Powis Castle, UK

A garden photographer could hardly ask for a more theatrical subject than Powis Castle. Terraces tumble down the red sandstone ridge, clipped yews swell into improbable green blobs and lead statues strike their poses among pots stuffed with flamboyant planting. Then there are the plants themselves: salvias, palms, cannas, dahlias and all manner of botanical oddities seemingly determined to prove that mid-Wales can occasionally impersonate somewhere considerably further south. After one of the harshest summers in living memory, the garden's resilience was particularly impressive. The combination of historic architecture, formal structure and horticultural bravado makes it an irresistible subject for the camera, with quieter, more restrained spaces providing welcome relief from the visual fireworks. A garden that knows exactly how to make an entrance – and, despite the weather, shows no sign of wilting.