleases – the English Garden celebrated, was published in 2021. In 2019, she was a keynote speaker at the International Water Gardens Symposium at Giverny based on the research for her book Water Lilies and Bory Latour-Marliac - the genius behind Monet's Water Lilies. Her RHS Herbs for the Gourmet Gardener was finalist in the 2014 Garden Media Guild Reference Book of the Year Award. Other titles include Monet at Giverny and Follies of Europe - architectural extravaganzas.
Caroline is currently researching links between Monet and Japan in the context of his gardens and his paintings. She is consulting on creating landscapes around a new housing development in Norfolk that will also evoke the history of its plantings and people. Past design consultancies include Tudor-inspired gardens for a Humanist Renaissance 'journey' around Notre Dame de Calais, 16th–18th century orchards and gardens with modern operatic borders at High House for the Royal Opera House and devising the poisons planting in The Alnwick Garden. Two earlier design schemes were opened by Charles III when Prince of Wales.
Media work includes Caroline being filmed in her gardens for Viking TV in 2022 https://viking.tv/tv/this-week-on-viking-tv/mondays/get-a-glimpse-into-english-country-life-with-guest-lecturer-caroline-holmes. She also co-presented 'Glorious Gardens' on Anglia TV and has presented several series for BBC Radio 4. Caroline is a recipient of ‘The Gertrude B Foster Award for Excellence in Herbal Literature’ in 2011 and ‘The Elizabeth Crisp Rea Award’ in 2017 from the Herb Society of America (www.horti-history.com).
